🚀 go-pugleaf

 peter@taronga.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
> jik@athena.mit.edu (Jonathan I. Kamens) writes:

>> In other words, sites that don't deal properly with unknown
>> newsgroups in the Newsgroups or Followup-To field,

> Anyone running B news, that is.

>> or news readers that don't deal properly with "poster" in the
>> Followup-To field,

> Such as "rn".

>> are broken.

> So what do you suggest should be done about it?

There is an easy, draconian, well known solution to masses of crufty old
software that no one wants around except the sites too lazy to upgrade.

You make a generation of software whose data files are _not_ upward
compatible from previous generations.  You publicize it widely, you make it
capable of reading the old files, but not of writing them, and you install
it; anyone who doesn't upgrade is rapidly out of business.

I suggest sufficient cause would be to regularlize the address mess across
all nets everywhere into one, universally accepted style, different from
everything now running.

I just had the joyless experience of having the postmaster and his
manager at purdue.edu tell me that that huge site _by_ _policy_, refuses
to even attempt to process uucp style addresses on incoming mail, so
that responses to mail or news from purdue.edu from anything but the
most up to date software and maps, anything not in internet domain
format, is just bounced.

Great attitude toward both their users expecting answers to their mail,
and toward the rest of the net, but it is symptomatic of the frustration
the current mess causes everyone.

The only possible fix involves _invalidating_ all the crufty old software.

Is it time?

Kent, the man from xanth.
<xanthian@Zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <xanthian@well.sf.ca.us>
--
Please?