> From: brian@eit.COM (Brian Smithson)
> To: Multiple recipients of list <xpress-list@grot.starconn.com>
> Subject: Re: Usenet and X*Press
> I think that the appropriate thing to add to the netnews header is
> Distribution: local
> That's supposed to keep things from going off-site. Of course, a site
> admin can override it, but at least this makes a good default.
> --
> -Brian Smithson brian@eit.com
> Enterprise Integration Technologies +1 415 617 8009
> 459 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301 USA FAX +1 415 617 8019
I had considered "Distribution: local" before making the previous suggestion
as "Distribution: X*PRESS". Everything I read about this header option
indicates that without the "Distribution: xxx" line, the default is "world",
and that "local" has no special meaning to the software. I did check the
C-News source, and it certainly doesn't look for "local"
Anyway, here is a clipping from a man page in the C-News source distribution
regarding the effect of "Distribution: " lines...
NEWSSYS(5) UNIX 5.0 (2 March 1992) NEWSSYS(5)
.
.
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The distributions in the Distribution: header are similarly
matched against the distributions subfield, if any. If no
distributions are supplied, Distribution: will be matched
against the subscriptions instead. (The Distribution:
header is ignored when receiving news; it is only
significant when sending.)
Note that some older news software reportedly attached
magical significance to the distributions ``world'' and
``local''; C News treats them as ordinary distribution names
with no special properties (except that ``world'' is the
default distribution of an article if none appears
explicitly). For example, a distributions list like
all,!local will not prevent local articles from being sent
unless they contain explicit Distribution: local lines.
Note too that the distribution ``world'' must be permitted
(perhaps by the distribution ``all'') in order to feed
Distribution:-less articles (the common case) to a site.
.
.
.
My idea was that if the distribution value were unique, the administrator would
have to do something pretty explicit to send the articles to another site.
Anyway, we will go ahead and go with Brian's suggestion since he used to be a
REAL net-news guru. Look for the change in the March distribution.
Richard
-- Richard Schaal Motorola Computer Group M/S AZ43 DW278 2900 South Diablo Way, Tempe, AZ 85252 Voice: (602)438-3519 Fax: (602)438-3836 E-Mail: rschaal@phx.mcd.mot.com "This is a great place to work.... there's a going away party every Friday!"