Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site elsie.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!elsie!ado
From: ado@elsie.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news.b
Subject: Handling of "Distribution:" lines
Message-ID: <852@elsie.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 13-Mar-84 19:50:44 EST
Article-I.D.: elsie.852
Posted: Tue Mar 13 19:50:44 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 14-Mar-84 19:52:10 EST
Organization: NIH-LEC, Bethesda, MD
Lines: 22

I once again get to expose my ignorance.

Normally, to decide whether to transmit an article to another system,
2.10 "inews" considers this question:
    Does the other system want a news group mentioned on the "Newsgroups:" line?
However, if there's a "Distribution:" line in an article, then "inews"
instead considers this question:
    Does the other system want a news groups mentioned on the "Distribution:"
    line?
It seems to me that the question to ask in the second case is:
    Does the other system want a news group mentioned on the "Newsgroups:" line,
    AND does it also want a news group mentioned on the "Distribution:" line?
Otherwise, if you have a
    Distribution: net
line, your item gets sent willy-nilly everywhere--even to systems where it
is immediately discarded.  Brass tacks: I think you get to do an extra "ngmatch"
call per system in "broadcast" when there's a "Distribution:" line.

Who has light to shed on this area?
-- 
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