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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rochester!bukys
From: bukys@rochester.UUCP (Liudvikas Bukys)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: "mod.all" and "Path:"
Message-ID: <2472@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Oct-84 10:16:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: rocheste.2472
Posted: Tue Oct 23 10:16:01 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Oct-84 07:46:42 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
Lines: 23

There is a technical problem which some moderators may not be aware
of.  (I've told Steve Dyer, but now I see Chuqui von Rospach is doing
it too.)

+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  The "Path:" header is used as a duplicate suppressor.  If you   |
|  put some system in the "Path:" of an article, noone will send   |
|  the article to that system.  As a result, the article will not  |
|  be correctly distributed to the whole net.			   |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+

Your hearts are in the right place.  I suppose that in some sense it
would be nice to allow people who use the "Path:" for a return mail
route to continue to to do.  On the other hand, this is an poor
practice and every little discouragement helps wipe it out.  Use
auto-routers, people!

I don't have any good suggestions for what you should put in the path
instead.  (Well, actually, I can think of a few kludges that would
resemble what you've got now but would fool the news distribution
code.  But I will not post obscenities to the net.  Let's not abuse the
code.  Let's do it right.)  For the interim, I suggest that moderators
have the path look like just plain ...!modsys!group-request.