Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site im4u.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!ut-sally!im4u!jsq
From: jsq@im4u.UUCP (John Quarterman)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Missing news in the new "mod" groups
Message-ID: <1@im4u.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 10-Nov-85 12:11:27 EST
Article-I.D.: im4u.1
Posted: Sun Nov 10 12:11:27 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 11-Nov-85 07:43:35 EST
References: <1001@munnari.OZ> <179@gould9.UUCP>
Reply-To: jsq@im4u.UUCP (John Quarterman)
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 42
Summary: Reply-To: isn't implemented enough places.

In article <179@gould9.UUCP> joel@gould9.UUCP (Joel West) writes:
>I have to agree.  "Path" is not a reply address, even if
>it does save the problem of having garbage show up on
>the lap of usenet@ucbarpa (no small concern for eric.
>
>That's what "Reply-to" is for.  Last time I checked, the 2.10.2
>knows this.

Reply-To is a valid RFC822 mail header.  It's not clear that it's
part of the news article spec.  What is clear from my attempts to
use it as you suggest in mod.std.unix is that there are *many*
hosts on USENET which do not recognize it.  Also, many machines
which receive USENET newsgroups are not even on USENET; they
get the articles by mail over DEC's Easynet.  So we have both
simple-minded UNIX mailers and DECNET-style VMS mailers which
know nothing of Reply-To.  This situation cannot be expected
to change soon, either, since there is a large camp who believe
that RFC822 is incredibly baroque, non-UNIX, and inappropriate
for the UUCP mail network.  (I think they're wrong, but that
won't change their minds.)

To avoid the problem with mod.computers.sequent which Robert
described, I have taken to posting articles directly from im4u
instead of mailing them to ucbvax to be posted there.  This way,
im4u still appears in the Path, but the article really has been
to im4u, just like for any other article posted from im4u.

Also, I use a trick which I've found useful in mod.std.unix to
separate submissions to the newsgroup from personal mail to me.
I set environment variables which inews recognizes so that not
jsq but rather info-sequent-request appears in the Path, like this:

Path: yours!theirs!...!other!im4u!info-sequent-request

Robert and others point out that use of the Path for replies is
a dubious practice.  But at least this way rn can pick out
im4u!info-sequent-request and let the local host route replies.

An up to date moderators file in the news library is also a good thing.
-- 
John Quarterman,   UUCP:  {ihnp4,seismo,harvard,gatech}!ut-sally!im4u!jsq
ARPA Internet and CSNET:  jsq@im4u.UTEXAS.EDU, formerly jsq@im4u.ARPA