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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!sundc!rlgvax!dennis
From: dennis@rlgvax.UUCP (Dennis Bednar)
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: 2.11 cancel msg does not update history file
Message-ID: <308@rlgvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 5-Jan-87 14:33:03 EST
Article-I.D.: rlgvax.308
Posted: Mon Jan  5 14:33:03 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 5-Jan-87 23:17:43 EST
References: <301@rlgvax.UUCP> <322f30f0.982f@apollo.uucp>
Organization: Computer Consoles Inc, Reston VA
Lines: 31
Summary: There is a 2.11 cancel bug. The history file is not correct after it. The bug is sporadic.

In article <322f30f0.982f@apollo.uucp>, rees@apollo.uucp (Jim Rees) writes:
> 
>     I have recently noticed that when a 'cancel' control
>     message is received from the network, that 2.11 news removes
>     the article in the /usr/spool/news directory, but it
>     does *not* remove the entry from the /usr/lib/news/history,
>     history.pag and history.dir files.  Probably a bug.
> 
> Feature, not a bug.  This prevents the article from getting installed if
> it comes in again later.  Don't know about the 2.11 expire, but mine keeps
> the entry in the history file around for a couple of weeks, then deletes it.

Let me clarify.  When an article is cancelled I think the proper thing
for the history file is to contain a line either of the form:

<7770@gatech.EDU>	 12/19/86 04:49	cancelled
<7770@gatech.EDU>	 12/19/86 04:49	

(The two forms may result depending on whether the cancel control
message was received before (1st line) or after (2nd line) the
actual article being cancelled. This is only a guess though.)

However, the history file erroneously says something like:

<1355@mit-vax.LCS.MIT.EDU>	01/05/87 12:09	soc.culture.jewish/89 

i.e, the article is still pointed to by the history file, but should
say "cancelled" or "" instead.
-- 
-Dennis Bednar
{decvax,ihnp4,harpo,allegra}!seismo!rlgvax!dennis	UUCP