[news.software.b] Strange bugs on articles with really long Newsgroups lines

brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) (01/10/91)

Recently I have been posting ClariNet articles with up to 6 newsgroups.
Typical ClariNet articles can have up to 4 groups, based on the number
of classifications applied to the topic of the article.

But then we can add special groups, such as high-priority newsgroups,
and in the case I will talk about, alt.desert-shield and our special
Iraq group clari.news.hot.iraq.    Thus 7 newsgroups.  (All meaningful,
unlike a typical crosspost... :-()

Anyway, some strange complaints are coming in.  The articles are leaving
here fine, but...

One problem is the cancel messages we send out on these articles.  Some
people are getting them with the "Control: cancel" header gone.  In addition,
the Newsgroups line above is truncated, which makes me think this is the
source of the trouble.

Another strange problem comes from people complaining that new newsgroups
are getting created, one for every word on the subject line.  For example,
from the article below newsgroups "Threat" "of" "war" and "intensifes" might
be created.  (This may be a notesfiles problem)

Anybody have more information on this?  On one hand, I don't want to cause
people to have endless problems.  But on the other hand, I don't mind
seing broken software forced into submission.

	Xref: looking clari.news.gov.international:30248 clari.news.fighting:5743 clari.news.military:8057 clari.news.issues.conflict:3237 clari.news.hot.iraq:4223 alt.desert-shield:1251 clari.news.bulletin:1997
	Path: looking!clarinews
	From: clarinews@clarinet.com (GAYLE YOUNG)
	Newsgroups: clari.news.gov.international,clari.news.fighting,clari.news.military,clari.news.issues.conflict,clari.news.hot.iraq,alt.desert-shield,clari.news.bulletin
	Followup-to: alt.desert-shield
	Message-id: <22Riraq-wrapup_1ff@clarinet.com>
	Subject: Threat of war intensifies
	Keywords: international, non-usa government, government, fighting, military,
		war & peace, social issues
	Date: Wed, 9 Jan 91 20:27:10 EST
	Location: mideast, iraq
	Reply-to: info@clarinet.com (For More Information)
	ACategory: washington
	Slugword: iraq-wrapup
	Priority: urgent
	Format: breaking
	X-Supersedes: <21Riraq-wrapup_1ff@clarinet.com>
	ANPA: Wc: 852; Id: a2018; Sel: na--w; Adate: 1-9-825pes; Ver: ld
	Approved: clarinews@clarinet.com
	Codes: yigfbxp., yif.bxx., yim.bxx., yixwbiq.
	Note: (complete writethru -- perez de cuellar going to baghdad, israel
	 reaction to aziz remarks, us diplomat, staff guaranteed safe exit from
	 iraq if ordered out)


Here's a cancel message for one of these.  I don't know why the Control
line is being deleted since the newsgroups line is not near it.  But some
people could be re-arranging the headers.

	Path: looking!clarinews
	From: clarinews@clarinet.com
	Newsgroups: clari.news.gov.international.ctl,clari.news.fighting.ctl,clari.news.military.ctl,clari.news.issues.conflict.ctl,clari.news.hot.iraq.ctl,alt.desert-shield.ctl,clari.news.top.world.ctl
	Message-id: <C1fd.3496@clarinet.com>
	Date: Tue, 8 Jan 91 13:53:02 EST
	Subject: x
	Control: cancel <9Riraq-wrapup_1fd@clarinet.com>
	Approved: y

-- 
Brad Templeton, ClariNet Communications Corp. -- Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473