OT: Please, do not use the alternative "Web-News" interface to post messages

[jcc7]

== Quote from Oskar Linde (oskar.lindeREM at OVEgmail.com)'s article
> This may be a bit nitpicky, but since there is an increasing problem, I
> feel it deserves mention.
> Lately, I noticed a number of posts that break threads. They all have
> the user agent string:
> Web-News v.1.6.3 (by Terence Yim)
> which must be the alternative interface at
> http://www.digitalmars.com/webnews/newsgroups.php
> Posting with this interfaces results in posts that violates at least
> five de facto rules documented in mail and news related RFCs:

I don't want to spend the time reading the RFCs, so I'll assume you're right about
this problem.

Since Web-News is Open Source, it might be possible to fix the posting behavior.
(Actually, pnews is Open Source, too, so maybe we could "borrow" tips from its
posting behavior to add to Web-News.)

Also, if it's really disruptive to post from the Web-News interface, perhaps it's
posting function should be disabled. (Or even better have the reply button
re-direct to a pnews compose window.) Just telling people not to post from
Web-News won't get us 100% compliance anytime soon.

> I believe it decodes and parses most messages ok now.
> I'll hopefully get some time soon to implement a posting interface that
> at least doesn't fail in any of the above ways. Shouldn't be too hard.)
> /Oskar

Since you've already been working on this, it might be a better option than trying
to fix Web-News. Are you planning to enable people to make use of the Xref? I've
been using  links with the Xref for years, and it's been tremendously useful when
changing from using one web interface to another (especially when the old web
interface broke).

For example, the header of the post has:
Xref: digitalmars.com digitalmars.D:47211

So the Web-News link is:
http://www.digitalmars.com/webnews/newsgroups.php?art_group=digitalmars.D&article_id=47211

And the pnews link is:
http://www.digitalmars.com/pnews/read.php?server=news.digitalmars.com&group=digitalmars.D&artnum=47211

With wwwnews (may it rest in peace), the link would've been:
http://www.digitalmars.com/drn-bin/wwwnews?digitalmars.D/47211

In Wiki4D, a shortcut allows us to put:
NG:digitalmars.D/47211
which would automatically be turned into a link to:
http://www.digitalmars.com/webnews/newsgroups.php?art_group=digitalmars.D&article_id=47211

And if a better web interface comes along, the "NG:" shortcut could just be
reprogrammed to point to that web interface (if the new web interface will use the
Xref in the link).

jcc7