usefor-usefor-01 September 2004
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1.1 Basic Concepts
"Netnews" is a set of protocols for generating, storing and
retrieving news "articles" (which resemble email messages) and for
exchanging them amongst a readership which is potentially widely
distributed. It is organized around "newsgroups", with the
expectation that each reader will be able to see all articles posted
to each newsgroup in which he participates. These protocols most
commonly use a flooding algorithm which propagates copies throughout
a network of participating servers. Typically, only one copy is
stored per server, and each server makes it available on demand to
readers able to access that server.
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#Diff to first older
--- ../usefor-article-13/Basic_Concepts.out May 2004
+++ ../usefor-usefor-01/Basic_Concepts.out September 2004
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-1.1. Basic Concepts
+1.1 Basic Concepts
"Netnews" is a set of protocols for generating, storing and
retrieving news "articles" (which resemble email messages) and for
@@ -10,28 +10,4 @@
a network of participating servers. Typically, only one copy is
stored per server, and each server makes it available on demand to
readers able to access that server.
-
- An important characteristic of Netnews is the lack of any requirement
- for a central administration or for the establishment of any
- controlling host to manage the network. A network which limits
- participation to some restricted set of hosts (within some company,
- for example) is a "closed" network; otherwise it is an "open"
- network. A set of hosts within a network which, by mutual
- arrangement, operates some variant (whether more or less restrictive)
- of the Netnews protocols is a "cooperating subnet".
-
- "Usenet" is a particular worldwide open network based upon the
- Netnews protocols, with the newsgroups being organized into
- recognized "hierarchies". Anybody can join (it is simply necessary
- to negotiate an exchange of articles with one or more other
- participating hosts).
-
- A "policy" is a rule intended to facilitate the smooth operation of a
- network by establishing parameters which restrict behaviour that,
- whilst technically unexceptionable, would nevertheless contravene
- some accepted standard of "Good Netkeeping". Since the ultimate
- beneficiaries of a network are its human readers, who will be less
- tolerant of poorly designed interfaces than mere computers, articles
- in breach of established policy can cause considerable annoyance to
- their recipients.