usefor-usepro-00 August 2004

2.1.  Definitions

   An "article" is the unit of news, synonymous with an [RFC 2822]
   "message".

   A "proto-article" (7.2.1) is one that has been created by a "posting
   agent" but has not yet been injected into a Netnews system system by
   an "injecting agent". It may lack some otherwise mandatory headers.

   A "message identifier" (a-5.3) is a unique identifier for an article,
   usually supplied by the posting agent which posted it or, failing
   that, by the injecting agent. It distinguishes the article from every
   other article ever posted anywhere. Articles with the same message
   identifier are treated as if they are the same article regardless of
   any differences in the body or headers.

   A "newsgroup" is a single news forum, a logical bulletin board,
   having a name and nominally intended for articles on a specific
   topic. An article is "posted to" a single newsgroup or several
   newsgroups. When an article is posted to more than one newsgroup, it
   is said to be "crossposted"; note that this differs from posting the
   same text as part of each of several articles, one per newsgroup.

   A newsgroup may be "moderated", in which case submissions are not
   posted directly, but mailed to a "moderator" for consideration and
   possible posting.  Moderators are typically human but may be
   implemented partially or entirely in software.

   A "hierarchy" is the set of all newsgroups whose names share a first
   component (as defined in a-5.5).  The term "sub-hierarchy" is also
   used where several initial components are shared.

   A "poster" is the person or software that composes and submits a
   possibly compliant article to a posting agent. The poster is
   synonymous with [RFC 2822]'s author.

   A "reader" is the person or software reading news articles.

   A "followup" is an article containing a response to the contents of
   an earlier article (the followup's "precursor").
[Alternative definition, to bu ised if similar woprding is not added to
the description of the References-header (a-6.10):]

   A "followup" is an article containing a response to the contents of
   an earlier article (its "precursor"), or which is otherwise intended
   to be grouped with that article for purposes of display (e.g. as part
   of a multipart posting such as a FAQ).

   An (email) "address" is the mailbox [RFC 2822] (or more particularly
   the addr-spec within that mailbox) which directs the delivery of an
   email to its intended recipient, who is said to "own" that address.

   An article's "reply address" is the address to which mailed replies
   should be sent. This is the address specified in the article's From-
   header (a-5.2), unless it also has a Reply-To-header (a-6.1).

   A "sender" is the person or software (usually, but not always, the
   same as the poster) responsible for the operation of the posting
   agent or, which amounts to the same thing, for passing the article to
   the injecting agent.

   A "control message" is an article which is marked as containing
   control information; a "serving agent" receiving such an article may
   (subject to the policies observed at that site) take actions beyond
   just filing and passing on the article.

--- ../usefor-article-13/Definitions.out          May 2004
+++ ../usefor-usepro-00/Definitions.out          August 2004
@@ -1,15 +1,18 @@
 2.1.  Definitions
 
-   An "article" is the unit of news, analogous to an [RFC 2822]
-   "message". A "proto-article" is one that has not yet been injected
-   into the news system.
-
-   A "message identifier" (5.3) is a unique identifier for an article,
-   usually supplied by the "posting agent" which posted it or, failing
-   that, by the "injecting agent". It distinguishes the article from
-   every other article ever posted anywhere. Articles with the same
-   message identifier are treated as if they are the same article
-   regardless of any differences in the body or headers.
+   An "article" is the unit of news, synonymous with an [RFC 2822]
+   "message".
+
+   A "proto-article" (7.2.1) is one that has been created by a "posting
+   agent" but has not yet been injected into a Netnews system system by
+   an "injecting agent". It may lack some otherwise mandatory headers.
+
+   A "message identifier" (a-5.3) is a unique identifier for an article,
+   usually supplied by the posting agent which posted it or, failing
+   that, by the injecting agent. It distinguishes the article from every
+   other article ever posted anywhere. Articles with the same message
+   identifier are treated as if they are the same article regardless of
+   any differences in the body or headers.
 
    A "newsgroup" is a single news forum, a logical bulletin board,
    having a name and nominally intended for articles on a specific
@@ -24,29 +27,24 @@
    implemented partially or entirely in software.
 
    A "hierarchy" is the set of all newsgroups whose names share a first
-   component (as defined in 5.5).  The term "sub-hierarchy" is also used
-   where several initial components are shared.
+   component (as defined in a-5.5).  The term "sub-hierarchy" is also
+   used where several initial components are shared.
 
    A "poster" is the person or software that composes and submits a
-   possibly compliant article to a "posting agent". The poster is
-   analogous to [RFC 2822]'s author.
-
-   A "posting agent" is the software that assists posters to prepare
-   proto-articles, in compliance with this standard. The proto-article
-   is then passed on to an "injecting agent" for final checking and
-   injection into the news stream. If the article is not compliant, or
-   is rejected by the injecting agent, then the posting agent informs
-   the poster with an explanation of the error.
+   possibly compliant article to a posting agent. The poster is
+   synonymous with [RFC 2822]'s author.
 
    A "reader" is the person or software reading news articles.
 
-   A "reading agent" is software which presents articles to a reader.
-
    A "followup" is an article containing a response to the contents of
    an earlier article (the followup's "precursor").
+[Alternative definition, to bu ised if similar woprding is not added to
+the description of the References-header (a-6.10):]
 
-   A "followup agent" is a combination of reading agent and posting
-   agent that aids in the preparation and posting of a followup.
+   A "followup" is an article containing a response to the contents of
+   an earlier article (its "precursor"), or which is otherwise intended
+   to be grouped with that article for purposes of display (e.g. as part
+   of a multipart posting such as a FAQ).
 
    An (email) "address" is the mailbox [RFC 2822] (or more particularly
    the addr-spec within that mailbox) which directs the delivery of an
@@ -54,43 +52,15 @@
 
    An article's "reply address" is the address to which mailed replies
    should be sent. This is the address specified in the article's From-
-   header (5.2), unless it also has a Reply-To-header (6.1).
+   header (a-5.2), unless it also has a Reply-To-header (a-6.1).
 
    A "sender" is the person or software (usually, but not always, the
    same as the poster) responsible for the operation of the posting
    agent or, which amounts to the same thing, for passing the article to
-   the injecting agent. The sender is analogous to [RFC 2822]'s sender.
-
-   An "injecting agent" takes the finished article from the posting
-   agent (often via the NNTP "post" command) performs some final checks
-   and passes it on to a relaying agent for general distribution.
-
-   A "relaying agent" is software which receives allegedly compliant
-   articles from injecting agents and/or other relaying agents, and
-   possibly passes copies on to other relaying agents and serving
-   agents.
-
-   A "news database" is the set of articles and related structural
-   information stored by a serving agent and made available for access
-   by reading agents.
-
-
-
-   A "serving agent" receives an article from a relaying agent and files
-   it in a news database. It also provides an interface for reading
-   agents to access the news database.
+   the injecting agent.
 
    A "control message" is an article which is marked as containing
-   control information; a relaying or serving agent receiving such an
-   article may (subject to the policies observed at that site) take
-   actions beyond just filing and passing on the article.
-
-   A "gateway" is software which receives news articles and converts
-   them to messages of some other kind (e.g. mail to a mailing list), or
-   vice versa; in essence it is a translating relaying agent that
-   straddles boundaries between different methods of message exchange.
-   The most common type of gateway connects newsgroup(s) to mailing
-   list(s), either unidirectionally or bidirectionally, but there are
-   also gateways between news networks using this standard's news format
-   and those using other formats.
+   control information; a "serving agent" receiving such an article may
+   (subject to the policies observed at that site) take actions beyond
+   just filing and passing on the article.