Subj : NNTP and To: field
To   : Accession
From : Digital Man
Date : Wed Nov 05 2025 18:03:01

  Re: NNTP and To: field
  By: Accession to Digital Man on Wed Nov 05 2025 05:08 pm

 > Hey Digital!
 >
 > On Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:01:02 -0800, you wrote:
 >
 >  >> Replies in echomail areas through Synchronet's NNTP server include
 >  >> "All" in the To: field. I had assumed this was standard behavior for
 >  >> SBBS, similar to the old NNTP-FTN gateways. (However, the REPLY
 >  >> kludge appears to be functioning correctly, allowing messages to be
 >  >> properly threaded.)
 >  >>
 >  >> After reviewing the source code of nntpservice.js, I discovered a
 >  >> function named getReferenceTo. If I'm not mistaken, this function
 >  >> should return the recipient's name, but it defaults to "All" when a
 >  >> recipient isn't found.
 >  >>
 >  >> Could it be that this function isn't working as intended?
 >
 >  > If a recipient isn't found, "All" seems like a sensible default. Are you
 >  > saying the failure to find a recipient is a bug? Feel free to play with
 >  > it and offer up a patch if you have one.
 >
 > I think what he was saying, is that even when there /is/ a recipient
 > (doesn't just about every 'reply' message have a recipient?), it still uses
 > "All" (and I don't disagree that is indeed how NNTP has always worked).

No, not all USENET replies have a recipient. X-Comment-to is not a requirement or universally used.
-- 
                                            digital man (rob)

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