Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site genrad.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!decvax!genrad!john
From: john@genrad.UUCP (John Nelson)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: old news repeats
Message-ID: <3814@genrad.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 4-Feb-84 15:30:08 EST
Article-I.D.: genrad.3814
Posted: Sat Feb  4 15:30:08 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Feb-84 07:39:11 EST
Organization: GenRad, Bolton, Mass.
Lines: 16

Someone is spitting out old news again.  Either a site was down
long enough to delay the articles for longer than two weeks, or
we just have some very long loops.  I can't determine who is
sending the news around for the second time, but it points out
the need for a better expiration algorithm.  The history file
should not delete articles that have been deleted (expired) for
some longer period of time, so that if the article shows up
AGAIN, the system is smart enough to reject the article as
having already been seen.  This does not mean that the articles
should be kept any longer (in fact, a shorter period of time
might be desirable!) but that the HISTORY of articles should
be kept for MUCH longer.

Maybe this would not have to be implemented at all sites
either, as long as the backbone sites do not try to pass
on old news.