Date: Sun, 7 Jan 1996 19:10:54 +0200 (GMT+0200)
From: Alan Barrett <apb@iafrica.com>
To: Jacob Palme <jpalme@dsv.su.se>
cc: Mail and News integration mailing list <mailnews-l@segate.sunet.se>,
        ietf-drums <drums@cs.utk.edu>
Subject: Re: The syntax of Message-ID
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951229180348.7855K-100000@ester.dsv.su.se>
Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.3.91.960107190251.131J@apb.iafrica.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

> Date: Fri, 29 Dec 1995 18:13:00 +0100 (MET)
> From: Jacob Palme <jpalme@dsv.su.se>

> Apparently the syntax for Message-ID is different in news and
> e-mail.

Yes.  The news spec is more restrictive.  The news spec requires the
Message-ID to satisfy the mail spec, and imposes the further requirement
that it not contain blank or ">" inside the "<"...">" delimiters.  The
mail spec allows blank or ">", provided they are appropriately quoted. 

> The differences between the syntaxes are:
> 
> (a) RFC 1036 allows any string in local-part, RFC 822 has sone
>     restrictions on its format

No.  RFC1036 requires, as an overriding general rule, that all valid news
messages also be valid RFC822 messages.  RFC1036's reference to "RFC822" 
is conventionally interpreted to mean "RFC822 as modified by RFC1133". 

> Should drums say that the domain must be that of the submitting
> host, or should news accept that the domain need not be that
> of the submitting host?

I would be inclined to say that the domain part of teh message-id SHOULD
(not "MUST") be that of teh submitting host. 

--apb (Alan Barrett)