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?

Carlos

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Re: NNTP and To: field
By: Carlos Navarro to digital man on Tue Nov 04 2025 05:07 pm

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.
--
digital man (rob)

Rush quote #63:
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On Tue, 4 Nov 2025 14:01:03 -0800
"Digital Man" (VERT) <VERT!Digital.Man@endofthelinebbs.com> wrote:

Re: NNTP and To: field
By: Carlos Navarro to digital man on Tue Nov 04 2025 05:07 pm

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 like the Synchronet "You touch it, you own it" model :)
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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). I believe I came across that as well awhile back, and may have even tried to change "All" to 'hdr.to' or something (which of course didn't work because I don't know what I'm doing), but with Thunderbird and slrn I am able to stuff an "X-Comment-To" field into the headers so that they both reply to the specific person all of the time.

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm: because beating people up is illegal.
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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.
--
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Synchronet "Real Fact" #31:
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nelgin wrote to All <=-

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 like the Synchronet "You touch it, you own it" model :)

I thought NNTP didn't have a to: field?



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Hey Digital!

On Wed, 05 Nov 2025 18:03:00 -0800, you wrote:

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.

Correct, however /this/ (as in what I'm fairly certain we're discussing) isn't USENET. We're using NNTP to access our message bases (which may or may not actually carry USENET). I think this conversation was much more pointing towards BBS/FTN messages. Most local and FTN messages (particularly replies) on a BBS usually have a recipient (do they not?), unless it's specifically sent to "All".

X-Comment-to is not a requirement or universally used.

You're right. However, in the hobby we are involved in, it makes the normal "To" and "From" fields look like everyone elses that aren't using NNTP. I also wasn't stating that Synchronet needed to do that, I was just mentioning that's how I got around all of my messages posted with a newsreader being addressed to "All".

What (I think?) the question from the OP was, was asking why /all/ messages are addressed to "All" when it seems like there's something already in the code that is looking for a recipient it could be filling the "To" field with on a reply?

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm: because beating people up is illegal.
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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 like the Synchronet "You touch it, you own it" model :)

I thought NNTP didn't have a to: field?

In the early 1990s when I first started using Usenet, IIRC just about every
(if not all) messages ported over to my BBS were "To: All" and responses
from the BBS side, while showing a To: receipient locally, were posted to usenet as if "To: All."

Now, most of the messages that come across the Usenet gates have a
receipient listed. Very few replies still come across as "To: All."

Not sure if that answers you question or not. ;)


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06/11/2025 23:40, Accession (1:103/705):

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.

Correct, however /this/ (as in what I'm fairly certain we're discussing) isn't USENET. We're using NNTP to access our message bases (which may or
may not actually carry USENET). I think this conversation was much more pointing towards BBS/FTN messages. Most local and FTN messages
(particularly replies) on a BBS usually have a recipient (do they not?), unless it's specifically sent to "All".

X-Comment-to is not a requirement or universally used.

You're right. However, in the hobby we are involved in, it makes the
normal "To" and "From" fields look like everyone elses that aren't using NNTP. I also wasn't stating that Synchronet needed to do that, I was
just mentioning that's how I got around all of my messages posted with a newsreader being addressed to "All".

What (I think?) the question from the OP was, was asking why /all/
messages are addressed to "All" when it seems like there's something
already in the code that is looking for a recipient it could be filling
the "To" field with on a reply?

Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks, Nick.

This is a reply to a message from Accession in the SYNCHRONET echomail
area, sent via Thunderbird on the NNTP server of a Synchronet-based BBS.
The message will likely be posted to the echo with recipient "To: All"
instead of "To: Accession"

Carlos
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05 Nov 2025 17:08, you wrote to Digital Man:

but with Thunderbird and slrn I am able to stuff an "X-Comment-To" field into the headers so that they both reply to the specific person all
of the time.

Interesting! Could you share how to do that in TB?

Carlos

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Hey Carlos!

On Sun, Nov 09 2025 07:07:07 -0600, you wrote:

05 Nov 2025 17:08, you wrote to Digital Man:

> but with Thunderbird and slrn I am able to stuff an "X-Comment-To" field
> into the headers so that they both reply to the specific person all
> of the time.

Interesting! Could you share how to do that in TB?

Here is a message posted with Thunderbird with the "X-Comment-To" field filled in.

This is the only way I could do it with TB, and while it's not super friendly (you'll forget to do it sometimes, probably), it works:

Settings > Config Editor

- Search for 'mail.compose.other.header', edit it and put "X-Comment-To" without quotes.

When you write/reply to a message, in the header there it says "Followup-To >>", hit the ">>" drop down menu, and "X-Comment-To" will be an option to select now. Then, fill it in with who you're writing the message to (yes, manually).

Unfortunately, I haven't found a way to make this automatic with TB, whereas with slrn I can just use the "set custom_headers "X-Comment-To: All"" to new posts (which may not even be needed), and "set followup_custom_headers "X-Comment-To: %r"" (%r is recipient) right in the config file, and it's always automatic.

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm, because beating people up is illegal.
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Hey Carlos!

On Sun, 09 Nov 2025 13:51:52 +0100, you wrote:

Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks, Nick.

This is a reply to a message from Accession in the SYNCHRONET echomail
area, sent via Thunderbird on the NNTP server of a Synchronet-based BBS.
The message will likely be posted to the echo with recipient "To: All" instead of "To: Accession"

You were correct. It came through addressed to "All".

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm: because beating people up is illegal.
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