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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1995-09 > 0810988687


From: Paul Mackenzie <>
Subject: Re: Usenet message propagation
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 1995 10:38:07 GMT


(Margaret J. Olson) wrote:
>Don Stone () wrote:
>: Paul Mackenzie <> recently wrote:
>: > It seems to me not all messages are posted. I posted a few replys,
>: come back a
>: > day later and they were not there. Also I've read messages which seem
>: to be
>: > replies to earlier messages which I haven't seen. Something is wrong.
>
>: Because of the diffusion-like process with which Usenet news
>: propagates messages, it sometimes takes two or more days for a
>: message to reach some destinations. (And a message sent to the
>
>Yes - things end up out of order on occasion. And occasionally things
>get filtered out somewhere along the way. During the discussions of the
>creation of this (.medieval) group and of the .uk+ireland group, it was
>obvious that some sites were not getting all the messages that other
>sites get. Perhaps some feed on the way to Australia doesn't get all
>the messages itself.
>
>It is also true that many (I'd hope MOST) newsreaders are smart enough to
>keep track of the articles you have read and don't show them to you a second
>time. They may still be there for others to see - and for you to see, also,
>if you can "unmark" them.
>
>It is also true that many sites do not keep messages very long. The average
>at the bigger .edu sites I've seen are 7-10 days. At that point, the disk
>space is overwritten with newer messages. Some small sites may keep the
>articles only two or three days.
>
>As Don says - checking the mailing list archives to make sure the article
>was sent would tell you for sure.
>
>Oh - and it appears sometimes that we see the identical message two or
>three times. I've always assumed that the poster did that because it
>wasn't apparent that the post succeeded the first time. I suppose the
>Usenet propogation gremlins may be at work there, too - though it seems
>unlikely.
>
>Margaret

As we say down under, Well there you go!!. Many thanks for your help.

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