user:pass in news: URLs

to follow up on what Chris Knight said:
> From: Chris Knight <claudius@ricochet.net>
> To: asgilman@access.digex.net
> Subject: comments re: Internet-Draft draft-gilman-news-url-01

> Might it be worthwhile to include user and password in the URL spec for
> news?  (A-la the FTP url spec, which is:
> <method>://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>/path, see
> draft-casey-url-ftp-00.txt.)  Some news servers require a
> username/password combination to access them, and many news clients
> support this.  Also, any ideas as to a news submission URL spec? (a-la a
> mailto url.)

The user:pass syntax is already included by reason of the syntax
inherited from the generic URI syntax document.

The use of user:pass in URLs is also discouraged in the same
document for [good] security reasons.  So, if you want to put
this user information in a news: URL the syntax for so doing is
as you said; and you are advised not to do it.

This is a FAQ.  Maybe I should spell it out.

There is probably insufficient demand for a distinguished
postnews: URL because it is just two steps to open the newsgroup
and then tell the client that you want to post.  The URL
<news:the.group.to.post.to> suffices for this.

Al

Please copy comments on the draft to <uri@bunyip.com>.

Received on Wednesday, 6 May 1998 18:56:13 UTC