








              Annotated Bibliography on C News


                       Henry Spencer

                      Dept. of Zoology
                   University of Toronto





_T_h_i_s _i_s _a_n _i_n_f_o_r_m_a_l _l_i_s_t _o_f _b_o_o_k_s _a_n_d  _p_a_p_e_r_s  _t_h_a_t  _a_r_e  _o_f
_i_n_t_e_r_e_s_t  _w_h_e_n _r_u_n_n_i_n_g _o_r _l_o_o_k_i_n_g _a_t _n_e_w_s _s_y_s_t_e_m_s _i_n _g_e_n_e_r_a_l
_a_n_d _C _N_e_w_s _i_n  _p_a_r_t_i_c_u_l_a_r.   _I_t  _m_i_g_h_t  _h_a_v_e  _b_e_e_n  _n_i_c_e  _t_o
_i_n_c_l_u_d_e  _s_o_m_e  _o_f  _t_h_e_s_e  _t_h_i_n_g_s _i_n _t_h_e _d_i_s_t_r_i_b_u_t_i_o_n, _b_u_t _i_t
_w_o_u_l_d _h_a_v_e _a_d_d_e_d _c_o_n_s_i_d_e_r_a_b_l_e _b_u_l_k _t_o _a_n _a_l_r_e_a_d_y-_l_a_r_g_e _p_a_c_k_-
_a_g_e.

     _M_a_n_a_g_i_n_g _U_U_C_P _a_n_d _U_s_e_n_e_t, by  Tim  O'Reilly  and  Grace
Todino,  O'Reilly  &  Associates,  1989, ISBN 0-937175-48-X,
inquiries to `nuts@ora.com' or  `uunet!ora!nuts'.   This  is
the Nutshell Handbook on UUCP and news.  This latest edition
covers C News as well as B  News.   It's  not  perfect,  but
until something better comes along, it is overwhelmingly the
right place for a novice system administrator to start read-
ing.

     _N_e_w_s _N_e_e_d _N_o_t _B_e  _S_l_o_w,  by  Geoff  Collyer  and  Henry
Spencer, in _W_i_n_t_e_r _1_9_8_7 _U_S_E_N_I_X _T_e_c_h_n_i_c_a_l _C_o_n_f_e_r_e_n_c_e _P_r_o_c_e_e_d_-
_i_n_g_s,  The  USENIX  Association,  1987,  no  ISBN  apparent,
inquiries  to  `office@usenix.org' or `uunet!usenix!office'.
This paper, although slightly dated, is the basic  reference
on  how  C News runs so much faster than B News.  (We think,
and others agree, that it's also a good paper on how to make
things  go  fast in general.) It's also the closest thing so
far to a general ``philosophy of C News'' paper, and gives a
good-albeit  somewhat  selective-overview of the implementa-
tion.

     _S_t_a_n_d_a_r_d _f_o_r _I_n_t_e_r_c_h_a_n_g_e _o_f _U_S_E_N_E_T _M_e_s_s_a_g_e_s, by M. Hor-
ton  and  R.  Adams,  Internet  RFC1036,  1987, inquiries to
`nic@nic.ddn.mil' or anonymous FTP from  nic.ddn.mil  (path-
name  RFC:RFC1036.TXT).   This  is  the current standard for
Usenet article format and related issues.  It  is  not  com-
plete, correct, or current, but it is nevertheless the basic
document on the subject.  (See  our  _n_o_t_e_b_o_o_k/_r_f_c_e_r_r_a_t_a  for
some  errata and one or two out-and-out disagreements.) Many
issues are punted to RFC822; see below.

     _S_t_a_n_d_a_r_d _f_o_r _t_h_e _F_o_r_m_a_t _o_f _A_R_P_A _I_n_t_e_r_n_e_t _T_e_x_t _M_e_s_s_a_g_e_s,



                       21 May 1991





                           - 2 -


rev.  by  David H. Crocker, Internet RFC822, 1982, inquiries
to  `nic@nic.ddn.mil'  or  anonymous  FTP  from  nic.ddn.mil
(pathname RFC:RFC822.TXT).  This lengthy and sometimes cryp-
tic document defines the Internet mail format.   The  Usenet
news  format defined in RFC1036 is a subversion (superset of
a subset) of this, and legalistic debates  over  details  of
the  format inevitably end up referring to 822.  Not for the
faint of heart or weak of stomach.

     _R_e_q_u_i_r_e_m_e_n_t_s _f_o_r _I_n_t_e_r_n_e_t  _H_o_s_t_s-_A_p_p_l_i_c_a_t_i_o_n  _a_n_d  _S_u_p_-
_p_o_r_t, ed. by R. Braden, Internet RFC1123, 1989, inquiries to
`nic@nic.ddn.mil' or anonymous FTP from  nic.ddn.mil  (path-
name  RFC:RFC1123.TXT).   This  document  updates and amends
many older RFCs, notably  including  RFC822  (and  therefore
RFC1036).

     _n_e_w_s._s_o_f_t_w_a_r_e._b, various authors, Usenet newsgroup with
ongoing  discussion, inquiries to your local Usenet site(s).
The forum for B-News-compatible software in general, includ-
ing  C  News.  The definitive source for up-to-date informa-
tion, patches, bug reports, warning of forthcoming  develop-
ments,  debates,  flame  wars,  and general chitchat on news
systems in general and C News in particular.  Read, and con-
tributed to, by most authors of news software.

     _n_e_w_s._a_d_m_i_n,  various  authors,  Usenet  newsgroup  with
ongoing  discussion, inquiries to your local Usenet site(s).
The forum for news administration in general, including that
of  both B and C News.  Somewhat noisy at times, but a valu-
able source of information.  Noteworthy for Gene  Spafford's
regular  postings  on  topics such as ``How To Construct The
Mailpaths File''.

     _n_e_w_s._a_n_n_o_u_n_c_e._n_e_w_u_s_e_r_s, various authors,  Usenet  news-
group  with  ongoing  discussion,  inquiries  to  your local
Usenet site(s).  (Moderated) newsgroup for regular  postings
of  interest to new readers of news.  Also quite relevant to
novice system administrators.



















                       21 May 1991


