ARCHIVED: What is the GNKSA, and how does it relate to my newsreader software?

The Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval (GNKSA) was established as part of the effort to bring newsreading software more in line with Usenet standards. To receive the seal of approval, newsreaders must go through the GNKSA evaluation process and pass all of the required criteria. As of GNKSA 2.0, there are 19 categories of standards, summarized below:

• Display all essential header information
• Provide clear, separate commands for new posts, follow-ups, and email replies
• Provide cross-posting functionality
• Allow users to change essential headers
• Ensure follow-ups and email replies contain a correct "Subject:" header
• Direct follow-ups to the correct newsgroups
• Make sure follow-ups contain valid "References:" headers for appropriate threading
• Direct email replies to the correct address
• Allow users to change their minds about whether to post or mail
• Provide adequate quotation and attribution facilities
• Provide a user-specified "Subject:" header
• Provide a valid "From:" header
• Allow users to both cancel and supersede their own articles (and no others)
• Try to respect the 80-character line-length convention
• Separate signatures correctly, and don't use excessive ones
• Try to prevent obvious user errors
• Post human-readable articles unless ordered otherwise
• Provide self-protection
• Be kind to servers (leave room for others)

Each category is composed of a number of criteria, some of which must be met to receive the seal, while others are just recommendations. For more information about GNKSA, as well as information on those newsreaders that have been through the evaluation process, see the GNKSA home page at:

  http://www.gnksa.org/

GNKSA is based on the Usenet syntax specifications laid down in RFC 1036, to which further revisions are pending. You can read RFC 1036 at:

  http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1036.html

The so-called "son-of-1036" is a stricter update of RFC 1036 which is currently being considered. It is available at:

  http://www.chemie.fu-berlin.de/outerspace/netnews/son-of-1036.html