I have not had a feed of NET_DEV for a couple of weeks, so missed the
conversation that initiated an incorrect subject line.  I have corrected
the subject line.  Would whoever is so confused that they don't even know
what DEFINES a control line, please tell me what their last argument was so
that I can give them heaps.

To summarize:

If it hadn't been for the GROSS AMATEURISM displayed in fidonet, all the
control lines in FTS-4, would have been prefixed by a ^a, e.g. ^aSEENBY,
^aORIGIN and ^aTEAR, and would have gone at the top of the message.

Instead, the FTS-4 author chose to both put them at the end of the message,
and omit the ^a.  However, that just makes them BAD, it doesn't stop them
becoming control lines.  Control lines are, BY DEFINITION, stuff that is
defined by a technical spec.  That's why the tearlines obey the format
specified in FTS-4, just like the origin lines do.  That's why no-one in
the entire world types in "---", but all their messages have it
anyway. That's why PID was created with a ^a.  That's why PID interacts
with the tearline.

Control lines without a ^a are BLOODY DIFFICULT.  It should NEVER HAVE BEEN
ALLOWED.  However, that's no reason to expect that you can come 10 years
after it all happened and unilaterally declare that the 99% of messages in
fidonet, conforming to FTS-4, are all to change overnight.  Just because
it's "difficult to program".

It's bloody difficult, it's a bloody mess, but you have to create a new
format if you want to drop something as fundamental as ALL control lines
defined by FTS-4.  FTS-4 treats tearlines and origin lines with equal
respect, and if you don't like that, create a new format.  While you're at
it, get rid of kludge lines altogether.  Check out RFC-822 too. BFN.  Paul.
@EOT:

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