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- NEWSGATE FAQ - 22/02/97
-
- Q: First of all, why v0.8g and not directly v1.0?
-
- A: Simple: because it works yet now. I'm using NewsGate since a month, with no
- troubles. There's no reason to wait a more "nice" release. Next changes
- will be mainly exteticals.
- Also, there might be troubles with other providers I've not experienced. I
- and the beta team has tested this with their ISP, but we don't know if
- there will be troubles with other providers...
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Q: Known bugs?
-
- A: Maybe there are some bugs in incoming messages date handling with oldest
- date formats. But it's a really secondary thing.
- Also if you break the program with CTRL-C while it's still polling, a
- not-complete message will be left in the .IN file, so you'll have to delete
- it manually.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Q: There will be an OS/2 version?
-
- A: Dunno. If the program will be found interesting...
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Q: I don't have my own domain! How can I do?
-
- A: Simple. For Message-ID, use something as .yourname@your.nntp.server, and
- for your users use the standard name.surname@p#.f#.n#.z#.fidonet.org.
- Or you can get a domain from a company selling UUCP via TCP connection for
- a really low price (use FXUUCICO32 + GIGO to make the conversion). My
- UUCP provider (paul@egate.net) sells no-profit, 1MB/day UUCP for 6
- Canadian dollars/month: i think it's really affordable for everyone!
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Q: Why my tosser creates the area RECHUM~1 and not rec.humor.funny?
-
- A: Because NewsGate retrieves the area name from the file name. Probably
- you've copied the files with an old command shell and you haven't kept the
- Win95 long name. Just rename RECHUM~1.CTL/OUT/IN in the work directory to
- rec.humor.funny.CTL/OUT/IN and you'll fix the trouble.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Q: NewsGate is slow! What can I do to speed it up?
-
- A: The only thing to do is to set the Idle Sensitivity in the Misc section of
- the Property windows of the shell you're running NewsGate from to the
- minimum value. But NNTP is thought as an Internet protocol done for full
- time connections, and it hasn't the property to be fast. Let's think that
- getting 15 articles LOCALLY (with the news server and the client on the
- same machine) takes about 3-4 seconds, both with NewsGate and FreeAgent...
- Also the missing of a progress indicator in the 0.8g makes the sensation
- that NewsGate is loosing time.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Q: Strange things happens! I post an article and I don't find it polling one
- minute later. I've seen an article on another server and NewsGate didn't
- get it. [or some other strange things]
-
- A: Keep in mind that NNTP servers are quite strange, and they don't have a so
- predictable algorithm as a FidoNet mailer can have. I've seen servers
- getting an article today and sending it back tomorrow. I've seen articles
- "lost" on the way. The only thing I can tell you is to use NewsGate
- regularly for 3-4 days and you'll discover that you haven't lost an
- article. :)
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Q: Have you abandoned the project of a NewsGate own window? What news for the
- future?
-
- A: No, I haven't abandoned that. If my program will be really used, I'll make
- it more interesting. Here you are my plans for the future, if things will
- go right:
-
- - make the commandline release as stable as possible, so I can spend all
- of my time in the windowed version (It's necessary to remake the poll
- section with an event-driven algorythm and this will take some time)
- - [compile it under OS/2 ? :-?]
- - split NewsGate into NEWSGATE - poll utility commandline driven, but
- with a full windowed output (not because window output is really
- necessary, but because in Windows you can't open a Message Port
- without opening a window!) - and GATEWAY (the actual /g option), that
- will remain in text mode
- - Adding a MAILGATE with SMTP/POP3 protocols, to gate Email into FidoNet
- NetMail!!!
- - Finally, build an utility to swap FidoNet mail via Email.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Q: How many dupes!
-
- A: This is due to the fact that a lot of servers, if you ask news since a
- certain time and a certain hour send you messages sent some time before to
- avoid message losses. Raise your dupeboard and you'll see the trouble
- disappearing.
-