Internet Cyber Guide 2/Internet Cyber Guide 02.iso/Outils/WinVn/WINVNFAQ.TXT

Text File | 1995-12-18 | 34.4 KB | 806 lines

Frequently Ask Questions about the WinVN Newsreader
    Version:        1.0
    Last Update:    Oct 3, 1994

I.  General Information
    1.  About the FAQ (i.e. Administrivia)
    2.  What is WinVN?
    3.  What do I need to run WinVN?
    4.  What can it do?
    5.  What can't it do?
    6.  How do I get it?
    7.  How do I install WinVN?
    8.  I've got the software, how do I use it?
    9.  Who wrote this wonderful software?
    10. What is WinVN's licensing status?
    11. Is a commercially-supported version available?

II.  Contact information
    1.  How can I keep up-to-date on WinVN's progress?
    2.  How do I submit suggestions for WinVN?
    3.  How do I submit source changes?
    4.  What to do before asking for help.
    5.  Asking for help.

III.  Common questions/Problems
    1.  16/32-bit issues.
    2.  What is 'gwinsock.dll'? ... 'pwksock.dll'?
    3.  I'm using SLIP, how can I use WinVN most effectively.
    4.  How do I choose between SMTP and MAPI?
    5.  I get a "Can't find MAPI.DLL" error message...
    6.  How can I do "X" from the keyboard, including Windows functions...
    7.  Why are some subject lines blank except for some weird character?
    8.  How do I install WinVN on a LAN Server?
    9.  How do I access multiple News Servers?

IV.  Common Non-WinVN problems that WinVN gets blamed for...
    1.  I can't post if I have more included text than my comments....
    2.  Error 502 Authentication error/NNTP Server has closed connection.
    3.  I'm getting a NNTP Server refused connection error.

V.   Commonly asked for features (stuff on the to-do list/why it's hard).
    1.  Why are articles I've read still displayed?
    2.  What happened to word wrapping in the compose windows?
    3.  Why can't I subscribe using a hierarchical type subscription
    like Trumpet?
    4.  Can't WinVN just read the article count of the groups I'm
    subscribed to?
    5.  Can the number of unread articles in a group be displayed?
    6.  Can I sort the news groups in the main window?
    7.  How about some button bars?

======================================================================
I.  General Information

I-1.  About the FAQ. (I.e. Administrivia)

This FAQ has been co-written by Sam Rushing ([e-mail])
and Greg Monroe([e-mail]).  It is edited and maintained by Greg
Monroe (see below about submissions).  Additional information has come from
a wide range of other sources.  These sources are quoted whenever known.
Apologies to anyone misquoted or not cited.

This document is available from WinVN's home ftp site, ftp.ksc.nasa.gov
(See the section on getting WinVN). The full FAQ is posted monthly to
several newsgroups which discuss WinVN.  A "pointer" to the FAQ is posted
on a biweekly (US definition of every two weeks) basis.

Since WinVN is such a dynamic product, this document will probably always
be "behind the times".  The maintainer will try to keep up but just
remember he's got a family that wants to see him occasionally 8^).  See the
section on keeping up with WinVN.

Please send any submissions to <[e-mail]>.  Include the words,
WinVN FAQ in the subject.  The preferred (but not required) format is as a
MIME attachment in a word processor format which MS Word can easily import.

I-2.  What is WinVN?

WinVN is a  UseNet News reader for Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 95
(a.k.a. Windows 4.0 or Chicago) and Windows/NT (Note:  NT compiled versions
are available for most common variants, the source is generally easily
transported to others).  It's name stands for Windows Visual Newsreader.
It can be used to select, view, write, sort, and print UseNet News
articles.  Articles can be saved locally, cut into the Windows Clipboard or
forwarded to other individuals via E-mail.

WinVN offers a more visual approach to reading News than most other news
readers.  WinVN allows the user to easily navigate between newsgroups and
articles via its point and click interface.  It allows the viewing of
multiple articles simultaneously and on multitasking systems such as
Windows/NT, it even allows multiple simultaneous news server connections.

Best of all, it is absolutely free and has a large number of folks who
spend a lot of their precious free time adding features and fixing bugs...

What, it has BUGS!...  Yes, most versions of WinVN have some problems.  99%
of them are very minor.  Also, the life span of any bug is on the order of
30 days (MUCH less if critical).  You should understand that unlike
commercial products which are fairly static and only have versions come out
every 12 to 24 months or so, WinVN is a very dynamic program.  Versions are
being released with new features and fixes as rapidly as the code can be
written, tested, and combined.  To paraphrase an old weather saying:  If
you don't like WinVN's features, wait a month and it'll have changed.

(For anyone who's lost about what UseNet News is, get the WinVN manual (See
section I-8).  It has a good discussion on this topic which is beyond the
scope of this document.)

[Paraphrased from the WinVN Users' Manual Overview section.  Jim Dumoulin,
Mark Riordan, et. al. with stuff from Sam Rushing and others thrown in]

I-3.  What do I need to run WinVN?

Obviously, a PC with Windows or Windows/NT installed.  In addition, you
will need one of the following TCP/IP Support software packages:

For WINSOCK (v1.0 or higher) compliant TCP/IP stacks (called WINSOCK.DLL):
   A WINSOCK compliant TCP/IP product such as Trumpet, PC/TCP,
   NetManage TCP/IP, Microsoft LanManager 2.2, DEC Pathworks 5.0.

*or*

For NON-WINSOCK TCP/IP stacks:
   A DEC Pathworks v4.1 or Microsoft LanManager 2.1a compatible
   WSOCKETS.DLL Dynamic Link Library.

Since reading news is no fun without a server to supply articles,  you will
need to know the address of a "News Server" that is accessible are
available via your InterNet service supplier.  The technical specs are that
the server must be...

   An NNTP News Server.  It *must* support one of the following
   NNTP extensions:

    XHDR (most news servers can do this)
        or
    XOVER (InternetNetNews is an example of a news server that does
    XOVER)

   WinVN will use XOVER if your server supports it.

Most News Servers that you can connect to via TCP/IP meet this requirement.
I suggest you just try connecting to your news server before
bothering...er...asking your support folks.

[Paraphrased from the Readme.txt file]

I-4. What can it do?

WinVN's list of features is constantly changing.  Usually, new features are
added.  Occasionally, features will be taken away - like word wrap - but
this is rare 8^).

WinVN allows you to read UseNet News on-line, via NNTP, and to compose and
send replies via news or email (SMTP or MAPI).

For a complete list of features and configuration options, see the on-line
help, or the printed user manual.  Note that even these sources can be out
of date, as there is usually a lag between the implementation of a feature,
and the point where someone gets around to documenting it.

Quickly, here are the whiz-bang features:

o Multi-Window, point and click user interface.
o Threading capability
o Integrated mail (MAPI or SMTP)
o Background operation during list/article retrieval (useful for SLIP/PPP
     users)
o Powerful encoding/decoding capability (useful for those binaries
     newsgroups)
o It's free.
o The source code is readily available.
o Fully configurable fonts and colors in the various windows
o Nicely formatted article printing
o Ability to connect/disconnect to news server at will.
o Many, many options and feature settings

Due to the fast pace of WinVN's development, you should always check up on
the latest version available.  See 'How can I keep up-to-date on WinVN's
progress?'.  Sometimes a feature that you'd like to see has already been
implemented, but you're not seeing it because you're using version 0.82,
which is over a year old (as of Sep. 94, we are currently at version 0.92.6
- please check for a newer version)

[ Sam Rushing, et. al.]

I-5. What can't it do?

There are many things that people would _love_ to have WinVN be able to do.
We have been asked about these features several hundreds of times (or at
least it seems like that many times).  Many of these features are simply
too difficult to add to WinVN, and are not worth the effort of
implementing. Note, however, that this is my opinion. You may feel
differently.  Lucky for you, the WinVN sources are available to all, and if
you _really_ want a feature, you are welcome to write it, and we hope that
you will submit your changes back to the project for inclusion.

The reason that some of these features are difficult to implement lies in
WinVN's 'fragility'.  It is a relatively old program, having been started
in 1989.  Many early implementation decisions are now practically 'carved
in stone'.  Changing these characteristics would require rewriting large
portions of the code, which is simply not feasible for a project that
literally tens of thousands of people are relying on.  Even the simplest
change can lead to the complete failure of WinVN for some set of users.

. WinVN cannot do 'off-line' news reading.
. WinVN can be frustratingly slow over a slow modem-based slip/ppp link.
. WinVN does not allow me to ignore already-read articles.

WinVN was originally designed with LANs (ethernet) in mind. Assumptions
were made that certain operations were relatively 'cheap' in terms of user
time and computer resources.  For this reason, WinVN tends to grab as much
information as possible about the set of articles you are reading.
Changing this tendency would require modifying WinVN's network state
machine, which is hopelessly tied together with WinVN's display code and
user interface.

. WinVN's editing capabilities are lacking
WinVN does what it can with the standard windows edit object (the same used
by 'notepad' - the 'Edit' class window).  Writing a replacement editor is
somewhat outside the scope of our project.  Other editors can be used,
however, with judicious use of the cut and paste capability.  To our
knowledge, there are no freely available editor DLL's that could be used in
place of the edit class window.  If you know differently, please contact
us.

. WinVN does not 'word-wrap' in the edit window.
Although this capability is available with the edit windows, using it
causes problems... the word wrap capability is not sufficiently flexible to
allow us to avoid mangling long headers.  This kind of mangling is
unacceptable behavior on UseNet.  We hope that eventually someone can
'split' the header and body of a new message into two separate windows, so
that word-wrap can be turned on in the body portion and left off in the
header.

[from Sam Rushing]

I-6.  How do I get WinVN?

The latest version of WinVN is always available from ftp.ksc.nasa.gov, in
the directory [.pub.win3.winvn].  16-bit WinVN is now distributed as a
single binary, with different DLL's for different stacks.

winvn_XX_Y.zip  is version 0.XX.Y.
winvnsrc_XX_Y.zip contains the source distribution.

Some NT binaries can usually be found in [.pub.win3.winvn.nt]

If you need to use ftp-by-mail, use this path instead:

ripem.msu.edu:/pub/pc/win/winvn/titan.ksc.nasa.gov/

Some NT binaries are also available from shannon.mee.tcd.ie, in the
directory /winvn.

[from Sam Rushing]

I-7.  How do I install WinVN?

Note:  These instructions are valid for software obtained from the site
listed in section I.6.

First, make sure your system meets the requirements defined in Section I.3.
Also, make sure that your WinSock or other supported TCP/IP support
software is installed properly and is working.  Finally, make sure you have
an address for your news server and optionally, your SMTP mail server (only
needed if you want to send mail in WinVN).

Create a directory in which WinVN is to be installed.  Unzip the
distribution files into this directory.  Edit your autoexec.bat file and
add a TZ environment variable if needed (TimeZone).  E.G., the statement:

SET TZ=EST5EDT

indicates the US Eastern Time Zone.  If you don't know your TimeZone
designation, look it up in the Timezone table in the WinVN Users Guide or
ask a local programmer.  S/he should know or be able to find out.  You'll
need to reboot your PC some time to make this effective, but it's not
required to do it now.

If you're using a standard WinSock TCP/IP implementation, skip the next
step.

If you're using a supported non-WinSock TCP/IP software package (See I-3),
edit the WINVN.INI file in the install directory.  Locate the line that
starts:  GENSockDLL=...  Replace the GWINSOCK.DLL with PWKSOCK.DLL.  Save
this change and exit.

In Program Manager, add a WinVN Icon to a group.  Then start WinVN.  You
will be prompted for your NNTP News Server address and some other
information.  The only required field is the NNTP Server name.  If you
don't have a MAPI mail system (e.g. MS Mail), you should select SMTP.  You
should do this even if you are not using SMTP mail.  This prevents problems
on some Windows installations that have MAPI support but no Mail client.

Note:   Fill in the userid/password fields only if required by your news
provider.

Next, you will be prompted for your personal information, such as name, e-
mail address, and organization name (used in postings).

Note:   Both the communications and personal settings can be changed via
WinVN menu options.

That's it, you've installed it and are ready to take it for a spin....

[from Greg Monroe]

I-8.  I've got the software, how do I use it?

Well, the best place to learn the major features of WinVN is to get the
manual and read it or use the on-line help.  However, be aware that since
WinVN is a dynamic program (See I-1), the manual and help files are
generally behind the current software version.  Don't be afraid though,
most of the new features are either self explanatory or can be ignored (if
you want to) until documented.

The manual is distributed in two formats, MS/Word and PostScript, at the
same FTP location you got the software from.  (See Section I-6)

[from Greg Monroe]

I-9. Who wrote this wonderful program?

WinVN was originally written by Mark Riordan ([e-mail]). The
maintenance of WinVN was taken over by me, Sam Rushing, a few years ago.
Since then a number of other folks have contributed to WinVN's success by
submitting new features and bug fixes.

Here are a few of them:

    Matt Bretherton         [e-mail]
    Harvey Brydon           [e-mail]
    John S. Cooper          [e-mail]
    Michael Downs           [e-mail]
    Jim Dumoulin            [e-mail]
    Michael Finken          [e-mail]
    Don Gardner                     [e-mail]
    Jody Glasser            [e-mail]
    Masaki Ishido           [e-mail]
    Conor Nolan                     [e-mail]
    Mark Riordan            [e-mail]
    Sam Rushing                     [e-mail]

[from the readme file]

I-10. What is WinVN's licensing status?

License to use WinVN

The authors of WinVN have placed it in the public domain.  This means you
can use it free of charge for any purpose you like, with no conditions
being placed on its use by us.  The source code is also available free of
charge, under the same [un]conditions.

You have our permission to modify, redistribute, hoard, or even sell WinVN
in its executable or source form.  You don't have to pay us anything.  If
you do sell WinVN, though, we'd appreciate it if you'd provide your own
support.  The support load for WinVN is already quite substantial, and the
WinVN developers work as unpaid volunteers (except in the case of
supporting their own in-house users).

[from the on-line help]

I-11. Is a commercially-supported version available?

An arrangement is being made with one of WinVN's developers to provide
commercial support for a version of WinVN.  Contact John Cooper
([e-mail]) for more details.

[from Sam Rushing]

======================================================================
II.  Contact information

II-1. How can I keep up-to-date on WinVN's progress?

There is a mailing list that you can join, which all the WinVN developers
monitor on a near-daily basis.  You can join this mailing list by sending
email to '[e-mail]'.

This is currently not an "automated" listserv but it will soon convert over
to one.  If you want to try the "experimental" automated listserv, send
email to "[e-mail]" with "Subscribe winvn" as the body
(*NOT* the subject) of the message.  Once the kinks are worked out,
everyone on the "manual" WinVN list will be moved over to the new list.

However, we would prefer you use our gateway-to-news version of the mailing
list, as the list places a considerable strain on our server's resources.
This method also gives you access to all the questions and answers recently
asked about WinVN (that haven't made the FAQ yet).

If you are directly on the Internet, you can access the mailing list by
pointing your newsreader at the host, news.ksc.nasa.gov.  This is a
gatewayed version of the developer's mailing list, and will keep you as up
to date as we are.  [you can do this in WinVN from the Config...Comm menu.]
(Ed - See the Multiple News Servers/Network section for info]

[from Sam Rushing & Jim Dumoulin]

II-2.  How do I submit suggestions for WinVN?

You can submit suggestions for WinVN by sending email to the mailing list
(or posting directly to the newsgroup).  Note that most of the suggestions
have already been thought of, and lay on our minds as a constant burden of
the failings of WinVN.  Be kind. 8^)

See the 'What can't WinVN do?' question for more info.

Suggestions are always appreciated.  The likelihood of a suggestion being
implemented depends on several factors:

1) how difficult it would be to implement
2) possible unwelcome interactions with other WinVN features
3) how badly the users want it
4) how many other (possibly more important) things are waiting to get done.
5) as useful as your suggestion may be, it's always possible that it will
merely confuse or even irritate some users.

[from Sam Rushing]

II-3.  How do I submit source changes?

When working on WinVN source code, adhering to the following conventions
will make everyone's life easier:

1) discuss your idea on the list, as it's quite possible that someone else
is working the same thing.

2) always work with the absolute latest version of the sources.

3) when editing, do not change unnecessarily code or comments unrelated to
your work.  This includes retabbing or reindenting code.  We use a revision
control system (GNU RCS) that is sensitive to these type of changes, and it
is much more difficult to identify substantive changes from the cosmetic
ones.  Much of the source code has been reindented by others in the past
using different editors... this has led to chaotic indentation in many of
the source files that is very hard to read.  I am addressing this in a
piecemeal fashion, using automatic indentation tools (GNU indent).  If
there's a source file that you are particularly frustrated with, let me
know, and I will indent it in a separate revision step.

4) don't add or change any of the RCS information at the head of the source
files.  This information is maintained automatically, and mucking with it
can cause confusion and more work.

5) submit whole files, and only the files you have changed.

6) Please zip the sources (even if it's only one file), and send them to
the maintainer (me, [e-mail]) in an encoded format.  You
may use a MIME encoder (mpack, ELM&PINE 'attach') or uuencode.

Often when a feature is added, it is appropriate to implement it as a
configurable option, in order to avoid confusing current users, and to
satisfy the small number of people who may actually dislike it.

For examples of configurable options, look at the .ini file maintenance
code, and the 'Config/Misc' dialog box implementation.

You should also keep in mind that WinVN is a public domain project, and the
licensing terms (or lack of them) apply.  If you are unhappy with this -
say, with the idea that just about anyone can take WinVN, including your
code, and make a living (or even a killing), then you should let us know
before spending a lot of effort.

Note that (of course) you have the right to maintain a separate version of
WinVN, and even collaborate with others if you don't like these
[un]conditions.  We don't encourage this, but you should be aware that it
is an option.

[from Sam Rushing]

II-4.  What to do before asking for help.

Before asking for help you should try to do the following:

Get the latest version of WinVN (see section I.6) and see if the problem
still exists.

Check the articles posted on the WinVN news group (see II.1).  Often the
problem has already been reported and either a solution or a notice of when
it will be fixed has already been posted.

[from Greg Monroe]

II-5.  Asking for help/Reporting problems.

You can ask for help using the same methods described in "How do I making a
suggestion?" above.  However, when reporting a bug please include as much
information as possible.  E.g., What WinSock stack are you using, what
version(s) of WinVN you've tried, instructions on how to duplicate the
problem, etc.

Also, remember that WinVN is a free product and the folks answering
questions are doing this gratis.

[from Greg Monroe]

======================================================================
III.  Common questions

III-1.  16/32-bit issues.

WinVN is available in both a 16 and 32-bit version.  The 32-bit version
will work on Windows 3.1 with win32s installed (a la WinMosaic), but there
is no real advantage in this configuration. WinVN may even run slightly
slower, because of the 'thunking' done by win32s for the sockets code.  32-
bit calls by WinVN are translated to 16-bit calls to 'winsock.dll', which
incurs a slight penalty.

32-bit WinVN does not take complete advantage of the 32-bit flat
memory/address space... it is really just a recompile of the same sources,
with some slight changes.

Note that even though some tcp/ip stacks (vxd-based ones like FTP's PC/TCP
3.0, and Microsoft's WFWG TCPIP32 product (wolverine)) are actually 32-bit
stacks, they do not support the 32-bit WINSOCK interface (via
'wsock32.dll').  Using 32-bit WinVN on these stacks means that _another_
layer of translation is added to WinVN's winsock calls (32bit -> 16bit ->
32bit).

When you are running WinVN on a 32-bit operating system (such as Windows
4.0/Chicago and Windows/NT) we suggest that you use the 32-bit version of
WinVN.  Binaries are available for the Intel and Alpha/AXP platforms.  We
hope to have a MIPS/NT version soon.

[from Sam Rushing]

III-2.  What is 'gwinsock.dll'? ... 'pwksock.dll'?

The sockets code for winvn has been moved into a 'DLL' (dynamic link
library).  Such libraries can be changed 'on the fly', by renaming them or
explicitly loading a particular one.  This allows us to distribute one
winvn executable, and have the user select a DLL in order to specify what
networking stack they are using.  It also allows us to update just the DLL,
in case of sockets-specific problems.

Do not move either of these DLLs out of the directory where winvn.exe is
kept.  Consider them 'part' of winvn.exe.  It is important to understand
that these DLLs are NOT REPLACEMENTS for your regular sockets DLL
(WINSOCK.DLL or WSOCKETS.DLL), they USE your regular sockets DLL.

[from Sam Rushing]

III-3.  I'm using SLIP, how can I use WinVN most effectively.

WInVN is a good online client to use with a 9600+ BPS SLIP connection.
This means that it is usable, but will have traits that may be frustrating
to the user.  Unfortunately, it is very hard to implement the changes that
would make WinVN a "perfect" SLIP client.  See Sam Rushing's comments about
this in the "What WinVN is not" section.

There have been and continue to be improvements to WinVN to better support
SLIP (and other environments).  The best place to find out about these is
the User Manual's section about Reading only UnRead Articles.

[from Greg Monroe]

III-4.  How do I choose between SMTP and MAPI?

The quick answer to this is that if your mail system is Microsoft Mail use
MAPI.  If it isn't use SMTP.  The long answer to this is in the "MAPI vs.
SMTP" section in the User's manual.

[from Greg Monroe]

III-5.  I get a "Can't find MAPI.DLL" error message...

You've chosen the wrong mail type in your setup.  Use Config,
Communications and change it.  Contact your local support folks about what
address to use with SMTP.

[from Greg Monroe]

III-6.  How can I do "X" from the keyboard, including Windows functions?

Unfortunately, not all of WinVN's functions can be done via the keyboard.
Also, some WinVN windows don't support all the normal Windows key
functions.  This is because they are custom Windows instead of standard
Windows.  This means that code to do these functions must be included in
WinVN.

This is something that is on the 'to do' list (care to get the code and do
it?).  Each new release of WinVN tends to improve the keyboard function,
but somethings get put on the "back burner" in favor of other features or
actually requires some major rewriting.  It doesn't hurt to ask for a
keyboard function to be added.  However, before asking, try the latest
version, it may have already been added.

[from Greg Monroe]

III-7.  Why are some subject lines blank except for some weird character?

That character (which in some fonts is a neat little triangle) is the
thread depth indicator.  It looks better if you use a fixed font size.

You can get rid of it by selecting 'show full subject...' in the
config/misc menu, but it will clutter up the window some.

[from Sam Rushing]

III-8.  How do I install WinVN on a LAN Server?

WinVN can easily be installed on LAN Servers.  Simply install the program
in a server directory according to the installation instructions (see
Section I-7).  Then see Section III-9 for the methods you can use to point
WinVN to alternate locations for individual user configuration files.

[from Greg Monroe]

III-9.  How do I access multiple News Servers?

WinVN has three methods that allow it to use alternate configuration files
or newsrc files.  FYI - The config file (winvn.ini is the default name)
contains the information set under the "Config" menu in the main window.
The newsrc file (newsrc is the default name) contains information about the
groups and articles read.

The first method is to use a WINVN environment variable.  If this is set
(prior to starting Windows and not from a DOS Window!), it tells WinVN what
directory the winvn.ini and newsrc files can be found.  The command format
to set this variable is:

    SET WINVN=<directory to use>  (e.g. C:\WINVN)

Note:  Create the directory and copy winvn.ini and newsrc into it first.

The second method is to use a single command line parameter.  WinVN assumes
that this is a directory where a copy of winvn.ini and newsrc will exist.
Create the directory to use, e.g. C:\WINVN\NEWS.KSC.  Copy the winvn.ini
and newsrc files into this directory.  Next, create a duplicate WinVN icon
in program manager (hold the ctrl key and drag with the mouse).  Change the
icon properties so that the command line has the directory path as a
parameter, eg. C:\WINVN\WINVN C:\WINVN\NEWS.KSC.

Start WinVN, use Config/Communications to change the news server field to
your alternate news server, eg. news.ksc.nasa.gov.

The third method is to use TWO parameters on the command line.  The first
is the FILE to use for the configuration file, eg. C:\WINVN\WINVNALT.INI.
The second is the file to use for the newsrc file, eg. C:\WINVN\NEWSRC.KSC.
You can set this up using the same basic process outlined for method two.

[from Greg Monroe]

======================================================================
IV.  Common Non-WinVN problems that WinVN gets blamed for...

IV-1.  I can't post if I have more included text than my comments....

This is a "feature" of your News server not WinVN.  Contact your News
server maintainer about this.

[from Greg Monroe]

IV-2.   Error 502 Authentication error/NNTP Server has closed connection.

This means that the userid/password in the 'Configure comm..." is invalid
for your news server.  The common solution is that you have a userid and/or
password configured and don't need one.  Most servers don't require this.
Of course, it could be that the server does require one and you didn't
supply the proper information.

[from Greg Monroe]

IV-3.  I'm getting a NNTP Server refused connection error.

The most common is that the NNTP News Server address in your communications
settings is not the proper server machine.  E.g., ftp.ksc.nasa.gov is a
valid machine but is not a news server, it should be news.ksc.nasa.gov.
Change it to the correct machine name.  If it's the correct name, try
connecting in a few hours.  Your news server may have suspended connections
for a time to do some maintenance.

[from Greg Monroe]

======================================================================
V.  Commonly asked for features (stuff on the to-do list/why it's hard).

V-1.  Why are articles I've read still displayed?

Currently there is nothing in WinVN that would limit the display to only
unread articles (I suppose you could change the color of Unread to match
your background or something but that would be a kludge).  With a threaded
newsreader like WinVN it's difficult to do both threads and hide read
messages.  However, if you just want to read "Unread" articles in a group,
pressing the SPACE bar while reading a message will scroll you thru the
message.  Once at the end of a message, it will jump you to the next unread
message.  Thus, once you start reading a group, pressing SPACE bar will
move you thru all unread messages.

[from Jim Dumoulin]

Also see the "Reading only Unread Articles section in the User's Guide for
how to limit the number of read articles displayed.  There is also a new
option under Config/Misc, Auto Latest Unread.  This will automatically only
retrieve all the (read and unread) articles from the last "catch up"
article number.

[from Greg Monroe]

V-2.  What happened to word wrapping in the compose windows?

WinVN currently uses the standard Windows edit object and puts both headers
(labels that the News Server uses) and text into it.  If autowrap is turned
on, it effects both the text and the headers.  This is good for the text,
but very bad for long headers.  For this reason, WinVN currently does not
use word wrap.  Given that this  is a commonly asked for feature it will be
added in the future.  However, it requires some significant coding to be
done.  So, be patient and it will come.

[from Greg Monroe]

V-3.  Why can't I subscribe using a hierarchical type subscription like
      Trumpet?

This feature is partially here.  A similar hierarchical type subscription
box has been added to WinVN to deal with new groups.  Some folks are
looking at using this as an alternate way of subscribing to groups from the
main window.

[from Greg Monroe]

V-4.  Can't WinVN just read the article count of the groups I'm subscribed
      to?

The problem here is really with NNTP.

NNTP was not designed in a fashion that makes this a reasonable thing to
do.  The only way to get this is to send a series of 'GROUP' commands,
which are relatively expensive for the server.  (For INN, it means going
into the group directory, and counting the number of article files there).

For those people who subscribe to over a hundred groups, this would take
even longer than a list command.

Over-the-modem users probably wouldn't notice how slow it was, because
they're already trying to pump gallons through a straw.

There's another problem... the 'clean' way to do it would be to send a
whole series of group commands (not waiting for the answers), and then
parsing the response to each in turn.  This would not fit into WinVN's
state-machine model easily.

Summary:  We'd love to do it, but it's not easy.

p.s. I think I saw a post from Wayne Davison (maint. of trn) about a patch
he'd made to INN to get around this very problem, but don't know the
details.  Maybe it'll make it into a future version of the NNTP
spec.

[from Sam Rushing]

V-5.  Can the number of unread articles in a group be displayed?

This is one of the most frequently ask for features.  There are several
folks who have said they would look into it.  One of the main problems is
the method to use to determine this number in an efficient manner.

WinVN does give you an indication of whether new articles have arrived
since you last read a group.  This is what the * means next to groups in
the main window.

[from Greg Monroe]

V-6.  Can I sort the news groups in the main window?

There currently no method to sort news groups inside of WinVN.  However,
you can do this outside of WinVN using some standard DOS command.  Here is
how to do this:

First, if WinVN is running, exit it.  Next go to a DOS session and change
into the same directory as your newsrc file (See III.9 for a description).
Make a backup copy, just in case Murphy puts in an appearance using the
command:

    COPY NEWSRC NEWSRC.BAK.

Extract and sort the subscribed groups into a new newsrc file by entering
the command string:

    TYPE NEWSRC | FIND /V "! " | SORT > NEWSRC.NEW

Sort the unsubscribed groups and add them to the new file by:

    TYPE NEWSRC | FIND "! " | SORT >> NEWSRC.NEW

"Install" your sorted file by entering the command:

    COPY NEWSRC.NEW NEWSRC

That's it, your news groups are sorted.  BTW, you can put these command in
a batch file to simplify the process.

[from Greg Monroe]

V-7.  How about some button bars?

One of the contributing developers has announced that he has this almost
ready for prime time.  So, in the next release or so, WinVN should have
this feature.

[from Greg Monroe]