WinVN Users Guide - December 1994 WinVN Users Guide A Topic Based Client Network News Reader for Microsoft Windows, Windows/NT and Windows/95 Version 1.0 15 December 1994 Principal Authors: Mark Riordan / Michigan State University Samual Rushing / NASA - Kennedy Space Center Jim Dumoulin / NASA - Kennedy Space Center John S. Cooper / FineLine Software, Inc. Documentation: Jim Dumoulin NASA/ Kennedy Space Center The WinVN program and this document may be freely redistributed in any form, electronic or otherwise. It may be customized and reproduced without written consent, providing proper credit is given to the authors for the material used. The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by NASA, Kennedy Space Center, Michigan State University, FineLine Softwae Inc or any of the Authors to provide support for this product. NASA and the Authors assume no liability for any errors that may appear in either this document or the WinVN product. Comments or questions may be submitted via electronic mail to winvn@titan.ksc.nasa.gov. WinVN software, source code, the WinVN FAQ, and this Users Guide are available via anonymous FTP from the host FTP.KSC.NASA.GOV. Document revision history: 0.73 Rev Basic February 22, 1993 0.92 Rev A August 11, 1994 1.0 Rev B December 15, 1994 WinVN Users Guide Index 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Network News 1.2 Overview of WinVN 1.3 Usenet EtiquetteUsenet_News 1.4 History of WinVN 2.0 Types of Windows 2.1 Main Window 2.1.1 Using the Mouse and Keyboard from the Main Window 2.1.2 Network Menu Commands 2.1.3 Group Menu Commands 2.1.4 Utilities Menu Commands 2.1.5 Config Menu Commands 2.1.6 Window Menu Commands 2.1.7 Help Menu Commands Main_window 2.2 Newsgroup Window 2.2.1 Using the Mouse and Keyboard from the Newsgroup Window 2.2.2 Newsgroup window with Threading Enabled 2.2.3 Articles Menu Commands 2.2.4 Sort Menu Commands 2.2.5 Search Menu Commands group_window 2.3 Article Window 2.3.1 File Menu Commands 2.3.2 Edit Menu Commands 2.3.3 Search Menu Commands 2.3.4 View Menu Commands 2.3.5 Respond Menu Commands article_window 2.4 Composition Window 2.4.1 Composition Menu Commands 2.4.2 Edit Menu Commandsposting_window 2.4.3 Composition Header Fields 2.4.4 Body Text Editing 2.4.5 Mail Address Manager 3.0 Procedures 3.1 Configuring WinVN 3.1.1 Config Menu Details 3.1.2 The NEWSRC File 3.1.3 The WINVN.INI Fileconfiguring_winvn 3.1.4 Setting Windows TimeZone Variable 3.2 Posting an Article 3.2.1 Follow-up Articles 3.2.2 New Articles 3.3 Sending Electronic Mail 3.2.1 MAPI vs SMTP Mail 3.2.2 New Messages 3.2.3 Reply Messages 3.4 Sending Attachments 3.5 Creating Custom Encoding Tables 3.6 Decoding Concepts 3.7 Reading only Unread Articles 3.8 Subscribing to Newsgroups 3.8.1 What is "Subscribing?" 3.8.2 Subscribing to New Newsgroups 3.8.3 Subscribing to Existing Newsgroups Appendix A.1 Definitions A.2 Error Messages A.3 Popular UseNet Acronyms A.4 Newsgroup Creation Guidelines A.5 Current Newsgroup List 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Network News Network News, sometimes called UsenetUsenet News, is a distributed bulletin board system BBSthat runs on millions of computers world-wide. These computers can be interconnected via Local Area Networks (LAN's), Wide Area Networks (WAN's) like the Internet, dialup modem networks or one-way satellite downlink networks. The overall collection of computers and networks, when it is used to store, forward or display Network News is called the Usenet. Users of the Usenet exchange views and information by writing articles articlethat are then transmitted automatically between computers in the network. Articles are organized by topics into a hierarchy of newsgroups.newsgroup There are currently over 9000 newsgroups on the Usenet (including regional groups) but the average site carries around 2000-4000 groups. New newsgroups are created automatically by the network (after a vote of the network population) and old newsgroups are automatically deleted. Newsgroups are organized by subjects into a hierarchy that resembles a tree structure and the number of newsgroups and their access is determined by the news manager at each site. Local news managers also determine how many days an article is kept at their site before it is automatically expired. Network News has many similarities to electronic mail (E-Mail) but differs in the way it organizes and distributes information. E-Mail systems are typically used to send person-to-person mail to an individual (direct mail) or group of individuals (mailing list). When the group of users become too large or too dynamic to easily administer over electronic mail, Network News is the system of choice. The information is sorted by subject and the user only needs to read the subjects he finds interesting. Network News can be thought of as a collection of very specialized magazines or journals that can be used to search for information or discuss topics. The software that comprises the Network News system consists of News Servers and News Clients. WinVN is a News Client requiring a News Server before it can be used effectively. Servers communicate with other servers and provide disk space to store the actual messages. They also communicate with clients and provide lists of available newsgroups. A client can request a server to return a list of articles for any newsgroup or can request the actual text for an article. The client formats and displays information from the server in a form suitable to the user interface on the client machine. The actual format of the messages exchanged between hosts follow the Internet Standard for Interchange of Usenet Messages (Internet Standard RFC-1036) and transfers these messages via the Network News Transfer Protocol - NNTP (Internet Standard RFC-977). Attachments are sent via the Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) protocol (Internet Standard RFC- 1341). 1.2 Overview of WinVN WinVN is a Microsoft Windows and Windows NT-based news readernews_reader. Like other news readers, it can be used to select, view, and write Usenet NewsUsenet_news articlesarticle. WinVN can also be used to send (but not receive) electronic mail messageselectronic_mail_message. WinVN offers a more visual approach to Usenet News than traditional text-based news readers, allowing you to easily navigate amongst newsgroupsnewsgroup and articles via its point-and-click interface. In normal operation, WinVN displays three types of windows: the main group-list windowmain_window, which displays a list of all newsgroups; one or more group article-list windowsgroup_window, each of which displays a list of the articles in a newsgroup; and one or more article windowsarticle_window, which each displays an article. Double-clicking on a newsgroup or article name causes that item to be displayed in a separate window. When you want to write an article, WinVN opens a composition windowcomposition_window for that purpose. See Posting an Articleposting_an_article. Similarly, when you want to write an electronic mail message, WinVN either opens a MAPIMAPI (Microsoft Mail) editor session or opens a composition windowcomposition_window to accept your text. See Mailing a Messagemailing_a_message. WinVN offers a very flexible, customizable newsreading environment. 1.3 History of WinVN WinVN began at home as an own-time project by Mark Riordan, a systems programmer at Michigan State University. However, WinVN is not a product of MSU, NASA, or any other institution. Serious development of WinVN began in September 1989 and continued in fits and starts. A Macintosh version was developed, but it is no longer in sync with the latest Windows version. The recent release of a number of good Macintosh news readers stopped the development of a version of WinVN for the Mac. The MS Windows based WinVN program and its source code were placed in the public domain in 1991. In 1992, Sam Rushing and Jim Dumoulin, of the NASA/Kennedy Space Center Information Systems Branch, selected WinVN as a good candidate for future development as part of the Payload Data Management System (PDMS-II) project. After contacting Mark Riordan, NASA agreed to make extensive enhancements to WinVN, coordinate a public domain Internet development effort to extend its features, and to serve as the overall integrator for future versions of WinVN. Sam Rushing reworked WinVN to support the emerging Windows TCP/IP Sockets standard (WINSOCK), revamped the user interface and added support for threading and XOVER (a faster extension to the news transport protocol). In July 1993, John Cooper of FineLine Software, Inc. approached the WinVN team with a number of bug fixes and enhancement ideas. John’s work soon evolved into a broad restructuring of the WinVN interface and communication engine. John also implemented a series of new advanced features including MIMEMIME attachments, intelligent integrated decodingdecoding_concepts, and a flexible customizable interface. FineLine Software offers a commercially supported version of WinVN for those companies that need a level of support not typically available in Public Domain software. Over the years, many other people, in a truly international effort spanning 4 continents, have contributed their own time and energy to the success of WinVN. They include, but are not limited to: Original Author: Mark Riordan mrr@scss3.cl.msu.edu Major Authors/System Integrators: Sam Rushing rushing@titan.ksc.nasa.gov Jim Dumoulin dumoulin@titan.ksc.nasa.gov John S. Cooper jcooper@netcom.com Contributing Authors: Matt Bretherton MBretherton@cmutual.com.au Jody Glasser jglas@tdycont.com Conor Nolan cnolan@tcd.ie Michael Finken finken@conware.de Harvey Brydon brydon@tulsa.dowell.slb.com Don Gardener gardnerd@keystone.ksc.nasa.gov Masaki Ishido ishidou@yhp.hp.com Michael Downs mdowns@eos.arc.nasa.gov Jim Martin jim@noc.rutgers.edu Roger Pearse pearse_w_r@bt- web.bt.co.uk Tom Menshik tmenshik@hpcvitlm.cv.hp.com WinVN is in the Public Domain and the latest versions for both MS Windows and Windows/NT (both the source and binaries) are available free of charge via anonymous FTP from FTP.KSC.NASA.GOV in the directory [pub.win3.winvn]. Questions can be sent to the developers via the mailing list "winvn@titan.ksc.nasa.gov" and anyone that wishes to join the developer's list (or see a constant stream of E- mail messages from people attempting to configure WinVN) can send a message to "majordomo@news.ksc.nasa.gov" with a message body of "Subscribe WINVN". The mailing list is also gatewayed to the MAIL.WINVN newsgroup on the server NEWS.KSC.NASA.GOV. Another Internet based support mechanism includes the WinVN Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file compiled and maintained by Greg Monroe (monroe@acpub.duke.edu) from Duke University. This file is periodically posted to various news groups and is also available on WinVN FTP sites. Also, Michael Downs of the Kennedy Space Center Information Systems Office has developed a World Wide Web (WWW) Home page for the WinVN project which will be available at the time 1.0 is released. (URL = “http:\\www.ksc.nasa.gov\software\winvn\winvn.html”). 1.4 Usenet Etiquette ("Netiquette") The ease of postingposting Usenet Newsusenet_news articlesarticle causes many inappropriate articles to be sent to the network. An article can be inappropriate if it: -- Is devoid of useful information or ideas. -- Is sent to inappropriate newsgroup(s)newsgroup. -- Is sent to too many newsgroup(s)newsgroup. -- Contains rude or insulting remarks. -- Is really intended for a particular individual, rather than the entire Usenetusenet community. Compose articles thoughtfully and be polite and considerate of others. Remember that most people on the network will judge the author (and the information) only by what is said and how well it is expressed in writing. Strive to insure that articles are factual and will not be embarrassing later. Some newsgroups maintain permanent archive sites with index programs that allow searches on all previous articles. Your comments may be read by tens of thousands of people and be available for many years, so always re-read articles before submitting them for distribution to the entire world. There is even a news group called NEWS.ANNOUNCE.NEWUSERS that provides information to new users on how to conduct themselves on the network. Carefully select the proper newsgroup by looking at the newsgroup charter or previous messages. Read the newsgroup for a number of days before you make your first post. This will give you a flavor for the types of questions that are asked. Most newsgroups will periodically post an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) article. This contains a summary of questions and answers that are asked by novice users. Many long time readers of newsgroups get tired of answering the same questions over and over so read any FAQ articles before making your first post. There is even a news group called NEWS.ANSWERS that contains the latest FAQ's for most newsgroups. Consider sending an electronic mail messageelectronic_mail_message rather than posting an article, if appropriate. Also remember that you should never post to News any E-Mail that someone may have sent to you unless they have explicitly given you permission to redistribute it. People will sometimes E-Mail you information that they would rather not be seen by the entire Usenet community. Most people will spend less time replying to an E-mail message (to be read by an individual) than they would crafting a News response that will be read by the entire Usenet community. Remember that not all sites on the Usenet are directly connected to the Internet. Be aware of the fact that many sites pay long-distance telephone charges to receive your article. Some links are even low speed serial links that can only send a limited number of bytes each connection. If you have a very large document that you are posting, it is considered proper "netiquette" to break the post into a number of smaller posts with common titles (ie: Synopsis of War and Peace Part 1 of 200). This allows sites with poor or intermittent network connections to safely handle your article. Also be aware of the fact that some of the popular newsgroups have tens of thousands of readers. For example, 10,000 people each reading your article for 20 seconds spend a total of 55 hours reading your article. At the end of most articles there is usually a small blurb called a signature or sig. This usually comes from a file in the person's login directory and is appended automatically to the message by the operating systems. Some people get carried away with their signature and place complex ASCII drawings or cute sayings at the bottom of their messages. These signatures bother most people and it is considered poor "netiquette" to have signatures larger than about 4 lines. You can create a signature file of your own using any Windows Editor and then attach it to WinVN using the config Signature File section of the on the Configuration Composition Menu. Please remember to save your signature file as plain ASCII text, since vendor dependent binary files (such as Microsoft Word files) are not portable across the entire Internet community. Many new users wish to test their ability to post before they actually say anything of any interest to anyone. Don't post test type messages to an active newsgroup. This will interrupt quite a number of people and is considered poor "netiquette". There are usually a number of "Test" newsgroups (they usually have the word "TEST" in their name) that can be used to verify posting from your host will be successful. Some test newsgroups (like ALT.TEST) have automatic E- Mail responding software. A post to those groups will cause electronic mail from all over the world to be sent back to you as your post gets forwarded from site to site. The "NEWSGROUPS" line in a news header isn't limited to just one group. If a note makes sense to more than one area you can cross-post it to other newsgroups by just separating the newsgroups with a comma on the Newsgroups line. It is considered poor "netiquette" to cross-post to more than three or four newsgroups. When posting new articles to News, please remember that News runs on many different hosts and operating systems. In fact, since WinVN is one of the first usable News readers for Microsoft Windows, the majority of posts from the Usenet are viewed by people running non-DOS/Windows operating systems. Inserting graphics or non ASCII text (such as different fonts, underlining, color changes, etc.) in an article will appear as unintelligible garbage to almost everyone else. You can use WinVN to send binary attachments along with your post but exercise judgment and don't flood the USEnet with massive binary attachments. When responding to articles, use the Follow-up Article option instead of the New Post option. This will maintain a reference link between a message and the article being read at the time of a posting. People reading messages from other "thread based" news readers, like WinVN, will be able to understand how the message fits into the rest of the conversation. WinVN will automatically "quote" the text of the article being read (including a unique Message ID that can be used to locate the original posting) and insert it at the beginning of a post. Most people intersperse comments between the quoted text and delete any large quoted sections that do not pertain to their response. Someone can always find the original text by clicking on the unique Message ID. Also, use Message IDs when referring to other articles and never refer to another article by its article number. Article Numbers are never the same from system to system so only people reading news on the same local system will see the same article number. Try to keep text in a generic format. Many (if not most) of the people reading Usenet do so from 80 column terminals or from workstations with 80 column terminal windows. Try to keep lines of text to less than 80 characters for optimal readability. If people quote part of an article in a follow-up, each line gets indented a few characters and gets proceeded with a ">". Thus, standard lines of 75 characters or less are best for later readability. Also, WinVN allows a user to change his viewing font to any font the workstation supports. Be careful when using proportional style fonts since they allow the placement of more characters per line than fixed style fonts. Most news readers on the Usenet are running on multi- user hosts with system administrators and operating systems that validate logons. Unfortunately, WinVN runs under MS-DOS which is a single user operating system that doesn't have any concept of a logon. (WinVN also runs under Windows/NT which does validate logons.) Take special care in configuring the Configure Personal Info option and insure that the name and mailing address is valid. Since most MS-DOS systems cannot directly receive Internet mail do not specify an MS-DOS host as a mail address. This will just annoy anyone who wishes to respond to a post via E- Mail. 2.0 TYPES OF WINDOWS 2.1 Main Window If you click on the WinVN icon from within the Windows program manager, WinVN will begin its startup phase. If you have previously configured WinVN and have selected the Connect on Startup option from the Config Communications Options menu, WinVN will establish a connection to your local News Server and display a list of valid newsgroupsnewsgroup. Clicking on a newsgroup name "selects" that newsgroup and displays it in reverse video (light on dark). Selecting a newsgroup is useful only for subscribing to it; see Subscribing to Newsgroupssubscribing_to_newsgroups. You can also hold the left mouse button down and drag it across the groups to either Subscribe or Unsubscribe groups. Subscribed groups appear in black; unsubscribed groups appear in blue but these colors can be customized via the Configure Color menu. In this display, there were 7945 total newsgroups, of which 16 were subscribed. If you only wish to view subscribed newsgroups, you can deselect the option Show Unsubscribed Groups from the Config Group-list menu. or by using the toolbar. The first column of each line in the main window gives information about that newsgroup: Space No new articles have appeared in this group since your last WinVN session. > This newsgroup has been selected as the result of the previous Find operation. u There are unread articles in the group but no new articles since last session n New articles have appeared in this newsgroup since your last WinVN session. The number between the first character and the newsgroup name is an estimated number of articles in the newsgroup. This is calculated by subtracting the oldest article number from the latest article number. This number is only an estimate since a newsgroup manager may have deleted some articles in the group or the original poster may have revoked a message after it was recorded on the server. If you select a newsgroup, this number will be updated to reflect the actual number of articles available. The final item in the Main window is the actual name of the newsgroup. Newsgroups that are unsubscribed are sorted and displayed in alphabetical order. Newsgroup names of registered or subscribed groups are not automatically sorted in alphabetical order. Users are free to place them in whatever order they find useful. WinVN currently doesn't have a command that easily sorts selected groups but this option will be added in a future release. To manually sort subscribed groups, an external text editor can be used if it can edit files greater than 64K bytes (this leaves out using the MS Windows 3.x Notepad) or you can use a series of Move Selected Groups to the Top commands. See Network Menu Commands, Group Menu Commands, Utilities Menu Commands ,Config Menu Commands, Window Menu Commands and Help Menu commands for actions that can be done via the Menu bar on the Main Window. To Exit WinVN, you can use the windows standard and double- click on the corner box to the extreme left of the Main Window Title or you can use the Exit command from the Network menu. This will close WinVN and save any open files. If you have selected the option Always Confirm Save upon Exit from the Configure Miscellaneous menu you will be asked whether you wish to save your WinVN Configuration File (WINVN.INI) or your News Resources file (NEWSRC). The Newsrc file stores the names and status of all newsgroups available on your news server and the WinVN configuration file stores all the configuration information that can be modified via the Config Menu. If you plan on using WinVN to communicate with more than one News Server, it is better to use seperate Newsrc files for each server. This is because each server may have a different selection of News groups and most likely has different article numbers associated with the articles in a newsgroup. If you keep the same Newsrc file, you may find that WinVN's notion of which articles have been read/unread will be incorrect. Located directly below the Menu bar on the main window is the WinVN Main Window Tool Bar. From this area of the screen it is possible to access the most frequently used menu items of the Menu bar via a single mouse click. 2.1.1 Using the Mouse and Keyboard from the Main Window From the Main Window, clicking the mouse on any newsgroup will allow you to perform selection operations on various newsgroups. Once you have made all of your selections, you can use the Group Menu to perform a variety of operations on the selected groups. Mouse Left Mark/Unmark an Newsgroup for selection Drag Mouse Left Mark/Unmark multiple groups Mouse Double-Click Left Fetch Newsgroup headers from Server for viewing Mouse Middle None Drag Mouse MiddleNone Shift Mouse Left Same as Mouse Middle Mouse Right Reserved for future popup newsgroup menu Mouse Double-Click Right None Note: You can alter the default behavior of the mouse in the Newsgroups window via the Use Shift/Control Option under the Configure Article Options Menu. The default behavior of the mouse allows you to click on groups individually and groups will stay selected. With Multi-Select enabled, a Mouse Left click on any group highlights that group and turns off all others. After the first click, a Shift Mouse Left Click will highlight ALL intervening groups between the 1st click and your current mouse location. This is a fast way to select multiple groups but it can make it more difficult to select a small number of groups. From the Main Window, certain keys can be used to quickly access some of WinVN's windows and menus. WinVN attempts to follow Microsoft Windows keynaming conventions whenever possible. Every menu option in WinVN has one underlined letter in its descriptive text. Pressing the ALT key and this underlined letter will perform the same action as clicking on that item with the mouse. The following table contains an additional list of keys available from WinVN's main window: F1 Help F3 Find Next F6 Switch between Windows Pg Dn Scroll Newsgroup List Down one Page Pg Up Scroll Newsgroup List Up one Page Up Arrow Scroll Newsgroup List Up one Line Down Arrow Scroll Newsgroup List Down one Line Alt F4 Exit Ctrl L Post a New Article Ctrl 0 Compose a Mail Message Ctrl F Find a Newsgroup 2.1.2 Network Menu Commands The Network Menu contains the operations you need to communicate with your Network based services. From this menu you can manually establish connections to your News service provider, terminate these connections, Log out of a MAPI (Microsoft Mail Applications Programmer Interface) compatible mail system, or (in the event of an emergency) reset all of WinVN's knowledge about your remote network connection. Connect to ServerUse this command if you have the Connect at Startup option disabled under the Config Menu. This will startup a network connection between your workstation and your news server. Disconnect from ServerUse this command to terminate the network connection to your news server without exiting WinVN. Reconnect to Server Use this command to disconnect, then reconnect to your news server. This can be useful to abort an otherwise- uninterruptible communications process. Mail Logout Use this command to manually log out of a networked based mail system (such as Microsoft Mail) without exiting WinVN. This can save both local and network resources if you are sure you won't be needing to send mail for a while. If you are logged out from your mail system and wish to forward an article via mail, WinVN will force another mail login if necessary. Reset Server Protocol Resets WinVN's interface to the network, aborting any outstanding requests. Quit without Saving Terminates WinVN, and leaves the NEWSRC file unchanged. Exit Terminates WinVN, and writes a record of your activity to the NEWSRC filenewsrc. 2.1.3 Group Menu Commands The Group Menu contains the operations you need to select and organize your newsgroups. With thousands of newsgroups available on the Usenet, a person can quickly get lost trying to locate a newsgroup on a particular subject. The Find command can be used to locate a newsgroup containing a particular substring and when someone finds a group and wants to keep up with its development, he can select Subscribe. This does not get rid of unsubscribed groups but rather places subscribed groups near the top of the groups list so they are easier to find. Find Searches the main windowmain_window group-list for a newsgroupnewsgroup name that contains a specified text string. Find brings up a dialog box into which you enter the string for which you want to search. Click on OK to start the search, or Cancel if you decide not to search after all. If a newsgroup is found which contains the specified string, the main window will be scrolled so that the newsgroup name is visible. The selected newsgroup name will be marked with a ">". If no such newsgroup can be found, WinVN says so via a message box. Find Next Continues the search started by the previous Find... or Find Next. The next newsgroup name containing the string, if any, is displayed. . If there has been no previous Find... or Find Next, this behaves as if you had selected Find... Subscribe selected groups Subscribes to the currently- selected newsgroups. See Subscribing to Newsgroupssubscribing_to_newsgroups. Unsubscribe selected groupsUnsubscribes from the currently-selected newsgroups. Move selected groups to TopSubscribes to the currently- selected newsgroups if they are not already subscribed, and moves them to the bottom of the subscribed newsgroup list. Deselect all Clears all newsgroups in the main windowmain_window, so that no newsgroups are currently selected. 2.1.4 Utilities Menu Commands You can use options on the Utility Menu when you need to perform operations that don't require a particular newsgroup to be selected. This includes creating an article that you would like cross posted to multiple newsgroups, individual (non-news) related Electronic Mail, or operations that interact directly with the local file system. New Article Allows you to begin creating a new article. Any selected newsgroups in the group-list will automatically be listed in the “Newsgroups:” field of the article composition window. Compose Mail Allows you to send Electronic mail directly from within WinVN. The type of mail system you enter will be determined by the setting of the Mail Transport option on the Configure Communications menu. Batch Allows you to send a series of mail messages or posts once they have been prepared. This is most useful when posting or mailing attachments that need to be broken up into multiple messages. Decode a File Decode the contents of an encoded file. See Decodingdecoding. The file may contain multiple saved mail/news articles, spanning multiple logical encoded files. Encode a File Encode a file and store the results in a file. See Encode a Fileencoding_a_file. To attach a binary file to a composition, select Attach from the composition menucomposition_menu_commands of a composition windowcomposition_window. 2.1.5 Config Menu Commands For new users, the Config menu is the most important menu in WinVN . It allows WinVN to be customized with personal information, visual preferences and all the information necessary to connect a client workstation to the server computers at a local site. A careful study and understanding of all the operations available via the Config menu will make WinVN more enjoyable to use. The two Configuration Menu options that are absolutely required for successful news reading/posting operation are the Configure Communications menu and the Configure Personal Info menu. Config Communications Configure communications parameters Config Personal Info Customize User information Config Logging Enable an option within WinVN to log all outgoing posts or mail messages to a local mailbox-compatible text file. Config Smart Filer Customize file save parameters such as conversion of file extensions and handling of error conditions. Config Confirmations Enables/Disables confirmation prompts for certain WinVN operations. Config Group ListControls the retrieving and display of newsgroups in the main window. Config Article List Customize how WinVN retrieves and displays newgroup article-lists from your News Server. Config Article Customize how WinVN retrieves and displays articles selected from the article list. Config Compositions Customize options associated with the creation and displaying of new messages. Config Attachments Customize preferences associated with attaching files to news or mail messages. Config Decoding Customize preferences associated with decoding file attachments. Config Fonts Customize the fonts WinVN uses when displaying text in the Group, Article, Status windows or while Printing Config Color Customize the foreground and background colors WinVN uses in each of its windows. Save Configuration Forces a save of the WinVN.INI preferences file. 2.1.6 Window Menu Commands The Window menu provides options for managing WinVN’s windows: Cascade Arrange all open WinVN windows so that they overlap. Close Submenu Allows you to close all WinVN windows, or all those of a specific typel (Article windowsarticle_window, Group windowsgroup_window., Status windowsstatus_window or Composition windowscomposition_window). Minimize Submenu Allows you to minimize all WinVN windows, or all those of a specific typel (Article windowsarticle_window, Group windowsgroup_window, Status windowsstatus_window or Composition windowscomposition_window). Save Window Positions Saves the current position of the main windowmain_window, the first open Group windowsgroup_window, and first open Article windowsarticle_window, The next time WinVN runs, it will position newly-created windows of the same type in the same place on your screen. 2.1.7 Help Menu Commands WinVN comes with extensive on-line help using the Windows on-line help facility. A user can browse thru the help files with the mouse or search for subjects using the Search commands. Any underlined word is a cross- reference and will take them directly to the subject underlined. Index Starts the Help system with WinVN's main Help index. About Displays a dialog box containing WinVN version info. Show Version Displays the internal version number of each of the modules used to build WinVN. This can be useful when reporting Bug reports. Press return or click OK to close. 2.2 Newsgroup Article-List Window Group windows contain a list of subjects of articlesarticle in a given newsgroupnewsgroup. Double- clicking Left on the subject line of an article causes that article to be retrieved into an article windowarticle_window. Other operations you can do from this window can be found under the Articles, Sort and Search Menu's. Group windows initially appear in the upper right area of the screen. It is possible to have up to 4 group windows open at any one time. See Config Menu Commandsoptions_menu_commands. The first character of each subject line in a group window gives information about that article: Space WinVN has no information on the status of this article, or that this article was available in a previous WinVN session and you chose not to view it. > This article has been selected as the result of the previous Find operation. s This article has already been seen. It will also show up as a different color. n This article is new since your last WinVN session. The other fields in the window are: Article Number: A number used to help a user locate a particular article. Never refer to this number when responding to an article since the number will most likely differ from server to server. Article Date: The date the article was posted to the server. Authors Name: The network E-Mail address or name of person posting the article. Article Size: The number of lines in the article. Article Title: The title of the article. Located directly below the Menu bar on the Newsgroup window is the Newsgroup Window Tool Bar. From this area of the screen it is possible to access the most frequently used menu items of the Menu bar via a single mouse click. This includes the ability to Search for Text, Create a New Article, Send Mail, Save Articles, Decode Selected Articles, Mark all Articles as Read and the Close Window. 2.2.1 Using the Mouse and Keyboard from the Newsgroup Window From the Newsgroup window, clicking the mouse anywhere on the window while a network operation is in progress will update the information on the screen with the current downloaded information. Once all the article header information has been downloaded and the Newsgroup window is fully populated, the mouse operations are: Mouse Left Mark/Unmark an article for further consideration Drag Mouse Left Mark/Unmark multiple articles Mouse Double-Click Left Select article for viewing Mouse Middle Toggle the read/unread state of an article Drag Mouse MiddleToggle read/unread state of multiple articles Shift Mouse Left Same as Mouse Middle Mouse Right Toggle read/unread flag for this article Mouse Double-Click Right Mark all articles above this one as "seen". From the Newsgroup Window, certain keys can be used to quickly access some of WinVN's windows and menus. WinVN attempts to follow Microsoft Windows keynaming conventions whenever possible. Every menu option in WinVN has one underlined letter in its descriptive text. Pressing the ALT key and this underlined letter will perform the same action as clicking on that item with the mouse. The following table contains an additional list of keys available from WinVN's Newsgroup window: F3 Find Next F6 Switch between Windows Pg Dn Scroll Article List Down a Page Pg Up Scroll Article List Up a Page Down Arrow Scroll Article List Down one Line Up Arrow Scroll Article List Up one Line Alt F4 Exit Ctrl A Select all text in Article for Copy Ctrl D Deselect all Selected Text Ctrl F Find an Article Ctrl U Update the list of Articles 2.2.2 Newsgroup window with Threading Enabled One of the most powerful features of WinVN is its ability to display series of articles as coherent conversations. This feature is called threading. Whenever someone using Network News responds to an article (whether they are using a threaded news reader or not), a piece of information called a "reference" is preserved along with the response. A threaded news reader (like WinVN) can request all of this "reference" data from the News Server and sort it locally in such a way as to reconstruct the entire conversation in the exact order it happened. This isn't as easy to do as it seems. The Usenet spans 7 continents in 17 timezones and it can take anywhere from seconds to a week for a given article to propagate thru the network. In fact, sometimes you may see many responses to an article before you ever see the original article. When WinVN threading is enabled, via the Compute Threads option of the Config Article-list options, you will see the subject title of the oldest base note for each conversation displayed, followed by a series of thread depth indented marks. You can choose the thread depth indicator character in the Config Aticle-List options. Each indented mark indicates that an article was entered as a response to the previous article. Since News Servers typically age out old articles and WinVN allows you to fetch only the "latest" series of articles on a server, you may not have all articles that make up a full thread. In that case, the Subject line may begin with “RE:” indicating that the base article of the thread was actually a response to another article that is no longer on your local server. Note that if WinVN detects that your news server supports XOVER (an efficient references transfer mechanism), WinVN will automatically enable threading, and ignore your Enable Threads selection. In the above example, article 6050 was a response to article 6024. Article 6027 was a response to 6022 while articles 6022 and 6048 were both responses to the same article which has scrolled off the screen. Notice the large gaps in article numbers. This indicates the number of non-related intervening conversations that were being discussed in this newsgroup that you would need to filter thru if you did not have the ability to sort via threads. 2.2.3 Articles Menu Commands New Article Creates a Posting windowposting_window for the purpose of composing a new article for this newsgroupnewsgroup. Compose Mail Creates a Mail windowposting_window for the purpose of sending Electronic Mail. Update from Server Update the article display with any new articles that have arrived at the server. Currently, this does not save any previous headers that may have been fetched but that will be fixed in a future release. Save Selected ArticlesSave all articles marked via the Left Mouse Click or menu options to a disk file. Decode Selected Articles Binary decode all articles marked via the Left Mouse click or menu options and store their contents in file(s). Selection can span multiple encoded files. Save Selected Articles Save all marked articles to a file Decode Selected Articles Decode all marked articles to respective files Select all Articles Mark all articles in the newsgroup as selected. Deselect all Articles Mark all articles in the newsgroup as not selected. Select Articles Containing... Selectively mark articles in the newsgroup based on whether its title contains a certain string of characters. Preferences Configure article fetch/display preferences Catch-Up and ExitMarks all articles in this group as read, and closes this Group Article-List Windowgroup_window. Exit Closes this Group Windowgroup_window. 2.2.4 Sort Menu Commands Sort by Date Sorts all article headers by date Sort by Subject Sorts all article headers by Subject. The letters “RE:” infront of subjects are ignored so that responses will be sorted near the original subject. Sort by Lines Use this to find out which are the longest or shortest articles in a given newsgroup. Sort by Threads Organize articles so they are displayed as a base article followed by each response articles. Each response is indented in such a way as to show which article a person was reading when the response was made. This option is only available if Threading was enabled when this group article-list was retrieved. See Config Article-List. Sort by Article NumberSort articles based on their article number. This is the order the articles were received by the local server. Sort by Author Sort articles alphabetically based on the E-mail address or name of the article author. 2.2.5Search Menu Commands Find... Searches the articlearticle subjects in this Group Windowgroup_window for an article whose subject line contains a specified text string. Find brings up a dialog box into which you enter the string for which you want to search. Click on OK to start the search, or Cancel if you decide not to search after all. Find Next Continues the search started by the previous Find... or Find Next. The next article containing the previously-set subject string is displayed if it can be found. If an article is found whose subject contains the specified string, the window will be scrolled so that the subject line is visible. The selected article subject will be marked with a ">". If no such article can be found,WinVN says so via a message box. 2.3 Article Window An article window displays the text of an articlearticle. An article window displays the text of an articlearticle. The article can optionally be positioned in the scrollable window to the beginning of the article text, with the article headerheader scrolled out of sight. (See Configure Articleconfigure_article). From the Article Window, certain keys can be used to quickly access some of WinVN's windows and menus. WinVN attempts to follow Microsoft Windows keynaming conventions whenever possible. Every menu option in WinVN has one underlined letter in its descriptive text. Pressing the ALT key and this underlined letter will perform the same action as clicking on that item with the mouse. The following table contains an additional list of keys available from WinVN's Article window: SPACE Scroll Down till end of article - At end go to Next Unread Article F2 Find Next Unread Article F3 Find Next Article with same Subject F6 Switch between Windows Pg Dn Scroll Article Down a Page Pg Up Scroll Article Up a Page Down Arrow Scroll Article Down one Line Drag Mouse Highlight text for Copy to Clipboard Up Arrow Scroll Article Up one Line Right Arrow Horizontal Scroll to the right Left Arrow Horizontal Scroll to the left Alt F4 Exit Ctrl A Select All Text for Copy Ctrl B Followup Article Ctrl C Copy Article to Clipboard Ctrl D Deselect All Text Ctrl F Find text in an Article Ctrl L New Article Ctrl N Goto Next Article Ctrl O Compose Mail Ctrl P Goto Previous Article Ctrl R Decode Article using ROT13 Ctrl U Update the list of Articles Located directly below the Menu bar on the Article window is the Article Window Tool Bar. From this area of the screen it is possible to access the most frequently used menu items of the Menu bar via a single mouse click. This includes the ability to Copy Selected Text to the Clipboard, Search for Text, Create new articles or Mail, Save articles, Decode Articles, Print Articles, View Articles or Close the Article Window. 2.3.1 File Menu Commands Save Saves the articlearticle in this Article Windowarticle_window to a file. The filename from the most recent Save As... is used. If no Save As... has been done in this session, Save acts just like Save As.... Save As... Brings up a dialog box asking the user for a file name to which the current article should be saved. The dialog box also contains a check box labeled Append to this file. If this box is checked, WinVN will write the article to the end of the specified file. Otherwise, WinVN will overwrite the file with the article. Press OK to actually save the article; press Cancel if you have changed your mind about saving the article. Print Prints the article in thearticle Article Windowarticle_window to the default Windows printer. The fonts used in printing can be controlled via the Config Fonts menu. Print Setup Allows the default printer and printer options to be changed. Decode Article Decodes the displayed article and stores it in a disk file. This is useful if someone sends a binary picture or executable as an attachment to a news posting. Preferences Modify article viewing preferences such as word wrapping scrolling and italicizing of comments. Exit Closes this window. 2.3.2 Edit Menu Commands Copy Copies selected text of an articlearticle to the Windows Clipboard. Deselect All Marks the entire text of an article as deselected. Select All Marks the entire text of an article as Selected. This text will be copied to the Windows Clipboard during the next Copy operation. 2.3.3 Search Menu Commands Find Searches the articlearticle text for the specified text string.group_window Find brings up a dialog box into which you enter the string for which you want to search. Click on OK to start the search, or Cancel if you decide not to search after all. Find Next Continues the search started by the previous Find... or Find Next. The next occurrence containing the previously-set text string is displayed if it can be found. If there has been no previous Find... or Find Next, this behaves as if you had selected Find... 2.3.4 View Menu Commands The Next/Prev options are only available if this article's original parent group article-list window is still open. If you have closed the parent window, or have done an "Update From Server" operation in the parent window since you opened this article, the Next/Prev options will be disabled for this article. Next Article Fetch and display the next article in this newsgroupnewsgroup. If there is no next article, WinVN will say so. Next Unseen Article Fetch and display the next unseen article in this newsgroupnewsgroup. If there is no next article, WinVN will say so. Next with same SubjectSearch the subsequent articles in this newsgroup for an article with the same subject as the current article. (Leading "Re:" notations are ignored.) If a matching article is found, it is retrieved and displayed in the current Article Windowarticle_window. Previous Article Causes WinVN to redisplay the previous article to the one you are viewing. If there is no previous article, WinVN will say so. ROT13 Article Decodes an article that has been encoded using the ROT13 algorithm. This algorithm is simply all the letters of the alphabet shifted in sequence by 13 letters. Some authors of objectionable or ‘spoiler’ material in newsgroups will encode their material in this manner so that the casual reader will not unwillingly read it. 2.3.5 Respond Menu Commands Followup Article Creates a Composition Windowcomposition_window with the Newsgroups and Subject headersheader and text to compose an article that responds to the articlearticle in the current Article Windowarticle_window. Additionally, the Cc field will be prefilled with the original author’s address, if Prefill Cc Address is enabled. See Configure Compositionconfigure_composition and Posting an Articleposting_an_article. Followup Mail Creates a Composition Windowcomposition_window with the To and Subject headersheader and text to compose an electronic mail messageelectronic_mail_message to the author of the current article. See Mailing a Messagemailing_a_message. Forward Article Creates a Composition Windowcomposition_window with the text of the current article copied. See Mailing a Messagemailing_a_message. 2.4 Composition Window The composition window allows you to compose and then send an articlearticle or electronic mail messageelectronic_mail_message to the network. See Posting an Articleposting_an_article. or Mailing a Messagemailing_a_message. The composition window is divided into two areas: header fieldsheader_fields and body text edit area. body_text_edit You will notice when replying to or forwarding an article, WinVN will automatically prefix each line in the original article with a ">" and place a ‘Says’ reference identifier and author in the file. The style of the ‘says’ line is configurable in Configure Compositions. When reading articles, you can click the mouse on this identifier and jump right to the original article. 2.4.1 Composition Menu Commands Send If this is a news composition, sends your completed articlearticle in this Composition Windowcomposition_window to the news servernews_server for propagation throughout the network. If this is a mail composition, sends electronic mail messageelectronic_mail_message to the network SMTP servernews_server for propagation throughout the network. Attach File Allows you to attach one or more files to the posting, See Attaching Files To a Compositionattaching_files Read File Reads a text file directly into the body text window, at the current text location. If cursor is not in the body text edit window, the file contents will be appended to the body text. If some body text is selected, the text will be replaced by the file contents. Preferences There are two categories of preferences related to the composition window. See Configure Compositionconfigure_composition and Configure Attachmentsconfigure_attachments. Cancel Closes this window, losing the composition. You will be warned and asked to confirm the close. 2.4.2 Edit Menu Commands Undo Reverses the effects of the most recent change to this window. Cut Deletes the selected text and saves it in the clipboard. Copy Copies the selected text into the clipboard. Paste Retrieves the text most recently copied or cut to the clipboard into the current window. The text is inserted at the current cursor position. Clear Clears all text in the current window. Select All Selects all text in the current window. Generally used just prior to a Copy operation to save the contents of the window to the clipboard. ROT13 Encode the article you are posting using the Rot13 encoding algorithm. This algorithm is the Internet standard for loosely encoding text and making text unreadable to the casual viewer. It rotates all letters of the alphabet by 13 letters. Use this option when you decide your article contains objectionable material. A ROT13 encoded article is equivalent to placing your article in an envelope and writing the following statement on the outside. "This article contains viewing material that may be offensive to the average person. Open at your own risk." 2.4.3 Composition Header Fields You can select which header fields will be displayed in the composition window . The Subject, To or Newsgroups, Cc , and Attachments fields are always shown. All other headers can be hidden. Note that some headers (From, Organization, and Reply-To) will still be sent, even if hidden. See Configure Composition. To: This is displayed only for mail compositions. This is the the E-mail address of the recipient. For multiple recipients, separate the addresses with commas. Press the Browse button to open the Mail Address Manager. Newsgroups: This is displayed only for news compositions. This is the the name of the newsgroupnewsgroup to which the article is posted. To cross-post to multiple newsgroups, separate the group names with commas. Subject: You must fill in this field before sending. If this is a followup or reply, this field defaults to the original message subject, with the addition of “Re:” in front. From: This field defaults to your E-mail address and name in parentheses. See Configure Personal Infoconfigure_personal_info. Organization: This field defaults to your organization. See Configure Personal Infoconfigure_personal_info. Reply-To: This optional field defaults to your reply-to address. See Configure Personal Infoconfigure_personal_info. If this field is empty, or the address is identical to your E-mail address, the Reply-To header will not be sent. Cc: A list of E-mail addresses, similar to the To: field. Each address listed here will receive a ‘carbon copy’ of the composition. If this is a news composition, the Cc: option is available to send the composition simultaneously via SMTPSMTP mail (note that this is not available for MAPIMAPI mail). Keywords: A few well-selected keywords identifying the message should be on this line. This is used as an aid in determining if this message is interesting to the reader. Summary: A brief summary of your message. This is most frequently used in a followupfollowup message, and again is used as an aid in determining if this message is interesting to the reader. This is available for news messages only. Distribution: A list of newsgroups similar to the Newsgroups line. This is used to limit the distrubution area of your news posting. Your message will only be propagated to news servers who accept the listed newsgroup. This is available for news messages only. An example may be “nj,ny”. Attachments: This is a list containing the file names of the attachments to this composition. To add an attachment to the list either select Attach from the Composition Menu Commandscomposition_menu_commands, or place the cursor in the Attachments listbox and press the Insert key. To remove an attachment, select the filename in the listbox and press the Delete key. To modify attributes of an attachment, double-click on the filename in the listbox. See Attaching Files To a Compositionattaching_files Note for advanced users: You may include additional headers (i.e. “Expires: “, or “X-MyHeader: “) by including these at the top of the body text of your article. These headers must be placed before any non-header body text. WinVN will recognize any header described in RFCRFC-822, RFC-1036, or any header like “X-Custom:”. WinVN will include these headers in the header block of your article (all lines before the first blank line of your article are considered headers). 2.4.4 Body Text Editing Type text directly into this area. If Word Wrap is enabled (see Configure Compositionconfigure_composition), text will be wrapped as it is typed, and there will be no horizontal scroll bar. If Word Wrap is disabled, there will be a horizontal scroll bar. Keep in mind that many people reading your text will only have room to display 80 characters or so on their screen, so either use Word Wrap, or break your lines frequently. 2.4.5 Mail Address Manager The Mail Address Manager allows you to maintain a list of commonly used E-mail addresses, as well as easily select recipients from the list. To select one or more recipients, double-click on each address, then click on Ok. To add an address to the list, type an address in the edit area and click on Add. To delete one or more addresses from the list, select the address(es) in the list, and click on Delete. 3.0 PROCEDURES 3.1 Configuring WinVN WinVN offers a number of configuration options. All are accessible from the Config menu of the main windowmain_window. The Configure Comm Menu allows you to set communications parameters. The Configure Personal Info... and Configure Miscellaneous... options allow you to specify information about yourself and to set WinVN preferences. This information is not vital to the proper operation of WinVN. 3.1.1 Config Menu Details 3.1.1.1 Configure Communications Opens a dialog box allowing you to configure various network communication options. WinVN is a WinSock based TCP/IP application. You must have networking software loaded on your PC and a WinSock compliant Dynamic Link Library (DLL) in your Windows or Windows System directory. WinVN makes all calls to WinSock thru a generic network interface DLL called GWINSOCK.DLL. This interface has been developed to allow WinVN to also work with DLL's that predate the WinSock specification (such as the WSOCKETS.DLL used in Microsoft LAN manager 2.1a and DEC Pathworks 4.1) and also to allow experimentation with other non-sockets based networking transports. NNTP (News) Server Fill in the Internet address of a news servernews_server. Obtain this information from your system administrator. TCP port Fill in the TCP port designation of the news server program. Typically this is "nntp". In the case of some misconfigured TCP/IP software, you may need to type in the value 119, which is almost always the port number used by news servers. Other values can be used only if your local news server is so configured. Username & Password Some NNTPnntp news servers require you to provide an authorizing username and password before they will allow you full access to some or all newsgroupsnewsgroup. If you plan on connecting with such a server, you should fill in the appropriate username and password for the server you have selected. WinVN stores your password in encrypted form in winvn.iniwinvn.ini. However, be aware that the NNTP AUTHINFO protocol used to authenticate you to the server is quite insecure, so your use of this option may be hazardous. Save Password When selected, the password entered will be saved (encrypted) in the WinVN configration file. If deselected, WinVN will not save your password. Connect at startup When selected, WinVN will connect to your news servernews_server as soon as WinVN starts, When deselected, WinVN will not connect at startup, and you will need to manually connect. Mail Transport Select one of 4 options used to determine how WinVN will send mail. The options are: Disabled Do not allow outbound mail. Use MAPI Send mail via Microsoft's Mail Applications Protocol Interface (MAPI). Use this option if you are using Microsoft Mail at your site. Use SMTP Send mail via the Internet Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) interface. WinVN provides the ability to compose mail using the same composition windowcomposition_window as used when creating news postings. Auto Select WinVN will attempt to locate MAPI and use it if available, If MAPI is not available, it will default to SMTP. SMTP (Mail) Server Fill in the Internet address of an SMTP mail server if you plan on using TCP/IP mail from within WinVN. MAPI Demand Logon If you have the Demand Login option selected, WinVN will force a MAPI login "upon demand" (when mail is sent) instead of requiring a login instantly when WinVN is started. 3.1.1.2 Configure Personal Info... Opens a dialog box allowing you to specify personal information. This information is used to construct headersheader for articlesarticle and electronic mail messageselectronic_mail_message that you write. Your name This is typically your full name. This will be shown as part of the “From:” header in compostions. Your email address This is your email address. This will be shown as part of the “From:” header in compostions. For example, “From: jcooper@netcom.com (John S. Cooper)” Reply-to email address Only enter a Reply-to address if it is different from your email address. You may do this, for example, if your “official” address is at work, but you would like people to reply to your personal email address. Note that you can change this at composition time by selecting Show Reply-To Header in Configure Compositionsconfigure_composition. Organization name This is typically the name of your employer or educational institution. 3.1.1.3 Configure Logging Many frequent users of Network News like to keep a local copy of all articles they post. News Servers will expire (delete) old articles and many times a new user to the group will ask an identical question shortly after an old article is deleted. If the Newsgroup does not have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list, many active members of a news group will refer to their log files when starting a FAQ list for the newsgroup. WinVN also allows logging of any SMTP E-mail messages. Logging can be Enabled or Disabled via the Enable Logging option in the Log File Options dialog box. WinVN stores all logged files in mailbox compatible format. 3.1.1.4 Configure Smart Filer Opens a dialog box allowing you configure options related to handling of file names and extensions. This is primarily for file names encountered during decoding, and comes in handy when decoding files which were created on other operating systems (i.e. UNIX) which support very long file names. Max Name Length This is maximum length of the portion of a file name before the extension. In DOS, or Windows 3.x, (or when the FAT file system is being used), this should be 8. With NTFS or HPFS, this number can be larger. Maximum Extension Length This is the maximum length for the extension portion of a filename. In DOS, or Windows 3.x, (or in Windows/NT when the FAT file system is being used), this should be 3. Extension Conversion Extension conversion allows extensions encountered during decoding which are not appropriate in Windows to be renamed. For example, you can specify that any time a ‘JPEG’ file is encountered, rename the extension to ‘JPG’. You can make strange mappings like mapping ‘ZIP’ to ‘FOO’ if you so desire. To add a new extension mapping, enter the Source Extension and the New Extension in thee appropriate fields, and click on Add. To remove an extension mapping, select the mapping in the list, and click on Delete. On Duplicate Name... This allows you to specify how WinVN will react if, during a decode, a duplicate file name is encountered. You have the following options: Prompt for new file name Replace extension with number (i.e. sound.wav becomes sound.001) Presereve extension, prepend number to name (i.e. sound.wav becomes 1sound.wav) Presereve extension, append number to name (i.e. sound.wav becomes sound1.wav) On Name or Extension Too Long... This allows you to specify how WinVN will react if, during a decode, a file name or extension is encountered which is longer than the length limits you have specified. You have the following options: Prompt for new file name Truncate at max name length (i,e, avery-longname.wav becomes avery-lo.wav) Condense (skip vowels, punctuation) (i,e, avery- longname.wav becomes vrylngnm.wav) The order of file name handling is as follows: Extension Conversion occurs first, then Too-Long name, then Too- Long extension, then Duplicate Name. 3.1.1.5 Configure Confirmations The Configure Confirmations Options Menu is used to Enables/Disables confirmation prompts for certain WinVN operations. Confirm batch send/close operations If checked, WinVN will prompt for confirmation before executing batch operations, such as closing all WinVN windows, sending all open Mail windows, etc. Confirm disconnect If checked, WinVN will prompt for confirmation upon selecting the Disconnect menu item. Confirm save on exit If checked, WinVN will prompt the user to save the winvn.ini and newsrc files upon exit. If this options is disabled, WinVN will automatically save these files. Confirm Use of Reply-To If checked, WinVN will prompt you for confirmation anytime you reply to a post that has a From: address different than its Reply-To: address. A number of large sites on the internet allow their people to send mail directly from computers inside their facility but don't allow responses to come back thru the same route. Those sites typically will use the Reply-To field of a mail message to identify a proper return address. However, other sites have broken mail software and checking this option will allow you to verify addresses. You usually won't know what is a proper address so the typical procedure is to use the Reply-To field (if it exists), and if the email bounces, try the From: field. 3.1.1.6 Configure Group List Controls the retrieving and display of the list of newsgroups, shown in the Main Window. The Retrieve group list on Connect option determines whether WinVN queries the news servernews_server for newly-created newsgroupsnewsgroup. Checking for new newsgroups also allows WinVN to determine which groups have received new articles since the last WinVN session. The Yes and No options are self- explanatory; Ask means that WinVN will ask the user whether to check for new groups every time it starts up. The Yes option is recommended for Ethernet- attached PCs. Checking for new groups can take a very long time on serially-attached PCs, so people using SLIP connections usually set this feature to No. If you select Yes a menu similar to the one below will popup when new newsgroups are created by the network. See Subscribing to newsgroups. If Use shift/control-selections is checked, you can select groups from the group-list using the standard windows paradigm. Clicking on one group will select that group and deselect all others. Control-clicking on a group will select that group, without deselecting any already selected. Shift-clicking will select all groups between the last group selected (the “anchor”) and the group clicked on. If not checked, you select groups simply by clicking on them. To deselect a group, click on it again. You can drag select/deselect by clicking on a group and dragging over other groups. The option Show Unsubscribed Groups displays all groups in the Newsgroup List, starting with Subscribed groups and then displaying all Unsubscribed Groups in sorted order. This option is useful when probing the network for the existence of groups that are possible candidates for including on a subscribed list. 3.1.1.7 Configure Article List Customize how WinVN retrieves and displays the list of articles in a group, shown in each group article-list window. Article list retrieval WinVN fetches header infomation on articles when you view a newsgroup. Ask if more than... determines how many article headers you are willing to have WinVN automatically fetch from the server. If the number of articles in a group exceeds this number, WinVN will prompt you with a dialog box before proceeding. Automatically retrieve latest unread will retrieve all articles in the newsgroup starting with the first unread article. Fetch at least... determines the minimum number of articles WinVN will retrieve in the case when retrieving latest unread, and there are very few unread articles. New window for each group If checked, WinVN will attempt to create a new group windowgroup_window for each newsgroupnewsgroup selected from the main windowmain_window. If this option is not checked, WinVN will reuse an existing group window to display newly-requested newsgroups. Use shift/control-selections If checked, you can select articles from the article-list using the standard windows paradigm. Clicking on one article will select that article and deselect all others. Control-clicking on a article will select that article, without deselecting any already selected. Shift-clicking will select all articles between the last article selected (the “anchor”) and the article clicked on. If not checked, you select articles simply by clicking on them. To deselect a article, click on it again. You can drag select/deselect by clicking on a article and dragging over other articles. Full ‘from’ name in article list If checked, WinVN will display the name of each article’s author instead of the author’s E-mail address. If WinVN can't find the author’s"Full Name", it will use their E- mail address out of the news article's "From" field. Note that this will only affect newly retrieved newsgroups, as the name is obtained during article-list retrieval. Compute threads in article list If the checked, WinVN will request additional "references" data for each article in the displayed group. You can then sort articles by threads. Note that this will only affect newly retrieved newsgroups, as the references are obtained during article-list retrieval. Note that this option is ignored if WinVN detects that your news server supports XOVER, in which case threading is enabled automatically. Show full subject in threads If checked, WinVN will show the full subect of each article in a thread when sorting the article-list by threads. If not checked, the subject of each article in the thread after the first article will be replaced by the thread depth indicator. Thread depth indicator This is the character which will be used to replace subjects in threads. Common thread depth characters are ‘»’ and ‘>’. A common technique for obtaining a thread depth indicator is to run the Windows Character Map accessory, select the font you use for the article-list (See Config Fontsconfigure_fonts), and copy the desired character into the clipboard; then you can simply paste this character into to the Thread depth indicator field. 3.1.1.8 Configure Article Customize how WinVN retrieves and displays articles from your News Server. Wrap article text to... If checked, and a number is specified here, WinVN will wrap article text during retrieval to this number of characters. This is useful when retrieving articles posted by people who have written their article with very long lines, or (as is sometimes the case due to misconfigured posting software) their article has ended up all on one line with no linebreaks). Note that this will only affect newly retrieved articles, as the lines are wrapped during article retrieval. Trim headers during article retrieval If checked, WinVN will trim article headers during retrieval, by ignoring any article headers not included in the following list: Newsgroups, From, Subject, Date, Reply-To, Distribution, Message-Id, Keywords, Summary. This will clean up incoming articles by removing potentially confusing headers like Path, and X-headers. Note that this will only affect newly retrieved articles, as the headers are trimmed during article retrieval. New window for each article If checked, WinVN will attempt to create a new article windowarticle_window for each articlearticle selected from the group article-list windowgroup_window. If this option is not checked, WinVN will reuse an existing article window to display newly-requested articles. Scroll past headers after retrieval If checked, WinVN will scroll the article view window past the headers upon completion of article retrieval. Italicize quotes in article window If checked, WinVN will italicize quoted text in the article view window. Quoted text is any line beginning with the '>' quote character. This is useful in distinguishing the reference text from the response, but may not be very readable with your selected font (See Configuring Fonts)configure_fonts. 3.1.1.9 Configure Compositions From the Configure Compositions Options Menu, various options associated with the creation or displaying of messages can be controlled. A check mark in the Word wrap in composition body text box will allow WinVN to automatically wrap texual information in posts and E- Mail messages. A check mark in Prefill “Cc: address in followup postings box will preload the carbon copy field of a reply message with the proper information from the original message. From the Compositions Options Menu you can also control which headers are visible when viewing messages. 3.1.1.9.1 Signature Files The Composition Options Menu allows you to establish a personal signature file is a file that is appended to the bottom of every article sent by a user. It usually identifies the full name, organization, and any disclaimers a user wishes to include in his posts. Remember proper network etiquette and do not get carried way creating complicated signature files. Most people find complex ASCII drawings, cute saying or signature files much larger than about 4 lines annoying to read. Signature files can be created using any Windows Editor but remember to save a signature file as a plain ASCII text file. Vendor dependent binary files (such as the default output of Microsoft Word for Windows) are not portable across the entire USEnet community. Once created, signature files can be enabled for use by WinVN via the Configure Signature File option under the Configure Menu. When using WinVN in a Local Area Network configuration, be sure to specify a network mounted drive location for the signature file. Only network mounted drives will be accessible from multiple workstations on a LAN. If WinVN cannot find a signature file upon startup, it disables the Signature File feature until it is manually re- enabled. Note that WinVN will always prepend the standard “-- “ delimiter on a line before your signature 3.1.1.9.2 Customizing the header fields Since From, Reply-To and Organization are not items you will change often, it is recommended that you disable showing these header fields. Show from header If checked, the From header field will be shown in the header fields of the composition window, allowing you to modify it at send time. Note if this header field is not shown, but you do have a From set in you Personal options (See Configure Personal Info...configure_personal_info), this header will still be sent. Show organization header If checked, the Organization header field will be shown in the header fields of the composition window, allowing you to modify it at send time. Note if this header field is not shown, but you do have an Organization set in you Personal options (See Configure Personal Info...configure_personal_info), this header will still be sent. Show reply-to header If checked, the Reply-to header field will be shown in the header fields of the composition window, allowing you to modify it at send time. Note if this header field is not shown, but you do have a Reply-to set in you Personal options (See Configure Personal Info...configure_personal_info), this header will still be sent. Show keywords header If checked, the Keywords header field will be shown in the header fields of the composition window. If would like to send a list of Keywords with your articles, check this option. If this header field is not shown, no Keywords header will be sent. Show summary header If checked, the Summary header field will be shown in the header fields of the composition window. If would like to send Summary information with your articles, check this option. If this header field is not shown, no Summary header will be sent. Show distribution header If checked, the Distribution header field will be shown in the header fields of the composition window. If would like to limit the distribution of your article, check this option. If this header field is not shown, no Distribution header will be sent. 3.1.1.9.3 Configuring ‘Says’ Templates These allow you to customize the introductory text which WinVN adds to follow-up and reply messages. In the template, you may use the following “variables”: %i in the template will be replaced by the original article ID %d in the template will be replaced by the original article date %n in the template will be replaced by the original author’s full name %a in the template will be replaced by the original author’s E-mail address use %% in the template if you need a literal percent sign For example, a common Follow-up says template is: In article %i, %a (%n) says... and a common Reply template is: In article %i on %d you say... Using the above sample templates, and a sample article Id <123456@netcom.com> authored by jcooper@netcom.com (John S. Cooper) on November 10, 1994 would produce the following ‘says’ lines: In article <123456@netcom.com>, jcooper@netcom.com (John S. Cooper) says... In article <123456@netcom.com> on Nov 10, 1994, you say... 3.1.1.10 Configure Attachments Customize preferences associated with attaching files to news or mail messages. Article Split Length This option determines how large an individual posting is allowed to grow before it is split into a multi-part posting. Posting extremely large files as a single Usenet post will break some news sites and is considered good "netiquette" to break the post into multiple parts. If you are posting with large attachments it is recommended you set this value to less than 64,000 however you can disable article-splitting by setting this option to None. Start attachments in new article by default This checkbox sets the default for attachments, which you can then override in the Attachattaching_files dialog. Default Encoding Type This checkbox sets the default for attachments, which you can then override in the Attachattaching_files dialog. Custom Encoding Table Specifies a custom table of exactly 64 unique characters for use with the Custom Encoding Type. See Custom Encoding Tablescustom_encoding_tables Subject Line Template For Multi-Part Send The Subject Line Template allows you to customize a detailed subject line for a multi-part send. A text string can be entered and interspersed with the symbols %s, %f, %p or %t: %s in the template will be replaced with original subject line %f will insert the filename of an attachment (or the words “N attachments” where N is a number greater than one) %p is the part number of a multi-part message %0p is the part number of a multi-part message, prepended with zeros to match the length of the total number of parts %t is the total number of parts transmitted. use %% in the template if you need a literal percent sign WinVN defaults to a Template of %s - %f [%0p/%t] Examples: For the 5th part of a 12 part send with an original subject called "Testing " and an attached file called "aconfig.bmp", this would produce the subject line: Testing - aconfig.bmp [05/12] For the 1st part of a 7 part send, with an original subject of “Hello”, and 4 attachments, this would produce the subject line: Hello - 4 attachments [1/7] 3.1.1.11 Configure Decoding Customize preferences associated with decoding file attachments. Block coding status window always on top When decoding, a small block coding status window will be displayed. If this option is checked, the status window will “float” above all other windows. This option can also be selected while a coding status window is open, by checking the “Always on top” option from the status window’s Alt-space system menu. Verbose decoding status windows If checked, one status window will be displayed for each binary decoded. This window shows detailed status of the decoding progress for each file. If not checked, there is only one thread status window and only a simple message identifying the start and completion of each binary thread decoded. Verbose status windows are useful if attempting to determine a decoding problem, but should typically be left disabled. Execute decoded files If checked,decoded files will be executed on decode completion. This option relies on your appropriate use of the Windows association lists, configured by the Associate option in the Windows File Manager. Keep current article header visible If checked, as each article decode starts during decoding the selected articlesdecoding, the group article- listgroup_window will scroll if necessary to ensure that the article header is visible. This option is disabled if this is a single-file decode. Include open articles in decodes If checked, WinVN will decode any already-retrieved open articles, in addition to the articles selected for this decode. For example, if you have retrieved the 1st part of a 10 part encoded file in order to read its description, and decide you would like to decode this file, you can select all the article parts in the group article-listgroup_window and initiate the decode. The part 1 you have already retrieved will be decoded first, and then the other 9 parts will be retrieved and decoded. Note this option is disabled if no article windowsarticle_window are open. Use dumb decode This option should only be used if all other attempts at decoding articles fail. If checked, WinVN will not attempt to be smart about piecing together out-of-order or split-up articles during decodes. In other words, when decoding a multi-part article using Dumb Decode, the articles must be in strict order, with no mixing of separate logical files. For more information on when Dumb Decode may be appropriate, see Decoding Conceptsdecoding_concepts. 3.1.1.12 Configure Fonts WinVN allows you to change the fonts used in each of its main areas. Fonts can be customized for the Newsgroup and Article header windows, the Article Text window, the status window and WinVN hardcopy output. The selection of a font can make a big difference in the readability of Usenet articles and WinVN display's. The Newsgroup window looks best with fixed fonts such as FIXEDSYS or Courier while most article text windows look better in proportional fonts such as Helvetica or Arial. In a fixed font, the width of each character in the alphabet is constant (i.e.. the letter "i" takes up as much horizontal space as the letter "m"). Keep in mind that most Usenet posting is done using character cell displays with fixed fonts. If someone attempts to get fancy with ASCII graphics or tables, only fixed fonts will line up from line to line. One configurable font deserves special mention. The WInVN System Font is the font used for the initializing status (“Connecting to news server...”), all status bar text, and the header-entry fields of the composition window. If you find that with all the desired headers shown in the composition window, the headers take up too much screen space, try reducing the WinVN System Font size. See Configure Composition. 3.1.1.13 Configure Color WinVN allows the user to configure the foreground and background colors for each of its main windows. When the Configure Color option on the Configure Menu is selected, a user can select the color of Unsubscribed Groups, Subscribed Groups, Unseen Articles, Seen Articles, Article Text, Status Text, List Background, Article Background or Status Background. Once a color item is selected, a popup color editor window will appear. The user can select colors from a standard palette of colors or define their own set of custom colors. Once defined, the Save Configuration Information option must be selected if the colors are to be loaded during all subsequent WinVN sessions. WinVN does not currently support dithered colors - if the user’s Windows video configuration is 16 or 256 colors, then some colors shown in the color popup will be dithered combination colors. If a dithered color is selected WinVN will choose the closest solid color. True Inverse Seletions If checked, selections in the main group-list windowmain_window and the group article-list windowgroup_window will be true reverse video (i.e. a selected line will show the text in the window background color, and the selection bar background in the text color). If not checked, the text color for a selection will be preserved and the selection bar background color will always be black (or gray black would make the text unreadable). 3.1.1.14 Saving Configuration Information When you have finished specifying configuration information in one of the configuration dialog boxes, you must click on one of the two buttons in the dialog box: OK accepts the changes that you have made, and will record the preferences the next time the Save Configuration option is manually selected or the user exits the WinVN application. These changes will apply to future WinVN sessions as well as the current session (if applicable). This information is stored in your WINVN.INI file. Cancel causes WinVN to ignore the changes you have made. If the Save Configuration option is manually selected, the following popup is displayed announcing that all options have been successfully stored to disk. 3.1.2 The NEWSRC File In order to keep track of your viewing history, WinVN records information about newsgroupsnewsgroup in a file named newsrc. This file contains a list of all newsgroups. For each newsgroup, WinVN records whether it is subscribed and which articles have been seen. Normally the newsrc file is located in the directory pointed to by the WINVN environment variable. Since this file contains information unique to each user, each user should have his/her own NEWSRC file. WinVN also provides other mechanisms to find the newsrc file. It will use the following search mechanism is when looking for the newsrc: Command Line Override Option WinVN Environment Variable Application Startup Directory Windows Directory Windows System Directory DOS Search Path The syntax for the Command Line Override Option is: WINVN my-winvn-ini-file my_newsrc_file Many UNIX-based news readersnews_reader record this information in a file named .newsrc. WinVN uses the same file format to provide compatibility with these programs. If your PC is networked to a file server that services both DOS based files and UNIX or VMS based files, you can read news from many different systems and share a common NEWSRC file. 3.1.3 The WINVN.INI File WinVN stores the options you select on the Config menu into a file called WINVN.INI. This file is usually customized for each user and stored on a networked drive unique to that user. WinVN usually finds this file by looking for an environment variable called WINVN. To configure WINVN to find this file in the proper place add the following line to either your AUTOEXEC.BAT or the login script of your network login command: SET WINVN=C:\WINVN (or the directory where your WINVN.INI file resides) If you are using WinVN from Windows/NT instead of Windows/DOS, add this environment variable by going to the Control Panel and selecting the SYSTEM icon. Enter the variable and value in the section marked User Environment Variables. You can override looking for the WINVN environment variable by passing the location of the WINVN.INI file as the 1st argument when starting WinVN. ie: WINVN my-winvn-ini-file my_newsrc_file A sample WINVN.INI looks as follows: 3.1.4 Setting Windows Time Zone Variable People post Network News from all over the world in every possible timezone. When WinVN sends a news article or mail message, it needs to know the time of the response so that the information can be "time stamped". If running Windows NT, this information is obtained automatically from the NT control panel. You do not need the TZ variable. If running Windows 3.x however, you must set the TZ environment variable. If this variable is not already set by some other MSDOS or MS WINDOWS application, it will need to be set before WinVN is loaded. This variable can be entered into the MSDOS AUTOEXEC.BAT file or any function that is run before Windows is started. The syntax of the TZ variable is as follows: set TZ=tzn[+|-]hh[:mm[:ss] ][dzn] The tnz must be a three-letter time-zone name, such as EST, followed by an optionally signed number, hh specifying the offset one must add to the local time to get UTC (Universal Coordinated Time). To specify the exact local time, the hours can be followed by minutes (:mm) ; seconds (:ss) and a three-letter daylight- savings-time zone, dzn such as EST. Separate hours, minutes and seconds with colons (:). If daylight savings time is never in effect, as it is in certain parts of the world, set TZ without a value for dzn. The tzn can be any value, but it is important that the correct offset from UTC is specified for the timezone calculations to work properly. Some examples: set TZ=EST5EDT set TZ=MST7 set TZ=PST8PDT set TZ=GST1GDT set TZ=GST+1GDT Countries are free to make up their own designations for tnz and dzn so zone names can never be used for anything other than display purposes. This causes some overlap in names so it is not always possible to tell an exact location from a given Time Zone Name. The following are many generally accepted 3 letter time zone names: Hour TZN DZN Zone Example 0 GMT Greenwich Mean Time GMT0 0 UTC Universal Coordinated Time UTC0 2 FST FDT Fernando De Noronha Std FST2FDT 3 BST Brazil Standard Time BST3 3 EST EDT Eastern Standard (Brazil) EST3EDT 3 GST Greenland Standard Time GST3 3:30 NST NDT Newfoundland Standard Time NST3:30NDT 4 AST ADT Atlantic Standard Time AST4ADT 4 WST WDT Western Standard (Brazil) WST4WDT 5 EST EDT Eastern Standard Time EST5EDT 5 CST CDT Chile Standard Time CST5CDT Hour TZN DZN Zone Example 5 AST ADT Acre Standard Time AST5ADT 5 CST CDT Cuba Standard Time CST5CDT 6 CST CDT Central Standard Time CST6CDT 6 EST EDT Easter Island Standard EST6EDT 7 MST MDT Mountain Standard Time MST7MDT 8 PST PDT Pacific Standard Time PST8PDT 9 AKS AKD Alaska Standard Time AKS9AKD 9 YST YDT Yukon Standard Time YST9YST 10 HST HDT Hawaii Standard Time HST10HDT 11 SST Somoa Standard Time SST11 -12 NZS NZD New Zealand Standard Time NZS-12NZD -10 GST Guam Standard Time GST-10 -10 EAS EAD Eastern Australian Standard EAS-10EAD -9:30 CAS CAD Central Australian Standard CAS-9:30CAD -9 JST Japan Standard Time JST-9 -9 KST KDT Korean Standard Time KST-9KDT -8 CCT China Coast Time CCT-8 -8 HKT Hong Kong Time HKT-8 -8 SST Singapore Standard Time SST-8 -8 WAS WAD Western Australian Standard WAS-8WAD -7:30 JT Java Standard Time JST-7:30 -7 NST North Sumatra Time NST-7 -5:30 IST Indian Standard Time IST-5:30 -3:30 IST IDT Iran Standard Time IST-3:30IDT -3 MSK MSD Moscow Winter Time MSK-3MSD -2 EET Eastern Europe Time EET-2 -2 IST IDT Israel Standard Time IST-2IDT -1 MEZ MES Middle European Time MEZ-1MES -1 SWT SST Swedish Winter Time SWT-1SST -1 FWT FST French Winter Time FWT-1FST -1 CET CES Central European Time CET-1CES -1 WAT West African Time WAT-1 3.2 Posting an Article You can postposting an articlearticle either as a followup to a previous article, or as a "brand new" article. Note that often it is preferable to respond to an article via an electronic mail messageelectronic_mail_message rather than by another article; see Usenet Etiquetteusenet_etiquette and Mailing a Messagemailing_a_message. An article contains headersheader followed by the text of the article. Each article is directed to one or more newsgroupsnewsgroup by a "Newsgroups:" line in the header. If you want to send an article to more than one newsgroup, type the names of the newsgroups in the "Newsgroups:" header field, separated by commas. If you are running Windows 3.x, WinVN needs to know your time zone so it can generate valid dates. See Setting the TZ Environment Variablesetting_the_tz_environment_variable. 3.2.1 Follow-up Articles A followupfollowup article has the same "Subject:" line as the article which inspired it. (The notation "Re:" is added.) This makes it easier for other Usenet Newsusenet_news users browsing the newsgroup to follow the discussion. Also, a followup article typically selectively quotes the earlier article, again to make the discussion easier to follow. To compose a followup article, select the Followup Article option from the Respond menurespond_menu_commands or toolbartoolbars of an article windowarticle_window. WinVN creates a composition windowcomposition_window. The headersheader of the article in this window are filled in with information taken from your Personal Infoconfigure_personal_info configuration and from the header of the referenced article. The full text of the referenced article is also included in the posting window, with each line preceded by a ">" to indicate that another article is being quoted. You should delete irrelevant quoted lines in your followup article. Some news servers will reject postings which contain more quoted text than new text. You may optionally send a copy to the original author of the posting via an electronic mail messageelectronic_mail_message by typing the author’s return address in the “Cc:” header field. You can configure the composition window to pre-fill the “Cc:” address during followup. See Configure Composeconfigure_composition. 3.2.2 New Articles To compose a "brand new" article, select the New Article option from the Articles menuarticles_menu_commands or toolbartoolbars of a group windowgroup_window, or by selecting New Article from the Utillities menuutilities_menu_commands or toolbartoolbars of the the main windowmain_window. WinVN creates a composition windowcomposition_window for your new article. The "Newsgroup:" header field should contain the name of the newsgroup to which you wish to post. If you wish to cross-post to multiple newsgroups, separate the names of the newsgroups by commas.. Other information in the header fields is based on your Personal Infoconfigure_personal_info configuration. You must fill in a subject for the new article. When you have completed composing your article, you can send it to the network or cancel it. See Composition Menu Commandscomposition_menu_commands. If the article is posted successfully, composition window is closed. 3.3 Sending Electronic Mail Reading and responding via Network News is much more convenient when you can forward posted articles to individuals via Electronic Mail. WinVN provides a simple built-in Electronic Mail interface that follows the Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) and hooks to other external mail interfaces via the Microsoft Mail Applications Programmers Interface (MAPI) Dynamic Link Library (DLL). You can use WinVN to send an electronic mail messageelectronic_mail_message either as a personal reply to the author of an article, or as an independent message. A message contains headersheader followed by the text of the message. A message is directed to one or more recipients by filling in the "To:" header field. Multiple recipient addresses are separated with commas. To use the mail address manager, click on the Browse button next to the “To:” field (See Mail Address Managermail_address_manager.) If using SMTPSMTP mail and you are running Windows 3.x, WinVN needs to know your time zone so it can generate valid dates. See Setting the TZ Environment Variablesetting_the_tz_environment_variable. 3.3.1 MAPI vs SMTP Mail Before you can send mail, you need to decide which mail interface you will use. If your workstation is part of a large institutional local area network, more than likely, that decision has already been made for you. Many PC based institutional LANs use mail systems (such as Microsoft Mail, Windows for Workgroups Mail, Schedule Plus, etc.) that conform to Microsoft's Mail Application Programmers Interface (MAPI) Dynamic Link Library (DLL). Local mail systems make it convenient to exchange mail between your local work environment (with custom address books, global address books, lookup services, mailing list indexes etc.) but they don't always scale up when dealing with an extremely large distributed system such as the Internet. If you spend most of your time communicating with local users, you will probably want to stick with whatever mail system is used on your institutional LAN (such as MAPI) . If you spend most of your time communicating with people on the Internet, and you do not already have a robust SMTP based E-mail package, you probably want to start out using the simple SMTP interface built into WinVN. 3.3.2 New Messages To compose a "brand new" message (one that does not reference an article), select the Compose Mail option from the Options menu or toolbartoolbars in the main windowmain_window or from the Articles menuarticles_menu_commands or toolbartoolbars in any Group Article-list windowgroup_window . If using SMTPSMTP, WinVN creates a composition windowcomposition_window for your new article. If using MAPIMAPI, Initial header fields are filled in based on your your Personal Infoconfigure_personal_info configuration. You must fill in an appropriate subject for the new article on the "Subject:" field, and a recipient on the "To:" field. If you are using MAPI mail, you will be prompted to Login to your MAPI Mail server before you can proceed. 3.3.3 Reply Messages A reply message has the same "Subject:" line as the article which inspired it. (The notation "Re:" is added.) Also, a reply message typically selectively quotes the article which inspired it, to give some context to the recipient. To compose a reply message, select the Compose Mail option from the Respond menurespond_menu_commands or toolbartoolbars of an article windowarticle_window. If using SMTPSMTP, WinVN creates a composition windowcomposition_window. If using MAPIMAPI, WinVN opens the MAPI interface (i.e. Microsoft Mail). Initial headerheader fields are filled in with information taken from your Personal Infoconfigure_personal_info configuration and from the header of the referenced article. The full text of the referenced article is also included in this window, with each line preceded by a ">" to indicate that an article is being quoted. You should delete irrelevant quoted lines. Some news servers will reject postings which contain more quoted text than new text. If you are using a MAPI interface such as Microsoft Mail, your mail window will look something like this: To forward an article via mail, select the Forward Article option from the Respond menu or toolbartoolbars in an article windowarticle_window. See Respond Menu Commandsrespond_menu_commands. If using SMTPSMTP, WinVN creates a composition windowcomposition_window. If using MAPIMAPI, WinVN opens the MAPI interface (i.e. Microsoft Mail). Initial headerheader fields are filled in with information taken from your WinVN configuration (see Configure Personal Infoconfigure_personal_info) and from the header of the referenced article. The full text of the forwarded article is also included in this window, preceded by a line which says "--Forwarded--". You may include any introductory text by editing the article before sending it. You must fill in a recipient on the "To:" field. When you have completed composing your message, you can send it to the network or cancel it. (If using SMTPSMTP, see Composition Menu Commandscomposition_menu_commands.) If the message is sent successfully, the composition or MAPI edit window is closed. If using SMTP mail, the mail window will be very similar to the news composition window. See Composition Window. 3.4 Sending Attachments You can send attachments with your post by selecting the option Attach from the Composition window or by placing the cursor in the attachment listbox and pressing the Insert key (see Composition Header Fields). Attachments can be either text files or binary files. Selecting the Attach File command will open the attachment dialog. File Name Enter name of the file to be attached. You can click on Browse to open the Windows browse dialog. Encoding Type Choose the type of encodingencoding for the file. If you click on Make Default, this will become the default encoding type for all attachments, but can still be changed at attach-time. Content Type Choose the content-type for the attachment. Note that if WinVN recognizes the type of the file (by its extension), it will automatically set the content type (i.e. “trees.gif” is obviously of type Image/GIF). If you click on Make Default, this will become the default content type for all file attachments which are not automatically recognized by WinVN.. Start this attachment in new article If checked, WinVN will initiate this attachment in a new article. In other words, before posting this attachment, WinVN will complete the send in progress, then initiate a new send (using the same headers as the first send) and start this attachment. See Configure Attachments for general attachment preferences, and attachment defaults. Sending binary files thru the USEnet must be used with caution. There may be thousands of people that read your message and it is considered poor network etiquette to send binary files that can't be decoded by the majority of readers of the group to which you are posting. For instance, don't post Apple Macintosh binaries that belong in COMP.BINARIES.MAC in the group COMP.BINARIES.IBM.PC. If you do, you will probably be flooded with mail from folks that tried to run your "application" and got some strange error messages. Also, many subject areas have special newsgroups just for posting binary files and other groups for discussing the binary files. The discussion groups usually end in "d" such as COMP.BINARIES.IBM.PC.D for discussions about the binaries in the COMP.BINARIES.IBM.PC group. This is because binary attachments can be rather large and many sites don't have the disk space to handle large volumes of binary files. Those sites can keep up with the discussions about the binaries and then use some other means, such as a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) transfer to get the binaries they need. Technical encoding concepts: When Internet mail and news is sent thru the collection of machines that make up the Usenet, uncontrolled binary data in a file could confuse a number of network gateways For this reason, all binary files transmitted must be converted (encoded) into a subset of the ASCII language that can be safely passed thru the variety of devices on the Usenet. The most common style of encoding is 3-to-4 encoding where three 8-bit bytes are ‘spread" into four 6 bit bytes (each with the two high order bits set to zero). A 6-bit byte conveniently can be mapped to a 64-character subset of ASCII. Common encodings are UU and XX, which are identical accept for their choice of ASCII mappings (UU is all upper-case). Users sometimes create their own encoding tables (list of 64 characters to use). In each of these, the encoded file begins with the word ‘begin’ and ends with the word ‘end’. Base-64 is a somewhat newer 3-to-4 encoding scheme, used in the MIMEMIME standard, which has some advantages over UU and XX encoding - it does not use "begin" and " end". 3.5 Creating Custom Encoding Tables To create your own encoding table, choose exactly 64 unique ASCII characters (i.e.: no character can be used more than once). Enter these in the Custom Encoding Table section of Configure Attachments...configure_attachments. When using custom encoding tables, a “table” line will be added, followed by two 32 character lines representing your custom table. The standard “begin...” and encoded data will follow. Custom Encoding Tables are discouraged in the MIME standard and are only needed when an attachment is failing to pass through a particular gateway when using Base64, UU or XX encoding, or if you are particularly eccentric. Be warned that not all decoders support custom-tables, so the further you deviate from common encoding standards, the less likely that the general population will be able to decode your attachments. 3.6 Decoding Articles Large binaries files are often broken up into multi- part files when encoded and posted. These large blocks of text which make up an encoded file may be presented to WinVN by a news servernews_server out of order and with blocks of other encoded files mixed in. WinVN determines threads of blocks as they are received and decodes, caches blocks which are out of sequence and then pieces together the fragmented files. Theoretically, for example, you can select all files in an alt.binaries newsgroup article-list windowgroup_window, and select Decode Selected Articles from the Articles Menuarticles_menu_commands; WinVN will determine which articles contain encoded material. In cases where not all blocks of an encoded file are found in the selection, WinVN will store as much of the decoded file as possible. In non-MIMEMIME postings, there are no real standards for listing the file name, part number, and total number of parts for each encoded block. However, most encoders attempt to place this information on the subject line of each block, and/or on some informational header in the body text. WinVN attempts to determine encoded-block threads by examining the Subject line of each post, as well as non-data lines within the body text. Information found in Info Headers take precedence over subject line content. MIME supports standard 3-to-4 encodings, and wraps articles in a very precise protocol describing content types, and multiple-part tracking information. Strictly speaking, filename and part number information are not required in the subject line for MIME attachments. But, MIME is still young and there are many news readers and posters in use that predate the MIME standard, so WinVN will use, but does not depend on MIME headers. Application-specific info headers which the WinVN decoder understands: part=n file=abc.def pfile=xyz.abc Archive-name: fileident/part0n section N of uuencode 5.10 of file abcd.efg by R.E.M. section n/N file abcd.efg [ Wincode v2.x ] [ Section: n/N File: abcd.efg Encoder: Wincode v1.x ] section n/N abcd.efg [EnUU 2.1] abcd.efg section n/N UUXFER ver 2.0 by David M. Read POST V2.0.0 abcd.efg (Part n/N) Also, WinVN currently supports a limited subset of the MIMEMIME standard headers: name=abcd.efg number=n total=N Content-Transfer-Encoding: boundary= If no recognizable Info Headersdecoder_info_headers are contained in the article body text of an encoded block, WinVN relies on the subject line content. The WinVN decoder understands the following commonly used subject line styles: filename.ext 1/2 comment filename.ext (1/2) comment filename.ext [1/2] comment filename.ext 1 of 2 comment filename.ext part 1 of 2 comment For subject lines beginning with the comment or free text, the filename is harder to guess. In these cases, WinVN chooses an identifier which it will seek in other subject lines (it prefers a word containing a dot (hopefully filename.ext), but if none, it just uses the first word). For example: This is part 1/2 of filename.ext (filename = "filename.ext") Another encoded file: filename.ext (1/2) (filename = "filename.ext") Testing encoded files (1/2)(filename = "testing") This is not an infallible method but it works most of the time. Subject styles known to be incorrectly handled are: filename.ext 3.4 (1/2) (filename w/ version number) filename.ext 001 (sequence w/ no # parts) filename.ext1 (part number appended to filename) There are cases in which the encoded blocks of a file are posted with with unrelated subjects, and without MIME or any useful information headers. WinVN won’t realize (how could it?!) that the articles go together. The following example Subject headers will, assuming no recognizable info headers are contained in the articles, start two decoding threads - one for an identifier "test.exe", and one for an identifier "second": Test.exe [1/2] second part In such cases, the ‘Dumb Decode’ option is available from Configure Decodingconfigure_decoding which deactivates the decoding threading algorithms. Dumb decode requires that the encoded blocks be in strict sequential order - it starts decoding when it sees a "begin" and stops decoding when it sees an "end". Note that this will not work with Base64 encodings (See Encoding Conceptsencoding. When WinVN is not smart enough to realize that encoded articles go together, you can make sure the articles are listed in order, select them all, and then use "Dumb Decode" to decode them. See Configure Decoding for the decoding option defaults, and more detailed explanations of the options. 3.7 Reading only Unread Articles If you are an experienced News addict and attempting to read news via a SLIP or other low speed network connection, the most common question you are likely to ask is "Is there any way for WinVN to only fetch the articles I have not yet read?" The answer to this question is YES and NO and the explanation is rather complicated. Unlike many other news readers, WinVN supports "Threading" and that implies that the list of messages you are presented is organized within the context of older messages. If WinVN didn't fetch some of these older articles, or only fetched ones you've never seen, it would be difficult to get any sense of context. Also, WinVN is optimized for high performance on a Local Area Network and this sometimes can make it slower over a lower speed connection. When you select a newsgroup to view, WinVN initially transfers just the article header information from the server to your workstation. The actual article text is only transferred if you click on the subject line of the article. WinVN fetches these article headers in blocks using a single news command. The concept is that it is more efficient to get a few article subject headers that you don't want than it is to go through each article one by one and determine if the user has seen it before. So there is no easy way for WinVN to only fetch the articles you haven't read, but it can get close if you follow the following procedure each time you read news: 1. Select a low number for your Article Fetch Limit on the Configure Miscellaneous Menu. This will force a dialog box to be displayed each time you request articles from a newsgroup. One of the options on this box is called UNREAD 2. Each time you read articles from a group, before you exit, use the Mouse Double Click right command to mark the block of all articles above the one you were reading as having been read. This is equivalent to the "Catch-up" feature in other news readers. 3. The next time you select a newsgroup, select the UNREAD option from the Article Fetch Limit dialog box. This will only start transferring news from the server to your workstation that is newer than your last "Catch-up" operation. 3.8 Subscribing to Newsgroups 3.8.1 What is "Subscribing"? "Subscribing" to a newsgroupnewsgroup means telling a news readernews_reader that you are interested in tracking, selecting, and viewing articles in that group. Most news readers support the concept of "subscribing" to newsgroups as a means of simplifying the way that you interact with the news reader. There are probably over 1000 newsgroups in which you are not interested; if you are not subscribed to these newsgroups, a news reader need not bother prompting you with information on these groups. WinVN also supports the concept of subscribing to a newsgroup, but primarily as a means of providing compatibility with other news readers. WinVN's windowed, point-and-click interface makes it less necessary for it to resort to the somewhat artificial distinction between newsgroups in which you are interested and newsgroups in which you are not interested. You can always access any newsgroup simply by scrolling to its name and clicking on it. 3.8.2 Subscribing to New Newsgroups When WinVN starts up, it can check the news servernews_server to see if any new groups have been created since your last session. (See Configuring WinVNconfiguring_winvn.) If WinVN checks and finds that new newsgroups do exist, it displays their names in a hierarchical list of the new groups: Select the groups to which you want to subscribe by selecting a newsgroup category (i.e. “comp”, or “sci”), then double-clicking on the names of the desired newsgroups. When you have finished making your selections, click on the OK button. Alternatively, you can click on the Cancel button and WinVN will ignore the new newsgroups altogether. 3.8.3 Subscribing to Existing Newsgroups Newsgroups to which you are subscribed are displayed in black at the top of the main windowmain_window. Following these groups are all of the unsubscribed group names, in blue and sorted alphabetically. These colors are user definable via the Configure Color menu. You subscribe and unsubscribe to newsgroups by selecting them in the main window and using Group Menu Commandsgroup_menu_commands. Select groups by clicking on their names. A selected group appears in reverse video (black background). The Subscribe selected groups, Unsubscribe selected groups, and Move selected groups to Top menu options operate on all currently selected newsgroups. Subscribing to a newsgroup moves its name to the bottom of the list of subscribed groups in the top portion of the main window. Unsubscribing to a newsgroup causes it to be moved to its proper alphabetical place in the unsubscribed portion of the main window. APPENDIX A.1 DEFINITIONS Article or Item A message written by a Usenet News user and posted to the network. Articles are similar to electronic mail messageselectronic_mail_message, but are not private. They are intended to be seen by potentially hundreds of thousands of people. Also called "postings". Article Number For each article in a group article-list windowgroup_window, an article number is shown. This is the number used by your news servernews_server to track the article. This number is local to your news server only. This number is not a meaningful identifier outside of your news server. If you need a globally (internet-wide) unique identifer for an article, use its message IDmessage_id. Bulletin Board System (BBS) An electronic system in which users participate in discussions by leaving public messages for each other. Most BBS's are run on personal computers and are accessible only by dialup modem. Many have additional features, such as on-line games and a file repository. Usenet News is not a BBS in the usual sense of the word, but it provides the messaging features of a BBS on a much grander scale than found on any existing BBS. Cross Reference A type of hypertext link in Microsoft Help. A cross reference is a topic that appears in the Help window when you click on a term that appears in Help as green solid underlined text. Definition A type of hypertext link in Microsoft Help. A definition is a (usually) brief description of a term. Definitions appear when you press and hold the mouse button on a term that appears in Help as green text marked with a dotted underline. The description disappears as soon as you release the mouse button. Hence, it is not possible to access hypertext links within a definition. Some definitions contain hypertext links, however, because they are also available as cross-referencescross_reference. It is usually possible to reference a definition as a cross- reference via the Help Search button. Electronic Mail Message A message sent privately to one or more explicitly- named individuals. Electronic mail is not provided by Usenet Newsusenet_news per se; electronic mail messages are not the same as news articlesarticle. However, many news readersnews_reader provide the capability of sending (but usually not receiving) electronic mail because it is often desirable to respond privately to an article. FAQ FAQ is an acronym for “Frequently Asked Questions”. A FAQ is typically a text on one subject organized as a list of common questions related to the subject and the anwers. FAQ’s on many subjects are frequently posted to the newsgroup news.answers. The WinVN FAQ can be found at the same locationGetting_WinVN as the WinVN files. Header A series of lines at the beginning of an articlearticle or electronic mail messageelectronic_mail_message that contain such information as the article's or message's author, its subject, its date and time of transmission, and so on. The header is separated from the actual text of the article or message by a blank line. When you are reading an article, normally WinVN starts displaying at the first line past the header. You can use the scroll bar to view the header. MAPI Microsoft Mail Application Programmer’s Interface. Allows communication between WinVN and Microsoft Mail. Message-Id Every news and mail message sent over the internet has an absolutely unique message identifier. The identifier is contained inside angle brackets and typically looks something like . i.e. <91028938183.bba3@titan.ksc.nasa.gov>. MIME Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - an international standard for the exchange of text and binary files in Internet messages. It is presented in Internet Standard RFC-1341 by Nathaniel Borenstein and Ned Freed, June 1992. Newsgroup A collection of articles on a given topic. When you write an article, you specify to which group or groups it should be sent. Each newsgroup has a hierarchical name which suggests the topic of that group. Names consist of several words separated by periods. The first word in the newsgroup name states the general category covered by that group; the second, a sub category of that general category, and so on. For instance, the newsgroups sci.chem and sci.math are scientifically-oriented groups which are dedicated to chemistry and mathematics, respectively. soc.culture.indian is a sociologically-oriented group devoted to the culture of India, and so on. News Manager The person or person's responsible for running the news feed at each site. They define the type of newsgroups received by each site and determine whether news from particular newsgroups is transmitted to other sites. Based on local system resources, your news manager also determines how many days of news traffic can be kept for each newsgroup. Newsreader A computer program through which you interact with the Usenet News system. News readers allow you to select and read articles written by others, and to write and post articles of your own. A number of news readers have been written over the years, many of them for computers running the UNIX operating system. The best-known news readers are probably rn, vn, nn, and xrn. News Server A computer that runs special software to exchange news articlesarticle with other computers in the Usenetusenet network, and makes these articles available to local users. News readersnews_reader require access to a news server, but they do not require you to have an account on a news server. NNTP Network News Transport Protocol. This is the network protocol used by WinVN and most other newsreaders to carry Usenet NewsUsenet_News information. There is also a program named wNNTP that implements the NNTP protocol and runs on many news servernews_servers. (The program NNTP has been replaced by the program INN at many sites.) NNTP is defined in RFCRFC-977. SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. This is the network protocol used for the exchange of electronic mail messageselectronic_mail_message on the internet. SMTP is defined in RFCRFC-821. RFC Request For Comment. This is the common forum for presenting proposals for standards and protocols to the internet community. RFC’s of interest to news/mail enthusiasts include 821 (SMTP), 822 (Mail Messages), 977 (NNTP), 1036 (Usenet Messages), 1341 (MIME). ROT13 ROT13 is a very simple encryption mechanism for text. Imagine the 26 characters of the alphabet on a wheel. To ROT13 encrypt one character, simply rotate the wheel 13 positions from the original character position. To decrypt, turn the wheel another 13 positions. The purpose of ROT13 is not really encryption, but rather to shield the casual reader from potentially offensive material, or from what people call “spoilers” - i.e. giving away the end of a movie. Posting The act of sending an articlearticle to the Usenet network, to be seen by potentially hundreds of thousands of individuals. Also, a synonym for "article". Reference Each news article contains a computer generated reference message-Id which makes an article unique. This identifier looks something like <1993Jan21.214833.25109@titan.ksc.nasa.gov>. Identifiers may appear a number of times in an article when someone quotes or references another article. In WinVN, clicking on a valid reference identifier will cause that article to be fetched from the server. Signature A short piece of text appended to a postingposting or mail messageelectronic_mail_message typically describing the author and his/her interests and affiliation. It's considered bad form for the signature to be more than four lines. See Usenet Etiquetteusenet_etiquette. Threads A way of organizing and displaying the sequence of articles that make up a conversation. The News protocol and many news readers have built-in support for this mode of operation. WinVN has direct support for threading if you have the "Compute Threads" option enabled from the Config Miscellaneous menu. You can also use "poor man's threading" by moving to the next article on the same subject with the "Find Next Article Same Subject" menu command. There is also a hypertext support of accessing news reference headers. You can click the mouse on a news reference header and WinVN will fetch that article and display it for you. Usenet A loosely-organized network of millions of computers worldwide. These computers are linked in a number of ways, including modems and TCP/IP based local area networks. The best known service provided by Usenet is Usenet NewsUsenet_News. A.2 Error Messages Cannot allocate memory for text You have requested WinVN to do an operation that would take more system memory than Windows currently has available. Close some other applications and then retry the operations or increase your windows SWAPFILE. Can't Setup Socket, Initialization Error WinVN is unable to communicate to the Windows TCP/IP socket interface. Check to see if your WSOCKETS.DLL is properly installed in your windows directory. Can't Open new Window You have too many article or group windows open. You must close one of your windows before you can create another. If you get this error often you may want to consider unselecting the option New Window for Each Article from the Configure Article-List or Configure Article menus. This will reuse existing article windows instead of creating new ones each time. Could not connect to News Server WinVN could not establish an NNTP (Network News Transport Protocol) session with the News server specified in the WINVN.INI file. Check to see if the NNTPort number is set to 119 or whoever is valid for your News Server. Call your system manager and insure that your News Server is up and that you have the proper privileges to run the News protocol. Some servers restrict the times, hours or number of users allowed on the server host. If WinVN has previously worked, try selecting RESET SERVER PROTOCOL from the Options menu. Could not write to File WinVN was requested to save an article, configuration file, or log file and received an error message from the operating system. Check the disk to see if it is full and delete unnecessary files. Could Not resolve Hostname WinVN could not produce an Internet address from the host name specified in the NNTPhost entry of the WINVN.INI file. Check to see if the host name is misspelled or if the DNRTSR network driver is not loaded before windows is started. Attempt to replace the name with the valid Internet address for that host. Environment variable WINVN not set WinVN could not find your WINVN.INI or NEWSRC file. WinVN looks for these files in the directory specified by the WINVN environment variable. WinVN uses environment variables so that it does not have to hardcode a location for these files. Since these files can contain information unique to an individual user and potentially more than one user can use a PC, this environment variable should point to a different disk location for each user. The preferred way to set this variable is to include a default value for WINVN in your DOS AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Then, if you have a multi-user network setup on your computer, place an additional SET command in each users LOGIN and LOGOUT scripts. The name of these scripts will change from vendor to vendor. DOS Startup AUTOEXEC.BAT SET WINVN=C:\WINVN\ Network Login Script USERINIT.BAT SET WINVN=U:\DOSFILES\NEWS\ Network Logout Script EXITUSER.BAT SET WINVN=C:\WINVN\ You can also override using the environment variable entirely by passing filenames on the command line. ie: WINVN my-winvn-ini-file my_newsrc_file Error Finding Next Window WinVN thinks there are more article or group windows but is unable to locate them. This is an internal system error and some of WinVN's data structures are inconsistent. Exit WinVN and restart. Error Parsing xxx WinVN is having trouble understanding information specified in your WINVN.INI initialization file. Look at the line identified in the error message and examine the contents of the WINVN.INI file for any errors. Error in WhatLine, Hit end of Document WinVN prematurely encountered the end of an article while attempting to calculate the line number of text being displayed. This should never happen but may be possible if internal windows memory gets corrupted. Close the Article window and Group window and reselect. No Such Newsgroup The newsgroup you requested has been removed from the News Server between the time you requested a list of newsgroups and requested articles from the group. Newsgroups are not removed from a News Server very often so this may indicate a problem with your networks News Server. Contact your News Server system administrator. Out of Memory Error or Memory Allocation Failure You have requested WinVN to do an operation that would take more system memory than Windows currently has available. Close some other applications and then retry the operations or increase your windows SWAPFILE. Posting Failed Your posted response to an article failed and was not accepted by the server. Check with your News Server administrator to ensure you have posting permissions on the server. Also make sure you have not corrupted any required system headers at the start of your message. Socket Failed, Have you loaded the network? WinVN was unable to open a TCP/IP socket connection. This can happen if the networking software on your PC is misconfigured. Make sure there is a WSOCKETS.DLL in your Windows directory and that the SOCKTSR and TCP/IP drivers are loaded. Sorry, WinVN is busy communications with the news server WinVN has not completed a previous operation and the user is requesting another one. This can happen if a very large newsgroup is being requested or if the network or server crashes during an operation. Wait a bit longer and if the operation fails to complete, go to the Main Window and select the RESET SERVER PROTOCOL option from the Network menu. This will force WinVN to abort the previous request and start a new one. Unable to open the NEWSRC file WinVN is unable to open your NEWSRC file. WinVN stores all of your newsgroup information in the NEWSRC file and it will not automatically create one of these files for you. If you don't have such a file, store an empty file by the name NEWSRC in the same directory where your WINVN.INI file is located or copy the sample NEWSRC from the distribution disk. If you are using a networked mounted disk to share your NEWSRC file between multiple systems or even operating systems, insure that you are not logged in on the other system with the NEWSRC file locked. A.3 POPULAR NEWS ACRONYMS If you use Network News for any length of time you will probably encounter a number of acronyms that are used without any explanation. This is a short list of some commonly used acronyms on the Usenet that may be helpful. BTW By the way FWIW For what it's worth FYI For Your Information IAE In any event IANAL I Am Not A Lawyer, also IANA... such as CPA IMO In my opinion IMHO In my humble opinion IMCO In my considered opinion IOW In other words JOOTT Just one of those things NRN No Reply Necessary OTOH On the other hand ROFL Rolling on floor laughing. RSN Real Soon Now [which may be a long time coming] RTFM Read the *#@% manual SITD Still in the dark TANSTAAFL There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch TIA Thanks In Advance (also AtDhVaAnNkCsE) TIC Tongue in cheek TLA Three Letter Acronym (such as this) WRT With Respect To This Page Intentionally Left Blank A.4 NEWSGROUP CREATION GUIDELINES (posting from Greg Woods in NEWS.ANNOUNCE.NEWUSERS) These are guidelines that have been generally agreed upon across USENET as appropriate for following in the creating of new newsgroups in the "standard" USENET newsgroup hierarchy. They are NOT intended as guidelines for setting USENET policy other than group creations, and they are not intended to apply to "alternate" or local news hierarchies. The part of the namespace affected is comp, news, sci, misc, soc, talk, rec, which are the most widely-distributed areas of the USENET hierarchy. Any group creation request which follows these guidelines to a successful result should be honored, and any request which fails to follow these procedures or to obtain a successful result from doing so should be dropped, except under extraordinary circumstances. The reason these are called guidelines and not absolute rules is that it is not possible to predict in advance what "extraordinary circumstances" are or how they might arise. It should be pointed out here that, as always, the decision whether or not to create a newsgroup on a given machine rests with the administrator of that machine. These guidelines are intended merely as an aid in making those decisions. The Discussion 1) A request for discussion on creation of a new newsgroup should be posted to news.announce.newgroups, and also to any other groups or mailing lists at all related to the proposed topic if desired. The group is moderated, and the Followup-to: header will be set so that the actual discussion takes place only in news.groups. Users on sites which have difficulty posting to moderated groups may mail submissions intended for news.announce.newgroups to announce-newgroups@uunet.uu.net. The article should be cross-posted among the newsgroups, including news.announce.newgroups, rather than posted as separate articles. Note that standard behaviour for posting software is to not present the articles in any groups when cross-posted to a moderated group; the moderator will handle that for you. 2) The name and charter of the proposed group and whether it will be moderated or unmoderated (and if the former, who the moderator(s) will be) should be determined during the discussion period. If there is no general agreement on these points among the proponents of a new group at the end of 30 days of discussion, the discussion should be taken offline (into mail instead of news.groups) and the proponents should iron out the details among themselves. Once that is done, a new, more specific proposal may be made, going back to step 1) above. 3) Group advocates seeking help in choosing a name to suit the proposed charter, or looking for any other guidance in the creation procedure, can send a message to group-advice@uunet.uu.net; a few seasoned news administrators are available through this address. The Vote 1) AFTER the discussion period, if it has been determined that a new group is really desired, a name and charter are agreed upon, and it has been determined whether the group will be moderated and if so who will moderate it, a call for votes may be posted to news.announce.newgroups and any other groups or mailing lists that the original request for discussion might have been posted to. There should be minimal delay between the end of the discussion period and the issuing of a call for votes. The call for votes should include clear instructions for how to cast a vote. It must be as clearly explained and as easy to do to cast a vote for creation as against it, and vice versa. It is explicitly permitted to set up two separate addresses to mail yes and no votes to provided that they are on the same machine, to set up an address different than that the article was posted from to mail votes to, or to just accept replies to the call for votes article, as long as it is clearly and explicitly stated in the call for votes article how to cast a vote. If two addresses are used for a vote, the reply address must process and accept both yes and no votes OR reject them both. 2) The voting period should last for at least 21 days and no more than 31 days, no matter what the preliminary results of the vote are. The exact date that the voting period will end should be stated in the call for votes. Only votes that arrive on the vote-taker's machine prior to this date will be counted. 3) A couple of repeats of the call for votes may be posted during the vote, provided that they contain similar clear, unbiased instructions for casting a vote as the original, and provided that it is really a repeat of the call for votes on the SAME proposal (see #5 below). Partial vote results should NOT be included; only a statement of the specific new group proposal, that a vote is in progress on it, and how to cast a vote. It is permitted to post a "mass acknowledgement" in which all the names of those from whom votes have been received are posted, as long as no indication is made of which way anybody voted until the voting period is officially over. 4) ONLY votes MAILED to the vote-taker will count. Votes posted to the net for any reason (including inability to get mail to the vote-taker) and proxy votes (such as having a mailing list maintainer claim a vote for each member of the list) will not be counted. 5) Votes may not be transferred to other, similar proposals. A vote shall count only for the EXACT proposal that it is a response to. In particular, a vote for or against a newsgroup under one name shall NOT be counted as a vote for or against a newsgroup with a different name or charter, a different moderated/unmoderated status or (if moderated) a different moderator or set of moderators. 6) Votes MUST be explicit; they should be of the form "I vote for the group foo.bar as proposed" or "I vote against the group foo.bar as proposed". The wording doesn't have to be exact, it just needs to be unambiguous. In particular, statements of the form "I would vote for this group if..." should be considered comments only and not counted as votes. 7) A vote should be run only for a single group proposal. Attempts to create multiple groups should be handled by running multiple parallel votes rather than one vote to create all of the groups. The Result 1) At the completion of the voting period, the vote taker must post the vote tally and the E-mail addresses and (if available) names of the voters received to news.announce.newgroups and any other groups or mailing lists to which the original call for votes was posted. The tally should include a statement of which way each voter voted so that the results can be verified. 2) AFTER the vote result is posted, there will be a 5 day waiting period, beginning when the voting results actually appear in news.announce.newgroups, during which the net will have a chance to correct any errors in the voter list or the voting procedure. 3) AFTER the waiting period, and if there were no serious objections that might invalidate the vote, and if 100 more valid YES/create votes are received than NO/don't create AND at least 2/3 of the total number of valid votes received are in favor of creation, a newgroup control message may be sent out. If the 100 vote margin or 2/3 percentage is not met, the group should not be created. 4) The newgroup message will be sent by the news.announce.newgroups moderator at the end of the waiting period of a successful vote. If the new group is moderated, the vote-taker should send a message during the waiting period to Gene Spafford and David C. Lawrence with both the moderator's contact address and the group's submission address. 5) A proposal which has failed under point (3) above should not again be brought up for discussion until at least six months have passed from the close of the vote. This limitation does not apply to proposals which never went to vote. This Page Intentionally Left Blank A.5 CURRENT NEWSGROUP LIST The newsgroups distributed worldwide on the Usenet are organized in a tree hierarchy with eight broad classifications at the root. Each of these classifications is organized into groups and subgroups according to topic. Not all groups actually enjoy equal distribution, however. Some sites take only a selected subset of the more "technical" groups, and controversial "noise" groups are often not carried by many sites (these groups are often under the "alt", "talk" and "soc" classifications). Many sites maintain their own local or regional newsgroups that also apear as roots of the newsgroup tree but do not get distributed world-wide. "alt" An unmoderated and uncontrolled portion of the news tree that alows an alternative way to create special interest newsgroups that would most likely not be created if voted on by the Usenet population. Many sites do not carry this tree. "comp" Topics of interest to both computer professionals and hobbyists, including topics in computer science, software source, and information on hardware and software systems. "sci" Discussions marked by special and usually practical knowledge, relating to research in or application of the established sciences. "misc" Groups addressing themes not easily classified under any of the other headings or which incorporate themes from multiple categories. "soc" Groups primarily addressing social issues and socializing. "talk" Groups largely debate-oriented and tending to feature long discussions without resolution and without appreciable amounts of generally useful information. "news" Groups concerned with the news network and software themselves. "rec" Groups oriented towards the arts, hobbies and recreational activities. The following is a list of currently active USENET newsgroups (as of 4 August 1994) under the COMP, SCI, MISC and NEWS branches. Also included at the end is the current list for REC, SOC and TALK groups. For a complete listing, refer to the list posted by tale@uunet.uu.net (David C Lawrence) to the NEWS.ANNOUNCE.NEWGROUPS newsgroup. Newsgroup Description comp.admin.policy Discussions of site administration policies. comp.ai Artificial intelligence discussions. comp.ai.alife Research about artificial life. comp.ai.fuzzy Fuzzy set theory, aka fuzzy logic. comp.ai.genetic Genetic algorithms in computing. comp.ai.jair.announce Announcements & abstracts of the Journal of AI Research. (Moderated) comp.ai.jair.papers Papers published by the Journal of AI Research. (Moderated) comp.ai.nat-lang Natural language processing by computers. comp.ai.neural-nets All aspects of neural networks. comp.ai.nlang-know-rep Natural Language and Knowledge Representation. (Moderated) comp.ai.philosophy Philosophical aspects of Artificial Intelligence. comp.ai.shells Expert systems and other artificial intelligence shells. comp.answers Repository for periodic USENET articles. (Moderated) comp.apps.spreadsheets Spreadsheets on various platforms. comp.arch Computer architecture. comp.arch.arithmetic Implementing arithmetic on computers/digital systems. comp.arch.bus.vmebus Hardware and software for VMEbus Systems. comp.arch.fpga Field Programmable Gate Array based computing systems. comp.arch.storage Storage system issues, both hardware and software. comp.archives Descriptions of public access archives. (Moderated) comp.archives.admin Issues relating to computer archive administration. comp.archives.msdos.announce Announcements about MSDOS archives. (Moderated) comp.archives.msdos.d Discussion of materials available in MSDOS archives. comp.bbs.majorbbs Support & discussion of The Major BBS from Galacticomm. comp.bbs.misc All aspects of computer bulletin board systems. comp.bbs.tbbs The Bread Board System bulletin board software. comp.bbs.waffle The Waffle BBS and USENET system on all platforms. comp.benchmarks Discussion of benchmarking techniques and results. comp.binaries.acorn Binary-only postings for Acorn machines. (Moderated) comp.binaries.amiga Encoded public domain programs in binary. (Moderated) comp.binaries.apple2 Binary-only postings for the Apple II computer. comp.binaries.atari.st Binary-only postings for the Atari ST. (Moderated) comp.binaries.cbm For the transfer of 8bit Commodore binaries. (Moderated) comp.binaries.geos Binaries for the GEOS operating system. (Moderated) (Moderated) comp.binaries.ibm.pc Binary-only postings for IBM PC/MS-DOS. (Moderated) comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d Discussions about IBM/PC binary postings. comp.binaries.ibm.pc.wanted Requests for IBM PC and compatible programs. comp.binaries.mac Encoded Macintosh programs in binary. (Moderated) comp.binaries.ms-windows Binary programs for Microsoft Windows. (Moderated) comp.binaries.newton Apple Newton binaries, sources, books, etc. (Moderated) comp.binaries.os2 Binaries for use under the OS/2 ABI. (Moderated) comp.bugs.2bsd Reports of UNIX* version 2BSD related bugs. comp.bugs.4bsd Reports of UNIX version 4BSD related bugs. comp.bugs.4bsd.ucb-fixes Bug reports/fixes for BSD Unix. (Moderated) comp.bugs.misc General UNIX bug reports and fixes (incl V7, uucp) comp.bugs.sys5 Reports of USG (System III, V, etc.) bugs. comp.cad.autocad AutoDesk's AutoCAD software. comp.cad.cadence Users of Cadence Design Systems products. comp.cad.compass Compass Design Automation EDA tools. comp.cad.pro-engineer Parametric Technology's Pro/Engineer design package. comp.cad.synthesis Research and production in the field of logic synthesis. comp.client-server Topics relating to client/server technology. comp.cog-eng Cognitive engineering. comp.compilers Compiler construction, theory, etc. (Moderated) comp.compilers.tools.pccts Construction of compilers and tools with PCCTS. comp.compression Data compression algorithms and theory. comp.compression.research Discussions about data compression research. (Moderated) comp.constraints Constraint processing and related topics. comp.databases Database and data management issues and theory. comp.databases.informix Informix database management software discussions. comp.databases.ingres Issues relating to INGRES products. comp.databases.ms-access MS Windows' relational database system, Access. comp.databases.object Object-oriented paradigms in database systems. comp.databases.olap Analytical Processing, Multidimensional DBMS, EIS, DSS. comp.databases.oracle The SQL database products of the Oracle Corporation. comp.databases.paradox Borland's database for DOS & MS Windows. comp.databases.pick Pick-like, post-relational, database systems. comp.databases.rdb The relational database engine RDB from DEC. comp.databases.sybase Implementations of the SQL Server. comp.databases.theory Discussing advances in database technology. comp.databases.xbase.fox Fox Software's xBase system and compatibles. comp.databases.xbase.misc Discussion of xBase (dBASE-like) products. comp.dcom.cabling Cabling selection, installation and use. comp.dcom.cell-relay Forum for discussion of Cell Relay- based products. comp.dcom.fax Fax hardware, software, and protocols. comp.dcom.isdn The Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). comp.dcom.lans.ethernet Discussions of the Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 protocols. comp.dcom.lans.fddi Discussions of the FDDI protocol suite. comp.dcom.lans.misc Local area network hardware and software. comp.dcom.lans.token-ring Installing and using token ring networks. comp.dcom.modems Data communications hardware and software. comp.dcom.servers Selecting and operating data communications servers. comp.dcom.sys.cisco Info on Cisco routers and bridges. comp.dcom.sys.wellfleet Wellfleet bridge & router systems hardware &software. comp.dcom.telecom Telecommunications digest. (Moderated) comp.dcom.telecom.tech Discussion of technical aspects of telephony. comp.doc Archived public-domain documentation. (Moderated) comp.doc.techreports Lists of technical reports. (Moderated) comp.dsp Digital Signal Processing using computers. comp.edu Computer science education. comp.edu.languages.natural Computer assisted languages instruction issues. comp.emacs EMACS editors of different flavors. comp.emulators.announce Emulator news, FAQs, announcements. (Moderated) comp.emulators.apple2 Emulators of Apple // systems. comp.emulators.cbm Emulators of C-64, C-128, PET, and VIC-20 systems. comp.emulators.misc Emulators of miscellaneous computer systems. comp.emulators.ms-windows.wine A free MS-Windows emulator under X. comp.fonts Typefonts -- design, conversion, use, etc. comp.graphics Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing. comp.graphics.algorithms Algorithms used in producing computer graphics. comp.graphics.animation Technical aspects of computer animation. comp.graphics.avs The Application Visualization System. comp.graphics.data-explorer IBM's Visualization Data Explorer, aka DX. comp.graphics.explorer The Explorer Modular Visualisation Environment (MVE). comp.graphics.gnuplot The GNUPLOT interactive function plotter. comp.graphics.opengl The OpenGL 3D application programming interface. comp.graphics.raytracing Ray tracing software, tools and methods. comp.graphics.research Highly technical computer graphics discussion. (Moderated) comp.graphics.visualization Info on scientific visualization. comp.groupware Software and hardware for shared interactive environments. comp.groupware.lotus-notes.misc Lotus Notes related discussions. comp.home.automation Home automation devices, setup, sources, etc. comp.home.misc Media, technology and information in domestic spaces. (Moderated) comp.human-factors Issues related to human-computer interaction (HCI). comp.infosystems Any discussion about information systems. comp.infosystems.announce Announcements of internet information services. (Moderated) comp.infosystems.gis All aspects of Geographic Information Systems. comp.infosystems.gopher Discussion of the Gopher information service. comp.infosystems.interpedia The Internet Encyclopedia. comp.infosystems.kiosks Informational and transactional kiosks. (Moderated) comp.infosystems.wais The Z39.50-based WAIS full-text search system. comp.infosystems.www.misc Miscellaneous World Wide Web discussion. comp.infosystems.www.providers WWW provider issues (info providers). comp.infosystems.www.users WWW user issues (Mosaic, Lynx, etc). comp.internet.library Discussing electronic libraries. (Moderated) comp.internet.net-happenings Announcements of network happenings. (Moderated) comp.ivideodisc Interactive videodiscs -- uses, potential, etc. comp.lang.ada Discussion about Ada*. comp.lang.apl Discussion about APL. comp.lang.asm.x86 General 80x86 assembly language programming. comp.lang.basic.misc Other dialects and aspects of BASIC. comp.lang.basic.visual Microsoft Visual Basic & App Basic; Windows & DOS. comp.lang.beta The object-oriented programming language BETA. comp.lang.c Discussion about C. comp.lang.c++ The object-oriented C++ language. comp.lang.clos Common Lisp Object System discussions. comp.lang.dylan For discussion of the Dylan language. comp.lang.eiffel The object-oriented Eiffel language. comp.lang.forth Discussion about Forth. comp.lang.fortran Discussion about FORTRAN. comp.lang.functional Discussion about functional languages. comp.lang.hermes The Hermes language for distributed applications. comp.lang.idl-pvwave IDL and PV-Wave language discussions. comp.lang.lisp Discussion about LISP. comp.lang.lisp.mcl Discussing Apple's Macintosh Common Lisp. comp.lang.logo The Logo teaching and learning language. comp.lang.misc Different computer languages not specifically listed. comp.lang.ml ML languages including Standard ML, CAML, Lazy ML, etc. (Moderated) comp.lang.modula2 Discussion about Modula-2. comp.lang.modula3 Discussion about the Modula-3 language. comp.lang.mumps The M (MUMPS) language & technology, in general. comp.lang.oberon The Oberon language and system. comp.lang.objective-c The Objective-C language and environment. comp.lang.pascal Discussion about Pascal. comp.lang.perl Discussion of Larry Wall's Perl system. comp.lang.pop Pop11 and the Plug user group. comp.lang.postscript The PostScript Page Description Language. comp.lang.prograph Prograph, a visual object-oriented dataflow language. comp.lang.prolog Discussion about PROLOG. comp.lang.python The Python computer language. comp.lang.sather The object-oriented computer language Sather. comp.lang.scheme The Scheme Programming language. comp.lang.sigplan Info & announcements from ACM SIGPLAN. (Moderated) comp.lang.smalltalk Discussion about Smalltalk 80. comp.lang.tcl The Tcl programming language and related tools. comp.lang.verilog Discussing Verilog and PLI. comp.lang.vhdl VHSIC Hardware Description Language, IEEE 1076/87. comp.laser-printers Laser printers, hardware & software. (Moderated) comp.lsi Large scale integrated circuits. comp.lsi.testing Testing of electronic circuits. comp.mail.elm Discussion and fixes for the ELM mail system. comp.mail.headers Gatewayed from the Internet header-people list. comp.mail.maps Various maps, including UUCP maps. (Moderated) comp.mail.mh The UCI version of the Rand Message Handling system. comp.mail.mime Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions of RFC 1341. comp.mail.misc General discussions about computer mail. comp.mail.mush The Mail User's Shell (MUSH). comp.mail.pine The PINE mail user agent. comp.mail.sendmail Configuring and using the BSD sendmail agent. comp.mail.smail Administering & using the smail email transport system. comp.mail.uucp Mail in the uucp network environment. comp.misc General topics about computers not covered elsewhere. comp.multimedia Interactive multimedia technologies of all kinds. comp.newprod Announcements of new products of interest. (Moderated) comp.object Object-oriented programming and languages. comp.object.logic Integrating object-oriented and logic programming. comp.org.acm Topics about the Association for Computing Machinery. comp.org.cpsr.announce Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. (Moderated) comp.org.cpsr.talk Issues of computing and social responsibility. comp.org.decus Digital Equipment Computer Users' Society newsgroup. comp.org.eff.news News from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. (Moderated) comp.org.eff.talk Discussion of EFF goals, strategies, etc. comp.org.fidonet FidoNews digest, official news of FidoNet Assoc. (Moderated) comp.org.ieee Issues and announcements about the IEEE & its members. comp.org.issnnet The International Student Society for Neural Networks. comp.org.lisp-users Association of Lisp Users related discussions. comp.org.sug Talk about/for the The Sun User's Group. comp.org.usenix USENIX Association events and announcements. comp.org.usenix.roomshare Finding lodging during Usenix conferences. comp.os.386bsd.announce Announcements relating to the 386bsd operating system. (Moderated) comp.os.386bsd.apps Applications which run under 386bsd. comp.os.386bsd.bugs Bugs and fixes for the 386bsd OS and its clients. comp.os.386bsd.development Working on 386bsd internals. comp.os.386bsd.misc General aspects of 386bsd not covered by other groups. comp.os.386bsd.questions General questions about 386bsd. comp.os.chorus CHORUS microkernel issues, research and developments. comp.os.coherent Discussion and support of the Coherent operating system. comp.os.cpm Discussion about the CP/M operating system. comp.os.geos The GEOS operating system by GeoWorks for PC clones. comp.os.linux.admin Installing and administering Linux systems. comp.os.linux.announce Announcements important to the Linux community. (Moderated) comp.os.linux.development Ongoing work on the Linux operating system. comp.os.linux.help Questions and advice about Linux. comp.os.linux.misc Linux-specific topics not covered by other groups. comp.os.lynx Discussion of LynxOS and Lynx Real-Time Systems. comp.os.mach The MACH OS from CMU & other places. comp.os.minix Discussion of Tanenbaum's MINIX system. comp.os.misc General OS-oriented discussion not carried elsewhere. comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy Speculation and debate about Microsoft Windows. comp.os.ms-windows.announce Announcements relating to Windows. (Moderated) comp.os.ms-windows.apps.comm MS-Windows communication applications. comp.os.ms-windows.apps.financial MS-Windows financial & tax software. comp.os.ms-windows.apps.misc MS-Windows applications. comp.os.ms-windows.apps.utilities MS-Windows utilities. comp.os.ms-windows.apps.word-proc MS-Windows word-processing applications. comp.os.ms-windows.misc General discussions about Windows issues. comp.os.ms-windows.networking.misc Windows and other networks. comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip Windows and TCP/IP networking. comp.os.ms-windows.networking.windows Windows' built-in networking. comp.os.ms-windows.nt.misc General discussion about Windows NT. comp.os.ms-windows.nt.setup Configuring Windows NT systems. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.controls Controls, dialogs and VBXs. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.drivers Drivers & VxDs -- no driver requests! comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.graphics GDI, graphics and printing. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.memory Memory management issues. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.misc Programming Microsoft Windows. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.multimedia Multimedia programming. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.networks Network programming. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.ole OLE2, COM and DDE programming. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.tools Development tools in Windows. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.win32 32-bit Windows programming interfaces. comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.winhelp WinHelp/Multimedia Viewer development. comp.os.ms-windows.setup Installing and configuring Microsoft Windows. comp.os.ms-windows.video Video adapters and drivers for Windows. comp.os.msdos.apps Discussion of applications that run under MS-DOS. comp.os.msdos.desqview QuarterDeck's Desqview and related products. comp.os.msdos.mail-news Administering mail & network news systems under MS-DOS. comp.os.msdos.misc Miscellaneous topics about MS-DOS machines. comp.os.msdos.pcgeos GeoWorks PC/GEOS and PC/GEOS-based packages. comp.os.msdos.programmer Programming MS-DOS machines. comp.os.msdos.programmer.turbovision Borland's text application libraries. comp.os.os2.advocacy Supporting and flaming OS/2. comp.os.os2.announce Notable news and announcements related to OS/2. (Moderated) comp.os.os2.apps Discussions of applications under OS/2. comp.os.os2.beta All aspects of beta releases of OS/2 systems software. comp.os.os2.bugs OS/2 system bug reports, fixes and work- arounds. comp.os.os2.games Running games under OS/2. comp.os.os2.misc Miscellaneous topics about the OS/2 system. comp.os.os2.multimedia Multi-media on OS/2 systems. comp.os.os2.networking.misc Miscellaneous networking issues of OS/2. comp.os.os2.networking.tcp-ip TCP/IP under OS/2. comp.os.os2.programmer.misc Programming OS/2 machines. comp.os.os2.programmer.oop Programming system objects (SOM, WPS, etc). comp.os.os2.programmer.porting Porting software to OS/2 machines. comp.os.os2.programmer.tools Compilers, assemblers, interpreters under OS/2. comp.os.os2.setup Installing and configuring OS/2 systems. comp.os.os9 Discussions about the os9 operating system. comp.os.parix Forum for users of the parallel operating system PARIX. comp.os.qnx Using and developing under the QNX operating system. comp.os.research Operating systems and related areas. (Moderated) comp.os.vms DEC's VAX* line of computers & VMS. comp.os.vxworks The VxWorks real-time operating system. comp.os.xinu The XINU operating system from Purdue (D. Comer). comp.parallel Massively parallel hardware/software. (Moderated) comp.parallel.mpi Message Passing Interface (MPI). comp.parallel.pvm The PVM system of multi-computer parallelization. comp.patents Discussing patents of computer technology. (Moderated) comp.periphs Peripheral devices. comp.periphs.scsi Discussion of SCSI-based peripheral devices. comp.programming Programming issues that transcend languages and OSs. comp.programming.literate Literate programs and programming tools. comp.protocols.appletalk Applebus hardware & software. comp.protocols.dicom Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine. comp.protocols.ibm Networking with IBM mainframes. comp.protocols.iso The ISO protocol stack. comp.protocols.kerberos The Kerberos authentication server. comp.protocols.kermit.announce Kermit announcements. (Moderated) comp.protocols.kermit.misc Kermit protocol and software. comp.protocols.misc Various forms and types of protocol. comp.protocols.nfs Discussion about the Network File System protocol. comp.protocols.ppp Discussion of the Internet Point to Point Protocol. comp.protocols.smb SMB file sharing protocol and Samba SMB server/client. comp.protocols.tcp-ip TCP and IP network protocols. comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc TCP/IP for IBM(-like) personal computers. comp.publish.cdrom.hardware Hardware used in publishing with CD-ROM. comp.publish.cdrom.multimedia Software for multimedia authoring & publishing. comp.publish.cdrom.software Software used in publishing with CD-ROM. comp.publish.prepress Electronic prepress. comp.realtime Issues related to real-time computing. comp.research.japan The nature of research in Japan. (Moderated) comp.risks Risks to the public from computers & users. (Moderated) comp.robotics All aspects of robots and their applications. comp.security.misc Security issues of computers and networks. comp.security.unix Discussion of Unix security. comp.simulation Simulation methods, problems, uses. (Moderated) comp.society The impact of technology on society. (Moderated) comp.society.cu-digest The Computer Underground Digest. (Moderated) comp.society.development Computer technology in developing countries. comp.society.folklore Computer folklore & culture, past & present. (Moderated) comp.society.futures Events in technology affecting future computing. comp.society.privacy Effects of technology on privacy. (Moderated) comp.soft-sys.khoros The Khoros X11 visualization system. comp.soft-sys.matlab The MathWorks calculation and visualization package. comp.soft-sys.powerbuilder Application development tools from PowerSoft. comp.soft-sys.ptolemy The Ptolemy simulation/code generation environment. comp.soft-sys.sas The SAS statistics package. comp.soft-sys.shazam The SHAZAM econometrics computer program. comp.soft-sys.spss The SPSS statistics package. comp.soft-sys.wavefront Wavefront software products, problems, etc. comp.software-eng Software Engineering and related topics. comp.software.config-mgmt Configuration management, tools and procedures. comp.software.international Finding, using, & writing non- English software. comp.software.licensing Software licensing technology. comp.software.testing All aspects of testing computer systems. comp.sources.3b1 Source code-only postings for the AT&T 3b1. (Moderated) comp.sources.acorn Source code-only postings for the Acorn. (Moderated) comp.sources.amiga Source code-only postings for the Amiga. (Moderated) comp.sources.apple2 Source code and discussion for the Apple2. (Moderated) comp.sources.atari.st Source code-only postings for the Atari ST. (Moderated) comp.sources.bugs Bug reports, fixes, discussion for posted sources. comp.sources.d For any discussion of source postings. comp.sources.games Postings of recreational software. (Moderated) comp.sources.games.bugs Bug reports and fixes for posted game software. comp.sources.hp48 Programs for the HP48 and HP28 calculators. (Moderated) comp.sources.mac Software for the Apple Macintosh. (Moderated) comp.sources.misc Posting of software. (Moderated) comp.sources.postscript Source code for programs written in PostScript. (Moderated) comp.sources.reviewed Source code evaluated by peer review. (Moderated) comp.sources.sun Software for Sun workstations. (Moderated) comp.sources.testers Finding people to test software. comp.sources.unix Postings of complete, UNIX-oriented sources. (Moderated) comp.sources.wanted Requests for software and fixes. comp.sources.x Software for the X windows system. (Moderated) comp.specification Languages and methodologies for formal specification. comp.specification.z Discussion about the formal specification notation Z. comp.speech Research & applications in speech science & technology. comp.std.c Discussion about C language standards. comp.std.c++ Discussion about C++ language, library, standards. comp.std.internat Discussion about international standards. comp.std.lisp User group (ALU) supported standards. (Moderated) comp.std.misc Discussion about various standards. comp.std.mumps Discussion for the X11.1 committee on Mumps. (Moderated) comp.std.unix Discussion for the P1003 committee on UNIX. (Moderated) comp.std.wireless Examining standards for wireless network technology. (Moderated) comp.sw.components Software components and related technology. comp.sys.3b1 Discussion and support of AT&T 7300/3B1/UnixPC. comp.sys.acorn Discussion on Acorn and ARM-based computers. comp.sys.acorn.advocacy Why Acorn computers and programs are better. comp.sys.acorn.announce Announcements for Acorn and ARM users. (Moderated) comp.sys.acorn.games Discussion of games for Acorn machines. comp.sys.acorn.tech Software and hardware aspects of Acorn and ARM products. comp.sys.alliant Info and discussion about Alliant computers. comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Why an Amiga is better than XYZ. comp.sys.amiga.announce Announcements about the Amiga. (Moderated) comp.sys.amiga.applications Miscellaneous applications. comp.sys.amiga.audio Music, MIDI, speech synthesis, other sounds. comp.sys.amiga.cd32 Technical and computing talk for Commodore Amiga CD32. comp.sys.amiga.datacomm Methods of getting bytes in and out. comp.sys.amiga.emulations Various hardware & software emulators. comp.sys.amiga.games Discussion of games for the Commodore Amiga. comp.sys.amiga.graphics Charts, graphs, pictures, etc. comp.sys.amiga.hardware Amiga computer hardware, Q&A, reviews, etc. comp.sys.amiga.introduction Group for newcomers to Amigas. comp.sys.amiga.marketplace Where to find it, prices, etc. comp.sys.amiga.misc Discussions not falling in another Amiga group. comp.sys.amiga.multimedia Animations, video, & multimedia. comp.sys.amiga.networking Amiga networking software/hardware. comp.sys.amiga.programmer Developers & hobbyists discuss code. comp.sys.amiga.reviews Reviews of Amiga software, hardware. (Moderated) comp.sys.amiga.uucp Amiga UUCP packages. comp.sys.amstrad.8bit Amstrad CPC/PcW/GX4000 software/hardware. comp.sys.apollo Apollo computer systems. comp.sys.apple2 Discussion about Apple II micros. comp.sys.apple2.comm Apple II data communications. comp.sys.apple2.gno The AppleIIgs GNO multitasking environment. comp.sys.apple2.marketplace Buying, selling and trading Apple II equipment. comp.sys.apple2.programmer Programming on the Apple II. comp.sys.apple2.usergroups All about Apple II user groups. comp.sys.atari.8bit Discussion about 8 bit Atari micros. comp.sys.atari.advocacy Attacking and defending Atari computers. comp.sys.atari.announce Atari related hard/software announcements. (Moderated) comp.sys.atari.st Discussion about 16 bit Atari micros. comp.sys.atari.st.tech Technical discussions of Atari ST hard/software. comp.sys.att Discussions about AT&T microcomputers. comp.sys.cbm Discussion about Commodore micros. comp.sys.concurrent The Concurrent/Masscomp line of computers. (Moderated) comp.sys.convex Convex computer systems hardware and software. comp.sys.dec Discussions about DEC computer systems. comp.sys.dec.micro DEC Micros (Rainbow, Professional 350/380) comp.sys.encore Encore's MultiMax computers. comp.sys.harris Harris computer systems, especially real- time systems. comp.sys.hp.apps Discussion of software and apps on all HP platforms. comp.sys.hp.hardware Discussion of Hewlett Packard system hardware. comp.sys.hp.hpux Issues pertaining to HP-UX & 9000 series computers. comp.sys.hp.misc Issues not covered in any other comp.sys.hp.* group. comp.sys.hp.mpe Issues pertaining to MPE & 3000 series computers. comp.sys.hp48 Hewlett-Packard's HP48 and HP28 calculators. comp.sys.ibm.pc.demos Demonstration programs which showcase programmer skill. comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest The IBM PC, PC-XT, and PC-AT. (Moderated) comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action Arcade-style games on PCs. comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure Adventure (non-rpg) games on PCs. comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.announce Announcements for all PC gamers. (Moderated) comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim Flight simulators on PCs. comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.marketplace PC clone games wanted and for sale. comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.misc Games not covered by other PC groups. comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg Role-playing games on the PC. comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic Strategy/planning games on PCs. comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.cd-rom CD-ROM drives and interfaces for the PC. comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips Processor, cache, memory chips, etc. comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.comm Modems & communication cards for the PC. comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc Miscellaneous PC hardware topics. comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.networking Network hardware & equipment for the PC. comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Hard drives & other PC storage devices. comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.systems Whole IBM PC computer & clone systems. comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video Video cards & monitors for the PC. comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Discussion about IBM personal computers. comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt Topics related to IBM's RT computer. comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.advocacy Advocacy for a particular soundcard. comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.games Questions about using soundcards with games. comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.misc Soundcards in general. comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.music Music and sound questions using soundcards. comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.tech Technical questions about pc soundcards. comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware Microchannel hardware, any vendor. comp.sys.intel Discussions about Intel systems and parts. comp.sys.isis The ISIS distributed system from Cornell. comp.sys.laptops Laptop (portable) computers. comp.sys.m6809 Discussion about 6809's. comp.sys.m68k Discussion about 68k's. comp.sys.m68k.pc Discussion about 68k-based PCs. (Moderated) comp.sys.m88k Discussion about 88k-based computers. comp.sys.mac.advocacy The Macintosh computer family compared to others. comp.sys.mac.announce Important notices for Macintosh users. (Moderated) comp.sys.mac.apps Discussions of Macintosh applications. comp.sys.mac.comm Discussion of Macintosh communications. comp.sys.mac.databases Database systems for the Apple Macintosh. comp.sys.mac.digest Apple Macintosh: info&uses, but no programs. (Moderated) comp.sys.mac.games Discussions of games on the Macintosh. comp.sys.mac.graphics Macintosh graphics: paint, draw, 3D, CAD, animation. comp.sys.mac.hardware Macintosh hardware issues & discussions. comp.sys.mac.hypercard The Macintosh Hypercard: info & uses. comp.sys.mac.misc General discussions about the Apple Macintosh. comp.sys.mac.oop.macapp3 Version 3 of the MacApp object oriented system. comp.sys.mac.oop.misc Object oriented programming issues on the Mac. comp.sys.mac.oop.tcl Symantec's THINK Class Library for object programming. comp.sys.mac.portables Discussion particular to laptop Macintoshes. comp.sys.mac.programmer Discussion by people programming the Apple Macintosh. comp.sys.mac.programmer.codewarrior Macintosh programming using CodeWarrior. comp.sys.mac.scitech Using the Macintosh in scientific & technological work. comp.sys.mac.system Discussions of Macintosh system software. comp.sys.mac.wanted Postings of "I want XYZ for my Mac." comp.sys.mentor Mentor Graphics products & the Silicon Compiler System. comp.sys.mips Systems based on MIPS chips. comp.sys.misc Discussion about computers of all kinds. comp.sys.ncr Discussion about NCR computers. comp.sys.newton.announce Newton information posts. (Moderated) comp.sys.newton.misc Miscellaneous discussion about Newton systems. comp.sys.newton.programmer Discussion of Newton software development. comp.sys.next.advocacy The NeXT religion. comp.sys.next.announce Announcements related to the NeXT computer system. (Moderated) comp.sys.next.bugs Discussion and solutions for known NeXT bugs. comp.sys.next.hardware Discussing the physical aspects of NeXT computers. comp.sys.next.marketplace NeXT hardware, software and jobs. comp.sys.next.misc General discussion about the NeXT computer system. comp.sys.next.programmer NeXT related programming issues. comp.sys.next.software Function, use and availability of NeXT programs. comp.sys.next.sysadmin Discussions related to NeXT system administration. comp.sys.novell Discussion of Novell Netware products. comp.sys.nsc.32k National Semiconductor 32000 series chips. comp.sys.palmtops Super-powered calculators in the palm of your hand. comp.sys.pen Interacting with computers through pen gestures. comp.sys.powerpc General PowerPC Discussion. comp.sys.prime Prime Computer products. comp.sys.proteon Proteon gateway products. comp.sys.psion Discussion about PSION Personal Computers & Organizers. comp.sys.pyramid Pyramid 90x computers. comp.sys.ridge Ridge 32 computers and ROS. comp.sys.sequent Sequent systems, (Balance and Symmetry). comp.sys.sgi.admin System administration on Silicon Graphics's Irises. comp.sys.sgi.announce Announcements for the SGI community. (Moderated) comp.sys.sgi.apps Applications which run on the Iris. comp.sys.sgi.audio Audio on SGI systems. comp.sys.sgi.bugs Bugs found in the IRIX operating system. comp.sys.sgi.graphics Graphics packages and issues on SGI machines. comp.sys.sgi.hardware Base systems and peripherals for Iris computers. comp.sys.sgi.misc General discussion about Silicon Graphics's machines. comp.sys.sinclair Sinclair computers, eg. the ZX81, Spectrum and QL. comp.sys.stratus Stratus products, incl. System/88, CPS-32, VOS and FTX. comp.sys.sun.admin Sun system administration issues and questions. comp.sys.sun.announce Sun announcements and Sunergy mailings. (Moderated) comp.sys.sun.apps Software applications for Sun computer systems. comp.sys.sun.hardware Sun Microsystems hardware. comp.sys.sun.misc Miscellaneous discussions about Sun products. comp.sys.sun.wanted People looking for Sun products and support. comp.sys.tahoe CCI 6/32, Harris HCX/7, & Sperry 7000 computers. comp.sys.tandy Discussion about Tandy computers: new & old. comp.sys.ti Discussion about Texas Instruments. comp.sys.transputer The Transputer computer and OCCAM language. comp.sys.unisys Sperry, Burroughs, Convergent and Unisys* systems. comp.sys.xerox Xerox 1100 workstations and protocols. comp.sys.zenith.z100 The Zenith Z-100 (Heath H-100) family of computers. comp.terminals All sorts of terminals. comp.text Text processing issues and methods. comp.text.desktop Technology & techniques of desktop publishing. comp.text.frame Desktop publishing with FrameMaker. comp.text.interleaf Applications and use of Interleaf software. comp.text.sgml ISO 8879 SGML, structured documents, markup languages. comp.text.tex Discussion about the TeX and LaTeX systems & macros. comp.theory.info-retrieval Information Retrieval topics. (Moderated) comp.unix.admin Administering a Unix-based system. comp.unix.advocacy Arguments for and against Unix and Unix versions. comp.unix.aix IBM's version of UNIX. comp.unix.amiga Minix, SYSV4 and other *nix on an Amiga. comp.unix.aux The version of UNIX for Apple Macintosh II computers. comp.unix.bsd Discussion of Berkeley Software Distribution UNIX. comp.unix.dos-under-unix MS-DOS running under UNIX by whatever means. comp.unix.internals Discussions on hacking UNIX internals. comp.unix.large UNIX on mainframes and in large networks. comp.unix.misc Various topics that don't fit other groups. comp.unix.osf.misc Various aspects of Open Software Foundation products. comp.unix.osf.osf1 The Open Software Foundation's OSF/1. comp.unix.pc-clone.16bit UNIX on 286 architectures. comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit UNIX on 386 and 486 architectures. comp.unix.programmer Q&A for people programming under Unix. comp.unix.questions UNIX neophytes group. comp.unix.shell Using and programming the Unix shell. comp.unix.sys3 System III UNIX discussions. comp.unix.sys5.misc Versions of System V which predate Release 3. comp.unix.sys5.r3 Discussing System V Release 3. comp.unix.sys5.r4 Discussing System V Release 4. comp.unix.ultrix Discussions about DEC's Ultrix. comp.unix.unixware Discussion about Novell's UnixWare products. comp.unix.user-friendly Discussion of UNIX user- friendliness. comp.unix.wizards For only true Unix wizards. (Moderated) comp.unix.xenix.misc General discussions regarding XENIX (except SCO). comp.unix.xenix.sco XENIX versions from the Santa Cruz Operation. comp.virus Computer viruses & security. (Moderated) comp.windows.garnet The Garnet user interface development environment. comp.windows.interviews The InterViews object-oriented windowing system. comp.windows.misc Various issues about windowing systems. comp.windows.news Sun Microsystems' NeWS window system. comp.windows.open-look Discussion about the Open Look GUI. comp.windows.suit The SUIT user-interface toolkit. comp.windows.x Discussion about the X Window System. comp.windows.x.announce X Window System announcements. (Moderated) comp.windows.x.apps Getting and using, not programming, applications for X. comp.windows.x.i386unix The XFree86 window system and others. comp.windows.x.intrinsics Discussion of the X toolkit. comp.windows.x.pex The PEX extension of the X Window System. The GNU tree of newsgroups that are gated bi-directionally with the Internet mailing lists of the GNU Project of the Free Software Foundation. GNU (GNU's Not Unix) will be a complete operating system, including application programs, with freely redistributable source code. gnu.announce Status and announcements from the Project. (Moderated) gnu.bash.bug Bourne Again SHell bug reports and suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.chess Announcements about the GNU Chess program. gnu.emacs.announce Announcements about GNU Emacs. (Moderated) gnu.emacs.bug GNU Emacs bug reports and suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.emacs.gnews News reading under GNU Emacs using Weemba's Gnews. gnu.emacs.gnus News reading under GNU Emacs using GNUS (in English). gnu.emacs.help User queries and answers. gnu.emacs.sources ONLY (please!) C and Lisp source code for GNU Emacs. gnu.emacs.vm.bug Bug reports on the Emacs VM mail package. gnu.emacs.vm.info Information about the Emacs VM mail package. gnu.emacs.vms VMS port of GNU Emacs. gnu.epoch.misc The Epoch X11 extensions to Emacs. gnu.g++.announce Announcements about the GNU C++ Compiler. (Moderated) gnu.g++.bug g++ bug reports and suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.g++.help GNU C++ compiler (G++) user queries and answers. gnu.g++.lib.bug g++ library bug reports/suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.gcc.announce Announcements about the GNU C Compiler. (Moderated) gnu.gcc.bug GNU C Compiler bug reports/suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.gcc.help GNU C Compiler (gcc) user queries and answers. gnu.gdb.bug gcc/g++ DeBugger bugs and suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.ghostscript.bug GNU Ghostscript interpreter bugs. (Moderated) gnu.gnusenet.config GNU's Not Usenet administration and configuration. gnu.gnusenet.test GNU's Not Usenet alternative hierarchy testing. gnu.groff.bug Bugs in the GNU roff programs. (Moderated) gnu.misc.discuss Serious discussion about GNU and freed software. gnu.smalltalk.bug Bugs in GNU Smalltalk. (Moderated) gnu.utils.bug GNU utilities bugs (e.g., make, gawk. ls). (Moderated) The IEEE newsgroups concern the IEEE -- the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. ieee.announce General Announcements for IEEE community. ieee.config Postings about managing the ieee.* groups. ieee.general IEEE - General discussion. ieee.pcnfs Discussion & tips on PC-NFS. ieee.rab.announce Regional Activities Board - Announcements. ieee.rab.general Regional Activities Board - General discussion. ieee.region1 Region 1 Announcements. ieee.tab.announce Technical Activities Board - Announcements. ieee.tab.general Technical Activities Board - General discussion. ieee.tcos The TCOS newsletter and discussion. (Moderated) ieee.usab.announce USAB - Announcements. ieee.usab.general USAB - General discussion. The MISC tree of newsgroups are groups addressing themes that are not easily classified under any other heading or which incorporate themes from multiple catagories. misc.activism.progressive Information for Progressive activists. (Moderated) misc.answers Repository for periodic USENET articles. (Moderated) misc.books.technical Discussion of books about technical topics. misc.consumers Consumer interests, product reviews, etc. misc.consumers.house Discussion about owning and maintaining a house. misc.creativity Promoting the use of creativity in all human endeavors. misc.education Discussion of the educational system. misc.education.adult Adult education and adult literacy practice/research. misc.education.home-school.christian Christian home- schooling. misc.education.home-school.misc Almost anything about home- schooling. misc.education.language.english Teaching English to speakers of other languages. misc.education.medical Issues related to medical education. misc.education.multimedia Multimedia for education. (Moderated) misc.education.science Issues related to science education. misc.emerg-services Forum for paramedics & other first responders. misc.entrepreneurs Discussion on operating a business. misc.fitness Physical fitness, exercise, bodybuilding, etc. misc.forsale Short, tasteful postings about items for sale. misc.forsale.computers.d Discussion of misc.forsale.computers.*. misc.forsale.computers.mac Apple Macintosh related computer items. misc.forsale.computers.other Selling miscellaneous computer stuff. misc.forsale.computers.pc-clone IBM PC related computer items. misc.forsale.computers.workstation Workstation related computer items. misc.handicap Items of interest for/about the handicapped. (Moderated) misc.headlines Current interest: drug testing, terrorism, etc. misc.health.alternative Alternative, complementary and holistic health care. misc.health.diabetes Discussion of diabetes management in day to day life. misc.int-property Discussion of intellectual property rights. misc.invest Investments and the handling of money. misc.invest.canada Investing in Canadian financial markets. misc.invest.funds Sharing info about bond, stock, real estate funds. misc.invest.real-estate Property investments. misc.invest.stocks Forum for sharing info about stocks and options. misc.invest.technical Analyzing market trends with technical methods. misc.jobs.contract Discussions about contract labor. misc.jobs.misc Discussion about employment, workplaces, careers. misc.jobs.offered Announcements of positions available. misc.jobs.offered.entry Job listings only for entry-level positions. misc.jobs.resumes Postings of resumes and "situation wanted" articles. misc.kids Children, their behavior and activities. misc.kids.computer The use of computers by children. misc.kids.consumers Products related to kids. misc.kids.health Children's health. misc.kids.info Informational posts related to misc.kids hierarchy. (Moderated) misc.kids.pregnancy Pre-pregnancy planning, pregnancy, childbirth. misc.kids.vacation Discussion on all forms of family- oriented vacationing. misc.legal Legalities and the ethics of law. misc.legal.computing Discussing the legal climate of the computing world. misc.legal.moderated All aspects of law. (Moderated) misc.misc Various discussions not fitting in any other group. misc.news.bosnia News, articles, reports & information on Bosnia. (Moderated) misc.news.east-europe.rferl Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Daily Report. (Moderated) misc.news.southasia News from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, etc. (Moderated) misc.rural Devoted to issues concerning rural living. misc.survivalism Disaster and long-term survival techniques and theory. misc.taxes Tax laws and advice. misc.test For testing of network software. misc.test.moderated Testing of posting to moderated groups. (Moderated) misc.transport.urban-transit Metropolitan public transportation systems. misc.wanted Requests for things that are needed (NOT software). misc.writing Discussion of writing in all of its forms. news.admin.misc General topics of network news administration. news.admin.policy Policy issues of USENET. news.admin.technical Technical aspects of maintaining network news. (Moderated) news.announce.conferences Calls for papers and conference announcements. (Moderated) news.announce.important General announcements of interest to all. (Moderated) news.announce.newgroups Calls for newgroups & announcements of same. (Moderated) news.announce.newusers Explanatory postings for new users. (Moderated) news.answers Repository for periodic USENET articles. (Moderated) news.config Postings of system down times and interruptions. news.future The future technology of network news systems. news.groups Discussions and lists of newsgroups. news.groups.questions Where can I find talk about topic X? news.groups.reviews What is going on in group or mailing list named X? (Moderated) news.lists News-related statistics and lists. (Moderated) news.lists.ps-maps Maps relating to USENET traffic flows. (Moderated) news.misc Discussions of USENET itself. news.newsites Postings of new site announcements. news.newusers.questions Q & A for users new to the Usenet. news.software.anu-news VMS B-news software from Australian National Univ. news.software.b Discussion about B-news-compatible software. news.software.nn Discussion about the "nn" news reader package. news.software.notes Notesfile software from the Univ. of Illinois. news.software.readers Discussion of software used to read network news. rec.answers Repository for periodic USENET articles. (Moderated) rec.antiques Discussing antiques and vintage items. rec.antiques.radio+phono Audio devices and materials of yesteryear. rec.aquaria Keeping fish and aquaria as a hobby. rec.arts.animation Discussion of various kinds of animation. rec.arts.anime Japanese animation fen discussion. rec.arts.anime.info Announcements about Japanese animation. (Moderated) rec.arts.anime.marketplace Things for sale in the Japanese animation world. rec.arts.anime.stories All about Japanese comic fanzines. (Moderated) rec.arts.ascii ASCII art, info on archives, art, & artists. (Moderated) rec.arts.bodyart Tattoos and body decoration discussions. rec.arts.bonsai Dwarfish trees and shrubbery. rec.arts.books Books of all genres, and the publishing industry. rec.arts.books.childrens All aspects of children's literature. rec.arts.books.marketplace Buying and selling of books. rec.arts.books.tolkien The works of J.R.R. Tolkien. rec.arts.cinema Discussion of the art of cinema. (Moderated) rec.arts.comics.creative Encouraging good superhero-style writing. rec.arts.comics.info Reviews, convention information and other comics news. (Moderated) rec.arts.comics.marketplace The exchange of comics and comic related items. rec.arts.comics.misc Comic books, graphic novels, sequential art. rec.arts.comics.strips Discussion of short-form comics. rec.arts.comics.xbooks The Mutant Universe of Marvel Comics. rec.arts.dance Any aspects of dance not covered in another newsgroup. rec.arts.disney Discussion of any Disney-related subjects. rec.arts.drwho Discussion about Dr. Who. rec.arts.erotica Erotic fiction and verse. (Moderated) rec.arts.fine Fine arts & artists. rec.arts.int-fiction Discussions about interactive fiction. rec.arts.manga All aspects of the Japanese storytelling art form. rec.arts.marching.drumcorps Drum and bugle corps. rec.arts.marching.misc Marching-related performance activities. rec.arts.misc Discussions about the arts not in other groups. rec.arts.movies Discussions of movies and movie making. rec.arts.movies.production Filmmaking, amateur and professional. rec.arts.movies.reviews Reviews of movies. (Moderated) rec.arts.poems For the posting of poems. rec.arts.prose Short works of prose fiction and followup discussion. rec.arts.sf.announce Major announcements of the SF world. (Moderated) rec.arts.sf.fandom Discussions of SF fan activities. rec.arts.sf.marketplace Personal forsale notices of SF materials. rec.arts.sf.misc Science fiction lovers' newsgroup. rec.arts.sf.movies Discussing SF motion pictures. rec.arts.sf.reviews Reviews of science fiction/fantasy/horror works. (Moderated) rec.arts.sf.science Real and speculative aspects of SF science. rec.arts.sf.starwars Discussion of the Star Wars universe. rec.arts.sf.tv Discussing general television SF. rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 Babylon 5 creators meet Babylon 5 fans. rec.arts.sf.tv.quantum-leap Quantum Leap TV, comics, cons, etc. rec.arts.sf.written Discussion of written science fiction and fantasy. rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan Books by author Robert Jordan. rec.arts.startrek.current New Star Trek shows, movies and books. rec.arts.startrek.fandom Star Trek conventions and memorabilia. rec.arts.startrek.info Information about the universe of Star Trek. (Moderated) rec.arts.startrek.misc General discussions of Star Trek. rec.arts.startrek.reviews Reviews of Star Trek books, episodes, films, &c. (Moderated) rec.arts.startrek.tech Star Trek's depiction of future technologies. rec.arts.theatre.misc Miscellaneous topics and issues in theatre. rec.arts.theatre.musicals Musical theatre around the world. rec.arts.theatre.plays Dramaturgy and discussion of plays. rec.arts.theatre.stagecraft Issues in stagecraft and production. rec.arts.tv The boob tube, its history, and past and current shows. rec.arts.tv.mst3k For fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000. rec.arts.tv.soaps Postings about soap operas. rec.arts.tv.uk Discussions of telly shows from the UK. rec.arts.wobegon "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show discussion. rec.audio.car Discussions of automobile audio systems. rec.audio.high-end High-end audio systems. (Moderated) rec.audio.marketplace Buying and selling of home audio equipment. rec.audio.misc Post about audio here if you can't post anywhere else. rec.audio.opinion Everybody's two bits on audio in your home. rec.audio.pro Professional audio recording and studio engineering. rec.audio.tech Theoretical, factual, and DIY topics in home audio. rec.autos.antique Discussing all aspects of automobiles over 25 years old. rec.autos.driving Driving automobiles. rec.autos.marketplace Buy/Sell/Trade automobiles, parts, tools, accessories. rec.autos.misc Miscellaneous discussion about automobiles. rec.autos.rod-n-custom High performance automobiles. rec.autos.simulators Discussion of automotive simulators. rec.autos.sport Discussion of organized, legal auto competitions. rec.autos.sport.f1 Formula 1 motor racing. rec.autos.sport.indy Indy Car motor racing. rec.autos.sport.info Auto racing news, results, announcements. (Moderated) rec.autos.sport.misc Organized, legal auto competitions. rec.autos.sport.nascar NASCAR and other professional stock car racing. rec.autos.sport.tech Technical aspects & technology of auto racing. rec.autos.tech Technical aspects of automobiles, et. al. rec.autos.vw Issues pertaining to Volkswagen products. rec.aviation.announce Events of interest to the aviation community. (Moderated) rec.aviation.answers Frequently asked questions about aviation. (Moderated) rec.aviation.homebuilt Selecting, designing, building, and restoring aircraft. rec.aviation.ifr Flying under Instrument Flight Rules. rec.aviation.military Military aircraft of the past, present and future. rec.aviation.misc Miscellaneous topics in aviation. rec.aviation.owning Information on owning airplanes. rec.aviation.piloting General discussion for aviators. rec.aviation.products Reviews and discussion of products useful to pilots. rec.aviation.questions Aviation questions and answers. (Moderated) rec.aviation.simulators Flight simulation on all levels. rec.aviation.soaring All aspects of sailplanes and hang- gliders. rec.aviation.stories Anecdotes of flight experiences. (Moderated) rec.aviation.student Learning to fly. rec.aviation.ultralight Light aircraft in general, all topics. rec.backcountry Activities in the Great Outdoors. rec.bicycles.marketplace Buying, selling & reviewing items for cycling. rec.bicycles.misc General discussion of bicycling. rec.bicycles.racing Bicycle racing techniques, rules and results. rec.bicycles.rides Discussions of tours and training or commuting routes. rec.bicycles.soc Societal issues of bicycling. rec.bicycles.tech Cycling product design, construction, maintenance, etc. rec.birds Hobbyists interested in bird watching. rec.boats Hobbyists interested in boating. rec.boats.paddle Talk about any boats with oars, paddles, etc. rec.boats.racing Boat racing. rec.climbing Climbing techniques, competition announcements, etc. rec.collecting Discussion among collectors of many things. rec.collecting.cards Collecting all sorts of sport and non- sport cards. rec.collecting.coins Coin, currency, medal, etc. collecting forum. rec.collecting.stamps Discussion of all things related to philately. rec.crafts.brewing The art of making beers and meads. rec.crafts.jewelry All aspects of jewelry making and lapidary work. rec.crafts.marketplace Small-scale ads for craft products of all kinds. rec.crafts.metalworking All aspects of working with metal. rec.crafts.misc Handiwork arts not covered elsewhere. rec.crafts.quilting All about quilts and other quilted items. rec.crafts.textiles Sewing, weaving, knitting and other fiber arts. rec.crafts.textiles.misc Fiber and textile crafts not covered elsewhere. rec.crafts.textiles.needlework Any form of decorative stitching done by hand. rec.crafts.textiles.quilting All about quilts and other quilted items. rec.crafts.textiles.sewing Sewing: clothes, furnishings, costumes, etc. rec.crafts.textiles.yarn Yarn making & use: spin, dye, knit, weave etc. rec.crafts.winemaking The tasteful art of making wine. rec.equestrian Discussion of things equestrian. rec.folk-dancing Folk dances, dancers, and dancing. rec.food.cooking Food, cooking, cookbooks, and recipes. rec.food.drink Wines and spirits. rec.food.drink.beer All things beer. rec.food.drink.coffee The making and drinking of coffee. rec.food.historic The history of food making arts. rec.food.preserving Preserving foodstuffs, herbs, and medicinals. rec.food.recipes Recipes for interesting food and drink. (Moderated) rec.food.restaurants Discussion of dining out. rec.food.sourdough Making and baking with sourdough. rec.food.veg Vegetarians. rec.food.veg.cooking Vegetarian recipes, cooking, nutrition. (Moderated) rec.gambling Articles on games of chance & betting. rec.games.abstract Perfect information, pure strategy games. rec.games.backgammon Discussion of the game of backgammon. rec.games.board Discussion and hints on board games. rec.games.board.ce The Cosmic Encounter board game. rec.games.board.marketplace Trading and selling of board games. rec.games.bolo The networked strategy war game Bolo. rec.games.bridge Hobbyists interested in bridge. rec.games.chess Chess & computer chess. rec.games.chinese-chess Discussion of the game of Chinese chess, Xiangqi. rec.games.corewar The Core War computer challenge. rec.games.deckmaster The Deckmaster line of games. rec.games.deckmaster.marketplace Trading of deckmaster paraphernalia. rec.games.design Discussion of game design related issues. rec.games.diplomacy The conquest game Diplomacy. rec.games.empire Discussion and hints about Empire. rec.games.frp.advocacy Flames and rebuttals about various role-playing systems. rec.games.frp.announce Announcements of happenings in the role-playing world. (Moderated) rec.games.frp.archives Archivable fantasy stories and other projects. (Moderated) rec.games.frp.cyber Discussions of cyberpunk related roleplaying games. rec.games.frp.dnd Fantasy role-playing with TSR's Dungeons and Dragons. rec.games.frp.live-action Live-action roleplaying games. rec.games.frp.marketplace Role-playing game materials wanted and for sale. rec.games.frp.misc General discussions of role-playing games. rec.games.go Discussion about Go. rec.games.int-fiction All aspects of interactive fiction games. rec.games.mecha Giant robot games. rec.games.miniatures Tabletop wargaming. rec.games.misc Games and computer games. rec.games.mud.admin Administrative issues of multiuser dungeons. rec.games.mud.announce Informational articles about multiuser dungeons. (Moderated) rec.games.mud.diku All about DikuMuds. rec.games.mud.lp Discussions of the LPMUD computer role playing game. rec.games.mud.misc Various aspects of multiuser computer games. rec.games.mud.tiny Discussion about Tiny muds, like MUSH, MUSE and MOO. rec.games.netrek Discussion of the X window system game Netrek (XtrekII). rec.games.pbm Discussion about Play by Mail games. rec.games.pinball Discussing pinball-related issues. rec.games.programmer Discussion of adventure game programming. rec.games.roguelike.angband The computer game Angband. rec.games.roguelike.announce Major info about rogue-styled games. (Moderated) rec.games.roguelike.misc Rogue-style dungeon games without other groups. rec.games.roguelike.moria The computer game Moria. rec.games.roguelike.nethack The computer game Nethack. rec.games.roguelike.rogue The computer game Rogue. rec.games.trivia Discussion about trivia. rec.games.video.3do Discussion of 3DO video game systems. rec.games.video.advocacy Debate on merits of various video game systems. rec.games.video.arcade Discussions about coin-operated video games. rec.games.video.arcade.collecting Collecting, converting, repairing etc. rec.games.video.atari Discussion of Atari's video game systems. rec.games.video.cd32 Gaming talk, info and help for the Amiga CD32. rec.games.video.classic Older home video entertainment systems. rec.games.video.marketplace Home video game stuff for sale or trade. rec.games.video.misc General discussion about home video games. rec.games.video.nintendo All Nintendo video game systems and software. rec.games.video.sega All Sega video game systems and software. rec.games.xtank.play Strategy and tactics for the distributed game Xtank. rec.games.xtank.programmer Coding the Xtank game and its robots. rec.gardens Gardening, methods and results. rec.gardens.orchids Growing, hybridizing, and general care of orchids. rec.gardens.roses Gardening information related to roses. rec.guns Discussions about firearms. (Moderated) rec.heraldry Discussion of coats of arms. rec.humor Jokes and the like. rec.humor.d Discussions on the content of rec.humor articles. rec.humor.funny Jokes that are funny (in the moderator's opinion). (Moderated) rec.humor.oracle Sagacious advice from the USENET Oracle. (Moderated) rec.humor.oracle.d Comments about the USENET Oracle's comments. rec.hunting Discussions about hunting. (Moderated) rec.juggling Juggling techniques, equipment and events. rec.kites Talk about kites and kiting. rec.mag Magazine summaries, tables of contents, etc. rec.martial-arts Discussion of the various martial art forms. rec.misc General topics about recreational/participant sports. rec.models.railroad Model railroads of all scales. rec.models.rc Radio-controlled models for hobbyists. rec.models.rockets Model rockets for hobbyists. rec.models.scale Construction of models. rec.motorcycles Motorcycles and related products and laws. rec.motorcycles.dirt Riding motorcycles and ATVs off-road. rec.motorcycles.harley All aspects of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. rec.motorcycles.racing Discussion of all aspects of racing motorcycles. rec.music.a-cappella Vocal music without instrumental accompaniment. rec.music.afro-latin Music with Afro-Latin, African and Latin influences. rec.music.beatles Postings about the Fab Four & their music. rec.music.bluenote Discussion of jazz, blues, and related types of music. rec.music.bluenote.blues The Blues in all forms and all aspects. rec.music.cd CDs -- availability and other discussions. rec.music.celtic Traditional and modern music with a Celtic flavor. rec.music.christian Christian music, both contemporary and traditional. rec.music.classical Discussion about classical music. rec.music.classical.guitar Classical music performed on guitar. rec.music.classical.performing Performing classical (including early) music. rec.music.compose Creating musical and lyrical works. rec.music.country.western C&W music, performers, performances, etc. rec.music.dementia Discussion of comedy and novelty music. rec.music.dylan Discussion of Bob's works & music. rec.music.early Discussion of pre-classical European music. rec.music.folk Folks discussing folk music of various sorts. rec.music.funky Funk, rap, hip-hop, house, soul, r&b and related. rec.music.gaffa Discussion of Kate Bush & other alternative music. (Moderated) rec.music.gdead A group for (Grateful) Dead-heads. rec.music.indian.classical Hindustani and Carnatic Indian classical music. rec.music.indian.misc Discussing Indian music in general. rec.music.industrial Discussion of all industrial-related music styles. rec.music.info News and announcements on musical topics. (Moderated) rec.music.makers For performers and their discussions. rec.music.makers.bass Upright bass and bass guitar techniques and equipment. rec.music.makers.builders Design, building, repair of musical instruments. rec.music.makers.guitar Electric and acoustic guitar techniques and equipment. rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Discussion of acoustic guitar playing. rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature Guitar tablature/chords. rec.music.makers.marketplace Buying & selling used music- making equipment. rec.music.makers.percussion Drum & other percussion techniques & equipment. rec.music.makers.piano Piano music, performing, composing, learning, styles. rec.music.makers.synth Synthesizers and computer music. rec.music.marketplace Records, tapes, and CDs: wanted, for sale, etc. rec.music.misc Music lovers' group. rec.music.movies Music for movies and television. rec.music.newage "New Age" music discussions. rec.music.phish Discussing the musical group Phish. rec.music.reggae Roots, Rockers, Dancehall Reggae. rec.music.rem The musical group R.E.M. rec.music.reviews Reviews of music of all genres and mediums. (Moderated) rec.music.tori-amos Discussion of the female singer/songwriter Tori Amos. rec.music.video Discussion of music videos and music video software. rec.nude Hobbyists interested in naturist/nudist activities. rec.org.mensa Talking with members of the high IQ society Mensa. rec.org.sca Society for Creative Anachronism. rec.outdoors.fishing All aspects of sport and commercial fishing. rec.outdoors.fishing.fly Fly fishing in general. rec.outdoors.fishing.saltwater Saltwater fishing, methods, gear, Q&A. rec.parks.theme Entertainment theme parks. rec.pets Pets, pet care, and household animals in general. rec.pets.birds The culture and care of indoor birds. rec.pets.cats Discussion about domestic cats. rec.pets.dogs Any and all subjects relating to dogs as pets. rec.pets.herp Reptiles, amphibians and other exotic vivarium pets. rec.photo Hobbyists interested in photography. rec.photo.advanced Advanced topics (equipment and technique). rec.photo.darkroom Developing, printing and other darkroom issues. rec.photo.help Beginners questions about photography (and answers). rec.photo.marketplace Trading of personal photographic equipment. rec.photo.misc General issues related to photography. rec.puzzles Puzzles, problems, and quizzes. rec.puzzles.crosswords Making and playing gridded word puzzles. rec.pyrotechnics Fireworks, rocketry, safety, & other topics. rec.radio.amateur.antenna Antennas: theory, techniques and construction. rec.radio.amateur.digital.misc Packet radio and other digital radio modes. rec.radio.amateur.equipment All about production amateur radio hardware. rec.radio.amateur.homebrew Amateur radio construction and experimentation. rec.radio.amateur.misc Amateur radio practices, contests, events, rules, etc. rec.radio.amateur.policy Radio use & regulation policy. rec.radio.amateur.space Amateur radio transmissions through space. rec.radio.broadcasting Discussion of global domestic broadcast radio. (Moderated) rec.radio.cb Citizen-band radio. rec.radio.info Informational postings related to radio. (Moderated) rec.radio.noncomm Topics relating to noncommercial radio. rec.radio.scanner "Utility" broadcasting traffic above 30 MHz. rec.radio.shortwave Shortwave radio enthusiasts. rec.radio.swap Offers to trade and swap radio equipment. rec.railroad For fans of real trains, ferroequinologists. rec.roller-coaster Roller coasters and other amusement park rides. rec.running Running for enjoyment, sport, exercise, etc. rec.scouting Scouting youth organizations worldwide. rec.scuba Hobbyists interested in SCUBA diving. rec.skate Ice skating and roller skating. rec.skiing.alpine Downhill skiing technique, equipment, etc. rec.skiing.announce FAQ, competition results, automated snow reports. (Moderated) rec.skiing.nordic Cross-country skiing technique, equipment, etc. rec.skiing.snowboard Snowboarding technique, equipment, etc. rec.skydiving Hobbyists interested in skydiving. rec.sport.baseball Discussion about baseball. rec.sport.baseball.analysis Analysis & discussion of baseball. (Moderated) rec.sport.baseball.college Baseball on the collegiate level. rec.sport.baseball.data Raw baseball data (Stats, birthdays, scheds). rec.sport.baseball.fantasy Rotisserie (fantasy) baseball play. rec.sport.basketball.college Hoops on the collegiate level. rec.sport.basketball.misc Discussion about basketball. rec.sport.basketball.pro Talk of professional basketball. rec.sport.basketball.women Women's basketball at all levels. rec.sport.billiard Billiard sports, including pool, snooker, carom games. rec.sport.boxing Boxing in all its pugilistic facets and forms. rec.sport.cricket Discussion about the sport of cricket. rec.sport.cricket.info News, scores and info related to cricket. (Moderated) rec.sport.disc Discussion of flying disc based sports. rec.sport.fencing All aspects of swordplay. rec.sport.football.australian Discussion of Australian (Rules) Football. rec.sport.football.canadian All about Canadian rules football. rec.sport.football.college US-style college football. rec.sport.football.fantasy Rotisserie (fantasy) football play. rec.sport.football.misc Discussion about American-style football. rec.sport.football.pro US-style professional football. rec.sport.golf Discussion about all aspects of golfing. rec.sport.hockey Discussion about ice hockey. rec.sport.hockey.field Discussion of the sport of field hockey. rec.sport.misc Spectator sports. rec.sport.olympics All aspects of the Olympic Games. rec.sport.paintball Discussing all aspects of the survival game paintball. rec.sport.pro-wrestling Discussion about professional wrestling. rec.sport.rowing Crew for competition or fitness. rec.sport.rugby Discussion about the game of rugby. rec.sport.soccer Discussion about soccer (Association Football). rec.sport.swimming Training for and competing in swimming events. rec.sport.table-tennis Things related to table tennis (aka Ping Pong). rec.sport.tennis Things related to the sport of tennis. rec.sport.triathlon Discussing all aspects of multi-event sports. rec.sport.volleyball Discussion about volleyball. rec.sport.water-polo Discussion of water polo. rec.sport.waterski Waterskiing and other boat-towed activities. rec.toys.lego Discussion of Lego, Duplo (and compatible) toys. rec.toys.misc Discussion of toys that lack a specific newsgroup. rec.travel.air Airline travel around the world. rec.travel.asia Travel in Asia. rec.travel.cruises Travel by cruise ship. rec.travel.europe Travel in Europe. rec.travel.marketplace Tickets and accomodations wanted and for sale. rec.travel.misc Everything and anything about travel. rec.travel.usa-canada Travel in the United States and Canada. rec.video Video and video components. rec.video.cable-tv Technical and regulatory issues of cable television. rec.video.desktop Amateur, computer-based video editing and production. rec.video.production Making professional quality video productions. rec.video.releases Pre-recorded video releases on laserdisc and videotape. rec.video.satellite Getting shows via satellite. rec.video.satellite.dbs DBS systems and technologies. rec.video.satellite.misc Non-TVRO and non-DBS satellite information. rec.video.satellite.tvro "Large Dish" ("BUD") systems and technologies. rec.windsurfing Riding the waves as a hobby. rec.woodworking Hobbyists interested in woodworking. sci.aeronautics The science of aeronautics & related technology. (Moderated) sci.aeronautics.airliners Airliner technology. (Moderated) sci.aeronautics.simulation Aerospace simulation technology. (Moderated) sci.agriculture Farming, agriculture and related topics. sci.agriculture.beekeeping Beekeeping, bee-culture and hive products. sci.answers Repository for periodic USENET articles. (Moderated) sci.anthropology All aspects of studying humankind. sci.anthropology.paleo Evolution of man and other primates. sci.aquaria Only scientifically-oriented postings about aquaria. sci.archaeology Studying antiquities of the world. sci.archaeology.mesoamerican The field of mesoamerican archaeology. sci.astro Astronomy discussions and information. sci.astro.amateur Amateur astronomy equipment, techniques, info, etc. sci.astro.fits Issues related to the Flexible Image Transport System. sci.astro.hubble Processing Hubble Space Telescope data. (Moderated) sci.astro.planetarium Discussion of planetariums. sci.astro.research Forum in astronomy/astrophysics research. (Moderated) sci.bio Biology and related sciences. sci.bio.ecology Ecological research. sci.bio.ethology Animal behavior and behavioral ecology. sci.bio.evolution Discussions of evolutionary biology. (Moderated) sci.bio.herp Biology of amphibians and reptiles. sci.chem Chemistry and related sciences. sci.chem.electrochem The field of electrochemistry. sci.chem.labware Chemical laboratory equipment. sci.chem.organomet Organometallic chemistry. sci.classics Studying classical history, languages, art and more. sci.cognitive Perception, memory, judgement and reasoning. sci.comp-aided The use of computers as tools in scientific research. sci.cryonics Theory and practice of biostasis, suspended animation. sci.crypt Different methods of data en/decryption. sci.crypt.research Cryptography, cryptanalysis, and related issues. (Moderated) sci.data.formats Modelling, storage and retrieval of scientific data. sci.econ The science of economics. sci.econ.research Research in all fields of economics. (Moderated) sci.edu The science of education. sci.electronics Circuits, theory, electrons and discussions. sci.electronics.cad Schematic drafting, printed circuit layout, simulation. sci.electronics.repair Fixing electronic equipment. sci.energy Discussions about energy, science & technology. sci.energy.hydrogen All about hydrogen as an alternative fuel. sci.engr Technical discussions about engineering tasks. sci.engr.advanced-tv HDTV/DATV standards, formats, equipment, practices. sci.engr.biomed Discussing the field of biomedical engineering. sci.engr.chem All aspects of chemical engineering. sci.engr.civil Topics related to civil engineering. sci.engr.control The engineering of control systems. sci.engr.lighting Light, vision & color in architecture, media, etc. sci.engr.manufacturing Manufacturing technology. sci.engr.mech The field of mechanical engineering. sci.engr.semiconductors Semiconductor devices, processes, materials, physics. sci.environment Discussions about the environment and ecology. sci.fractals Objects of non-integral dimension and other chaos. sci.geo.eos NASA's Earth Observation System (EOS). sci.geo.fluids Discussion of geophysical fluid dynamics. sci.geo.geology Discussion of solid earth sciences. sci.geo.hydrology Surface and groundwater hydrology. sci.geo.meteorology Discussion of meteorology and related topics. sci.geo.oceanography Oceanography, oceanology and marine science. sci.geo.petroleum All aspects of petroleum and the petroleum industry. sci.geo.satellite-nav Satellite navigation systems, especially GPS. sci.image.processing Scientific image processing and analysis. sci.lang Natural languages, communication, etc. sci.lang.japan The Japanese language, both spoken and written. sci.life-extension Slowing, stopping or reversing the ageing process. sci.logic Logic -- math, philosophy & computational aspects. sci.materials All aspects of materials engineering. sci.materials.ceramics Ceramic science. sci.math Mathematical discussions and pursuits. sci.math.research Discussion of current mathematical research. (Moderated) sci.math.symbolic Symbolic algebra discussion. sci.mech.fluids All aspects of fluid mechanics. sci.med Medicine and its related products and regulations. sci.med.aids AIDS: treatment, pathology/biology of HIV, prevention. (Moderated) sci.med.dentistry Dentally related topics; all about teeth. sci.med.immunology Medical/scientific aspects of immune illness. sci.med.nursing Nursing questions and discussion. sci.med.nutrition Physiological impacts of diet. sci.med.occupational Preventing, detecting & treating occupational injuries. sci.med.pharmacy The teaching and practice of pharmacy. sci.med.physics Issues of physics in medical testing/care. sci.med.psychobiology Dialog and news in psychiatry and psychobiology. sci.med.radiology All aspects of radiology. sci.med.telemedicine Hospital/physician networks. No diagnosis questions. sci.med.transcription Information for and about medical transcriptionists. sci.military Discussion about science & the military. (Moderated) sci.misc Short-lived discussions on subjects in the sciences. sci.nanotech Self-reproducing molecular-scale machines. (Moderated) sci.nonlinear Chaotic systems and other nonlinear scientific study. sci.op-research Research, teaching & application of operations research. sci.optics Discussion relating to the science of optics. sci.philosophy.tech Technical philosophy: math, science, logic, etc. sci.physics Physical laws, properties, etc. sci.physics.accelerators Particle accelerators and the physics of beams. sci.physics.computational.fluid-dynamics Computaional fluid dynamics. sci.physics.electromag Electromagnetic theory and applications. sci.physics.fusion Info on fusion, esp. "cold" fusion. sci.physics.particle Particle physics discussions. sci.physics.plasma Plasma Science & Technology community exchange. (Moderated) sci.physics.research Current physics research. (Moderated) sci.polymers All aspects of polymer science. sci.psychology Topics related to psychology. sci.psychology.digest PSYCOLOQUY: Refereed Psychology Journal and Newsletter. (Moderated) sci.psychology.research Research issues in psychology. (Moderated) sci.research Research methods, funding, ethics, and whatever. sci.research.careers Issues relevant to careers in scientific research. sci.research.postdoc Anything about postdoctoral studies, including offers. sci.skeptic Skeptics discussing pseudo-science. sci.space.news Announcements of space-related news items. (Moderated) sci.space.policy Discussions about space policy. sci.space.science Space and planetary science and related technical work. (Moderated) sci.space.shuttle The space shuttle and the STS program. sci.space.tech Technical and general issues related to space flight. (Moderated) sci.stat.consult Statistical consulting. sci.stat.edu Statistics education. sci.stat.math Statistics from a strictly mathematical viewpoint. sci.systems The theory and application of systems science. sci.techniques.mag-resonance Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. sci.techniques.microscopy The field of microscopy. sci.techniques.spectroscopy Spectrum analysis. sci.techniques.xtallography The field of crystallography. sci.virtual-worlds Virtual Reality - technology and culture. (Moderated) sci.virtual-worlds.apps Current and future uses of virtual- worlds technology. (Moderated) soc.answers Repository for periodic USENET articles. (Moderated) soc.bi Discussions of bisexuality. soc.college College, college activities, campus life, etc. soc.college.grad General issues related to graduate schools. soc.college.gradinfo Information about graduate schools. soc.college.org.aiesec The Int'l Assoc. of Business and Commerce Students. soc.college.teaching-asst Issues affecting collegiate teaching assistants. soc.couples Discussions for couples (cf. soc.singles). soc.couples.intercultural Inter-cultural and inter-racial relationships. soc.culture.afghanistan Discussion of the Afghan society. soc.culture.african Discussions about Africa & things African. soc.culture.african.american Discussions about Afro-American issues. soc.culture.arabic Technological & cultural issues, *not* politics. soc.culture.argentina All about life in Argentina. soc.culture.asean Countries of the Assoc. of SE Asian Nations. soc.culture.asian.american Issues & discussion about Asian- Americans. soc.culture.australian Australian culture and society. soc.culture.austria Austria and its people. soc.culture.baltics People of the Baltic states. soc.culture.bangladesh Issues & discussion about Bangladesh. soc.culture.belgium Belgian society, culture(s) and people. soc.culture.berber The berber language, history, and culture. soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna The independent state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. soc.culture.brazil Talking about the people and country of Brazil. soc.culture.british Issues about Britain & those of British descent. soc.culture.bulgaria Discussing Bulgarian society. soc.culture.burma Politics, culture, news, discussion about Burma. soc.culture.cambodia Cambodia and its people. soc.culture.canada Discussions of Canada and its people. soc.culture.caribbean Life in the Caribbean. soc.culture.celtic Irish, Scottish, Breton, Cornish, Manx & Welsh. soc.culture.chile All about Chile and its people. soc.culture.china About China and Chinese culture. soc.culture.colombia Colombian talk, social, politics, science. soc.culture.croatia The lives of people of Croatia. soc.culture.cuba Cuban culture, society and politics. soc.culture.czecho-slovak Bohemian, Slovak, Moravian and Silesian life. soc.culture.ecuador The culture and people of Ecuador. soc.culture.europe Discussing all aspects of all-European society. soc.culture.filipino Group about the Filipino culture. soc.culture.french French culture, history, and related discussions. soc.culture.german Discussions about German culture and history. soc.culture.greek Group about Greeks. soc.culture.hongkong Discussions pertaining to Hong Kong. soc.culture.hongkong.entertainment Entertainment in Hong Kong. soc.culture.indian Group for discussion about India & things Indian. soc.culture.indian.info Info group for soc.culture.indian, etc. (Moderated) soc.culture.indian.telugu The culture of the Telugu people of India. soc.culture.indonesia All about the Indonesian nation. soc.culture.iranian Discussions about Iran and things Iranian/Persian. soc.culture.israel Israel and Israelis. soc.culture.italian The Italian people and their culture. soc.culture.japan Everything Japanese, except the Japanese language. soc.culture.jewish Jewish culture & religion. (cf. talk.politics.mideast) soc.culture.jewish.holocaust The Shoah. (Moderated) soc.culture.korean Discussions about Korea & things Korean. soc.culture.laos Cultural and Social Aspects of Laos. soc.culture.latin-america Topics about Latin-America. soc.culture.lebanon Discussion about things Lebanese. soc.culture.maghreb North African society and culture. soc.culture.magyar The Hungarian people & their culture. soc.culture.malaysia All about Malaysian society. soc.culture.mexican Discussion of Mexico's society. soc.culture.mexican.american Mexican-American/Chicano culture and issues. soc.culture.misc Group for discussion about other cultures. soc.culture.mongolian Everything related to Mongols and Mongolia. soc.culture.native Aboriginal people around the world. soc.culture.nepal Discussion of people and things in & from Nepal. soc.culture.netherlands People from the Netherlands and Belgium. soc.culture.new-zealand Discussion of topics related to New Zealand. soc.culture.nigeria Nigerian affairs, society, cultures, and peoples. soc.culture.nordic Discussion about culture up north. soc.culture.pakistan Topics of discussion about Pakistan. soc.culture.palestine Palestinian people, culture and politics. soc.culture.peru All about the people of Peru. soc.culture.polish Polish culture, Polish past, and Polish politics. soc.culture.portuguese Discussion of the people of Portugal. soc.culture.puerto-rico Puerto Rican culture, society and politics. soc.culture.punjab Punjab and Punjabi culture. soc.culture.quebec Quebec society and culture. soc.culture.romanian Discussion of Romanian and Moldavian people. soc.culture.scientists Cultural issues about scientists & scientific projects. soc.culture.singapore The past, present and future of Singapore. soc.culture.slovenia Slovenia and Slovenian people. soc.culture.somalia Somalian affairs, society, and culture. soc.culture.soviet Topics relating to Russian or Soviet culture. soc.culture.spain Spain and the Spanish. soc.culture.sri-lanka Things & people from Sri Lanka. soc.culture.swiss Swiss culture. soc.culture.taiwan Discussion about things Taiwanese. soc.culture.tamil Tamil language, history and culture. soc.culture.thai Thai people and their culture. soc.culture.turkish Discussion about things Turkish. soc.culture.ukrainian The lives and times of the Ukrainian people. soc.culture.uruguay Discussions of Uruguay for those at home and abroad. soc.culture.usa The culture of the United States of America. soc.culture.venezuela Discussion of topics related to Venezuela. soc.culture.vietnamese Issues and discussions of Vietnamese culture. soc.culture.yugoslavia Discussions of Yugoslavia and its people. soc.feminism Discussion of feminism & feminist issues. (Moderated) soc.history Discussions of things historical. soc.history.living Living history and reenactment, issues and info. soc.history.moderated All aspects of history. (Moderated) soc.history.science History of science and related areas. soc.history.war.misc History & events of wars in general. soc.history.war.world-war-ii History & events of World War Two. (Moderated) soc.libraries.talk Discussing all aspects of libraries. soc.men Issues related to men, their problems & relationships. soc.misc Socially-oriented topics not in other groups. soc.motss Issues pertaining to homosexuality. soc.net-people Announcements, requests, etc. about people on the net. soc.org.nonprofit Nonprofit organizations. soc.org.service-clubs.misc General info on all service topics. soc.penpals In search of net.friendships. soc.politics Political problems, systems, solutions. (Moderated) soc.politics.arms-d Arms discussion digest. (Moderated) soc.religion.bahai Discussion of the Baha'i Faith. (Moderated) soc.religion.christian Christianity and related topics. (Moderated) soc.religion.christian.bible-study Examining the Holy Bible. (Moderated) soc.religion.christian.youth-work Christians working with young people. (Moderated) soc.religion.eastern Discussions of Eastern religions. (Moderated) soc.religion.gnosis Gnosis, marifat, jnana & direct sacred experience. (Moderated) soc.religion.islam Discussions of the Islamic faith. (Moderated) soc.religion.quaker The Religious Society of Friends. soc.religion.shamanism Discussion of the full range of shamanic experience. (Moderated) soc.religion.unitarian-univ Unitarian-Universalism & non- creedal religions. (Moderated) soc.rights.human Human rights & activism (e.g., Amnesty International). soc.roots Discussing genealogy and genealogical matters. soc.singles Newsgroup for single people, their activities, etc. soc.support.transgendered Transgendered and intersexed persons. soc.veterans Social issues relating to military veterans. soc.women Issues related to women, their problems & relationships. talk.abortion All sorts of discussions and arguments on abortion. talk.answers Repository for periodic USENET articles. (Moderated) talk.bizarre The unusual, bizarre, curious, and often stupid. talk.environment Discussion the state of the environment & what to do. talk.origins Evolution versus creationism (sometimes hot!). talk.philosophy.misc Philosophical musings on all topics. talk.politics.animals The use and/or abuse of animals. talk.politics.china Discussion of political issues related to China. talk.politics.crypto The relation between cryptography and government. talk.politics.drugs The politics of drug issues. talk.politics.guns The politics of firearm ownership and (mis)use. talk.politics.medicine The politics and ethics involved with health care. talk.politics.mideast Discussion & debate over Middle Eastern events. talk.politics.misc Political discussions and ravings of all kinds. talk.politics.soviet Discussion of Soviet politics, domestic and foreign. talk.politics.theory Theory of politics and political systems. talk.politics.tibet The politics of Tibet and the Tibetan people. talk.rape Discussions on stopping rape; not to be crossposted. talk.religion.misc Religious, ethical, & moral implications. talk.religion.newage Esoteric and minority religions & philosophies. talk.rumors For the posting of rumors. vmsnet.admin Administration of the VMSnet newsgroups. vmsnet.alpha Discussion about Alpha AXP architecture, systems, porting, etc. vmsnet.announce General announcements of interest to all. (Moderated) vmsnet.announce.newusers Orientation info for new users. (Moderated) vmsnet.decus.journal The DECUServe Journal. (Moderated) vmsnet.decus.lugs Discussion of DECUS Local User Groups and related issues. vmsnet.employment Jobs sought/offered, workplace and employment related issues. vmsnet.internals VMS internals, MACRO-32, Bliss, etc. vmsnet.mail.misc Other electronic mail software. vmsnet.mail.pmdf PMDF email system, gatewayed to ipmdf mailing list. vmsnet.mail.mx MX email system from RPI, gatewayed to MX mailing list. vmsnet.misc General VMS topics not covered elsewhere. vmsnet.networks.desktop.misc Other desktop integration software. vmsnet.networks.desktop.pathworks DEC Pathworks desktop integration software. vmsnet.networks.management.decmcc DECmcc and related software. vmsnet.networks.management.misc Other network management solutions. vmsnet.networks.misc General networking topics not covered elsewhere. vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.cmu-tek CMU-TEK TCP/IP package, vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.misc Other TCP/IP solutions for VMS. vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.multinet TGV's Multinet TCP/IP, gatewayed to info-multinet. vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.ucx DEC's TCP/IP services for VMS product. vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.wintcp The Wollongong Group's WIN- TCP TCP/IP software. vmsnet.pdp-11 PDP-11 hardware and software, gatewayed to info-pdp11. vmsnet.sources Source code postings ONLY. (Moderated) vmsnet.sources.d Discussion about or requests for sources. vmsnet.sources.games Recreational software postings. vmsnet.sysmgt VMS system management. vmsnet.test Test messages. vmsnet.tpu TPU language and applications, gatewayed to info-tpu. vmsnet.uucp DECUS uucp software, gatewayed to vmsnet mailing list. vmsnet.vms-posix Discussion about VMS POSIX.