guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris) (02/24/90)
>If nothing else, I think it would be a major convenience to have rn read >articles in depth first order. The user wouldn't see any difference >(interface wise), things would just make more sense (less of this answer >before the question stuff, etc). After one day of using "tn", I've found it offers one *MASSIVE* improvement, namely the ability to get a listing of all the *threads* in a newsgroup. It lets me see what's in a group without having to look at some huge multi-screen subject listing. The fact that it shares most of "rn"s look&feel is useful, but frankly, given the choice between an "rn" that just shows articles in depth-first order, and "tn", it wouldn't even be a contest - it'd be "tn" by a parsec. I haven't bothered worrying about walking a reference tree; being able to zip through the threads in some "flattened" order with the standard "rn" commands has so far been sufficient.
wwm@pmsmam.uucp (Bill Meahan) (03/02/90)
In article <2964@auspex.auspex.com> guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris) writes: >After one day of using "tn", I've found it offers one *MASSIVE* >improvement, namely the ability to get a listing of all the *threads* in >a newsgroup. It lets me see what's in a group without having to look at >some huge multi-screen subject listing. The fact that it shares most of >"rn"s look&feel is useful, but frankly, given the choice between an "rn" >that just shows articles in depth-first order, and "tn", it wouldn't >even be a contest - it'd be "tn" by a parsec. Where might one find a copy of tn? Is this just a 'patched' version of rn? We're running rn pl44 now. Could someone send me the files/patches by email please (I don't really have FTP access)? THANKS!!!!! -- Bill Meahan | UUCP: uunet!sharkey!umich!pmsmam!wwm | snail: 128 Factory St., Ypsilanti, MI 48197 #include <disclaimer.std> | voice: +1 313 484 9320 /* witty */ |packet: wa8tzg @ wa8ooh.mi.usa.na
davison@drivax.UUCP (Wayne Davison) (03/04/90)
Bill Meahan (wwm@pmsmam.UUCP) wrote: } Where might one find a copy of tn? Is this just a 'patched' version of rn? Tn is currently my baby, and it is being testing at approx. 7 beta sites so far. It is a patched version of rn (with about 160k of new code, and 60k of patches) that maintains a database of reference tree information (threads of discussion) and uses this information to help the user select discussions and read them in an understandable order. Everything is properly ifdef'ed into the source, so it could conceivably be integrated with some future release of rn and allow the installer to decide whether to include the thread-handling. It even allows the user to run it as though it were a "normal" rn, or the extended "tn". In fact, it can do both at once if the installer has decided to only process selected groups. } We're running rn pl44 now. Could someone send me the files/patches by email } please (I don't really have FTP access)? If you're willing to devote some time to providing me with some product feedback, mail me the particulars of your flavor of un*x you're running. We currently are only guarenteed to run on BSD-type systems, with System V porting "in the works." Having rn pl44 (as you mention) is also a requirement. -- Wayne Davison \ /| / /| \/ /| /(_) davison%drivax@uts.amdahl.com davison@drivax.UUCP (_)/ |/ /\| / / |/ \ ...!amdahl!drivax!davison
guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris) (03/05/90)
>Where might one find a copy of tn? Is this just a 'patched' version of rn?
Did Wayne's original article about it not make it out into the Big Wide
World, or what? I first found out about it in, as I remember, this very
newsgroup; Wayne Davison of Digital Research, its author, posted a note
about it. Since my posting, I've gotten several bits of mail saying
"what is this 'tn' thing?", and now a posting. Did y'all miss Wayne's
posting?
Yes, it's a patched version of "rn". It's in beta, so I'll let Wayne
repost his posting (sounds like lotsa people missed it when it first
flew by, so you might want to do so...).umerin@tc.Nagasaki.GO.JP (Masanobu UMEDA) (03/14/90)
In article <ZDTFQW1@drivax.UUCP> davison@drivax.UUCP (Wayne Davison) writes:
Tn is currently my baby, and it is being testing at approx. 7 beta sites
so far. It is a patched version of rn (with about 160k of new code, and
60k of patches) that maintains a database of reference tree information
(threads of discussion) and uses this information to help the user select
discussions and read them in an understandable order.
The next version of GNUS, a GNU Emacs news reader, will also provide
thread-based reading feature. Conversation threads are displayed in
tree structured form, and there are commands for moving around thread
trees and hiding/showing trees.
The following is an example of displayed thread trees.
D 198: [ 12:guy@auspex.au] Re: Turning rn into a threaded newsreader
D 203: [ 18:andy@syma.sus] Storing news in compressed form
D 206: [ 15:henry@utzoo.u]
D 214: [ 24:les@chinet.ch]
D 220: [ 14:henry@utzoo.u]
D 224: [ 34:geoffw@xenite]
D 217: [ 17:mikej@lilink.]
D 221: [ 25:david@llustig]
D 223: [ 31:limonce@pilot]
D 226: [ 31:roy@phri.nyu.]
D 218: [ 8:forrie@suntau] B News 2.11 patches ...
--
Masanobu UMEDA
umerin@tc.Nagasaki.GO.JPdavison@drivax.UUCP (Wayne Davison) (03/14/90)
Leo Pinard (leo@aai.UU.NET) asks: } How is [tn] similar/different from nn? Sounds a lot like it. Tn is similar to nn in that it contains a thread (article) selector that allows you to quickly see and select articles of interest to you based on their subjects. And, like nn, it requires a database managment program to be run to maintain the thread (article) information. It differs in many ways: It maintains rn's command structure (macros, etc). It groups articles by reference line "threads", and presents these threads to you in the selector instead of individual articles. It allows you to select some threads, read them and go on to other newsgroups, leaving any remaining articles unread (although upcoming versions of nn will be able to do this too). It shows you a visual representation of the local article tree that lets you see at a glance how many people have already replied to this article. It allows you to kill an entire discussion tree, no matter what the subject mutates into. It lets you read the parent article with a press of a key, which might someday help to cut down on quoted text (wishful thinking). } When do you anticipate a release? Hard to say, right now. I'm just getting the code more portable as we speak. And there are bugs to fix, and Wonderful Features yet to add. :-) My current plan is to finish my short "todo" list, send my beta sites the updated version and in a few weeks (or so) find out what they think of tn's networthyness. I'd really like to simply merge the tn source into the official rn release at some point (everything new is #ifdef'ed), but I have no official contact with Stan Barber or Larry Wall to know what their feelings about this might be. -- Wayne Davison \ /| / /| \/ /| /(_) davison%drivax@uts.amdahl.com davison@drivax.UUCP (_)/ |/ /\| / / |/ \ ...!amdahl!drivax!davison