[news.misc] Questions about rn's command-line

bernhold@qtp.ufl.edu (David E. Bernholdt) (01/17/89)

I can specify news groups (or a pattern representing a set of groups)
to read on the rn command line.  When I do this, I get prompted about
*all* groups which fit the pattern, whether they have unread news or
not.

Once I've read all of the mail in all of the groups I specified on the
command line, then it tells me "restriction removed" and prompts me
about other groups which have unread messages.

Also, before anything else, it asks me if I want to add to my .newsrc
each of the groups that matches the pattern and isn't there already.

Here are the questions:

1) Can anyone explain the logic of this behavior to me?  It seems to
me that if I specify certain groups on the command line, I'm saying I
want to read those groups and quit.  If this is what was intended, it
doesn't work like I think it should.

2) Is there any way to modify this behavior?  I've found the "#define
FINDNEWNG" in common.h, which seems to take care of the problem of
asking about all the other newsgroups not in the .newsrc, but this
seems a little severe - is there a command line or init file option
which I've missed?  Likewise, is there any way to change the the other
two behaviors?

Hopefully someone who knows the rn code better than I can answer this
pretty easily...

Thanks much...Dave
-- 
David Bernholdt			bernhold@qtp.ufl.edu
Quantum Theory Project		bernhold@ufpine.bitnet
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL  32611		904/392 6365