brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) (12/24/89)
Archive-name: newsclip/announce Original-posting-by: brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) Original-subject: NewsClip source package available as Evalu-Ware Archive-site: uunet.uu.net [192.48.96.2] Archive-directory: ClariNet Archive-files: nc.tar.Z Reposted-by: emv@math.lsa.umich.edu (Edward Vielmetti) We have released the NewsClip system as Evalu-Ware, the "try before you buy" software distribution system sometimes called Shareware. NewsClip is a compiled programming language designed for the filtering of USENET and ClariNet news. It lets you arbitrarily filter the news you read and feed. The package has been posted to comp.sources.misc. Those of you with access to UUNET via uucp or TCP/IP may FTP it from the file ~ftp/ClariNet/nc.tar.Z, which is a compressed TAR file. This is release 1.01. There are some bug fixes and a sample feeding program in the new release. Those of you who picked up the earlier distribution might wish the new one. NewsClip is free to all ClariNet subscribers. Low fees are required for other customers after the evaluation period. ======================================================================== What is NewsClip? NewsClip is a language that allows you to compile filtering programs for USENET and ClariNet news. You can use a full C-like language, with arbitrary expressions involving header items and pattern searches, to decide what articles you wish to read or not read. The resulting filter program can be used to: o) Filter a '.newsrc' stand-alone, marking as read articles that you don't wish to read (run it from the cron, for example) o) Filter while you read news, with slight mods to your newsreader. (patches for RN and RRN are provided) o) Filter a list of article filenames (such as a batch list) to control a news feed as finely as desired. o) Generate a filtered list of filenames of unread articles from a .newsrc file (updating it) -- thus allowing a feed to be run from a .newsrc file instead of the news "sys" file. (The fed site becomes like a reader on your system with an arbitrary subscription list.) o) Search all or part of USENET for articles that match a description you give, then generate a .newsrc with just those articles unread to be fed to your newsreader. Just about any description that can be programmed can usually be easily made to filter articles. Filter out users, crossposts, topics, message trees, followups, remote articles, articles with long signatures or too much included text. At the same time, filter *in* local articles, followups to your own articles or anything else. Only read articles from specific users or sites, and their followups if you like. Elminate a user from the net by filtering all his/her postings and all followups. You set up your program to accept, reject or give a *weight* to articles based on things about them. For example: reject if is rec.humor && is talk.bizarre && domain(from) != my_domain; rejects all articles crossposted to rec.humor AND talk.bizarre, unless they were posted by somebody within your local domain. reject if line_count(signature) > 20 || newtext has "ron.*reagan"; rejects articles where the signature is longer than 20 lines or the new text (not included from previous articles) mentions a famous ex-president of the USA> Of course this can do everything that a KILL file in RN does, but it also does much more. This includes the abliity to do the reverse of a KILL -- accept *only* articles that match what you're looking for. You can regularly read a big group for a rare topic this way. (The background mode can even search unsubscribed groups for you, resubscribing you if something interesting comes up.) And because it's compiled, it's far more efficient. Your programs are translated to C programs and linked with the NewsClip library. Rather than complain about somebody or something you don't like on USENET -- filter it out. Chances are that a NewsClip licence will cost you a lot less than what whining on USENET will cost you and other people in time, space and transmission costs. (Currently, only the filter-while-you-read mode, which works in tandem with RRN, can be used on NNTP client-only sites.) NewsClip is Evalu-Ware. It is a commercial product, but you may distribute the source freely and try it out for a few weeks before deciding to buy. If you like it, check out the terms and fees described in the file 'Licence' -- Brad Templeton, ClariNet Communications Corp. -- Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473