epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott) (08/01/89)
About the only "safe" thing you can do by editing .newsrc is change : to ! or vice versa. If want to do something more interesting and you use rn, I recommend deleting the .rnlast and .rnsoft files. Under certain (unusual) circumstances I've seen rn get hopelessly confused and remove .newsrc AND .oldnewsrc. If your system runs arbitron, your news administrator might not appreciate you tampering with .newsrc if you don't know what you're doing--it can screw up the statistics gathering. -=EPS=-
cjoslyn@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Cliff Joslyn) (08/02/89)
In article <354@wet.UUCP> epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott) writes: >About the only "safe" thing you can do by editing .newsrc is >change : to ! or vice versa. I beg to differ. I frequently change the order of .newsrc so that the groups I am most interested in get up first, change the numbers after the : in order to see articles that I should have already seen, etc. I always make a copy of .newsrc to restore if I mung it up. -- O----------------------------------------------------------------------> | Cliff Joslyn, Cybernetician at Large | Systems Science, SUNY Binghamton, cjoslyn@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu V All the world is biscuit shaped. . .
jp@frog.UUCP (John Pimentel) (08/04/89)
In article <2354@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> cjoslyn@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu.cc.binghamton.edu (Cliff Joslyn) writes: >In article <354@wet.UUCP> epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott) writes: >>About the only "safe" thing you can do by editing .newsrc is >>change : to ! or vice versa. > >I beg to differ. I frequently change the order of .newsrc so that the >groups I am most interested in get up first, change the numbers after >the : in order to see articles that I should have already seen, etc. I >always make a copy of .newsrc to restore if I mung it up. From personal experience I concur with the second writer. I've been able to rearrange the entire .newsrc file (I like the categories in alphabetical order). Occasionally, I remember reading a particular article and need to reread it, but don't know what the article number was, in this regard I re-edit that newsgroup to have no numbers, or 1-1, or 1. However, in the beginning when I was but a wee pup I made a big goof and had ` :! ', instead of ` : ' or ` ! ' and nearly lost a majority of the list. Oh well live and learn. ================John Pimentel (508) 626-1000=================
lum@armadillo.cis.ohio-state.edu (Lum Johnson) (08/07/89)
In article <1736@frog.UUCP> jp@frog.UUCP (John Pimentel) writes: >In article <2354@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> cjoslyn@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu.cc.binghamton.edu (Cliff Joslyn) writes: >>In article <354@wet.UUCP> epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott) writes: >>>.. [T]he only "safe" thing [to do] is change : to ! or vice versa. >> >>I frequently change the order of .newsrc so that the groups I am >>most interested in get up first, change the numbers after the : >>in order to see articles that I should have already seen, etc. >>I always make a copy of .newsrc to restore if I mung it up. > >I .. rearrange the entire .newsrc file (.. in alphabetical order). >Occasionally, .. I re-edit [a] newsgroup to have no numbers, or 1-1, >or 1. However, in the beginning when I was but a wee pup I made a big >goof and had ` :! ', instead of ` : ' or ` ! ' and nearly lost a >majority of the list. Agreed, before you edit a file that an automatic parser will process, be certain you know the syntax cold. Some parsers will forgive you and some will get you every time. My .newsrc file is sorted into two different sections: subscribed groups in order of the last article number in each so I can scan groups with low traffic and new groups early and groups with heavy traffic later; and unsubscribed groups in alphabetical order, with numbers compressed to `1-n' to save space and time. The latter effect is achieved with a simple (GNU Emacs) keyboard macro: M-< C-s ! ;; Find first exclamation mark C-x ( ;; Begin keyboard macro C-s , ;; Find first comma C-e M-b C-@ ;; Set mark before last number on line C-r ! Space 1 - ;; Find `! 1-' earlier on line C-s ;; Move to end of `! 1-' field C-w ;; Remove text from point to mark C-x ) ;; End keyboard macro C-u C-u C-u C-x e ;; Execute macro 64 times ;; or until no more commas (Note well that `C-w' immediately after `C-x h' kills the entire contents of the buffer, so it should be used with reasonable caution; `C-w' and `C-y' are inverse operations - they will undo each other.) Lum -=- -- Lum Johnson lum@cis.ohio-state.edu lum@osu-20.ircc.ohio-state.edu "You got it kid -- the large print giveth and the small print taketh away." -------
lum@armadillo.cis.ohio-state.edu (Lum Johnson) (08/10/89)
In article <56990@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> Lum Johnson <lum@cis.ohio-state.edu> writes: > > M-< C-s ! ;; Find first exclamation mark > C-x ( ;; Begin keyboard macro > C-s , ;; Find first comma > C-e M-b C-@ ;; Set mark before last number on line > C-r ! Space 1 - ;; Find `! 1-' earlier on line > C-s ;; Move to end of `! 1-' field > C-w ;; Remove text from point to mark > C-x ) ;; End keyboard macro > C-u C-u C-u C-x e ;; Execute macro 64 times Oops. It seems that I have been unconsciously compensating for one of the little inconsistencies between GNU Emacs and real thing, ITS/TWENEX Emacs. For the above to work, you must replace the line: > C-s ;; Move to end of `! 1-' field with the line: > C-s Escape ;; Move to end of `! 1-' field It just happens that, for GNU Emacs, C-w is a different command in a search string than anywhere else (try Help K C-s, if you are interested - Help is C-h by default), so the preceding search must be explicitly terminated before C-w does what one normally expects it to. Surprise surprise! Lum -=- -- Lum Johnson lum@cis.ohio-state.edu lum@osu-20.ircc.ohio-state.edu "You got it kid -- the large print giveth and the small print taketh away." -------
esker@abaa.uucp (Lawrence Esker) (08/12/89)
In article <1736@frog.UUCP> jp@frog.UUCP (John Pimentel) writes: >From personal experience I concur with the second writer. I've been able to >rearrange the entire .newsrc file (I like the categories in alphabetical >order). Occasionally, I remember reading a particular article and need to >reread it, but don't know what the article number was, in this regard I >re-edit that newsgroup to have no numbers, or 1-1, or 1... Why bother editing .newsrc to do this? A simpiler way to get back all old messages while in a newsgroup is to type '1-$m'. This marks every message from the begining to the end as unread. Personally, I only use sort on .newsrc to alphabatize the news groups. Very seldom, I have edited to look for the name of an old newgroup that I unsuscribed to, then change the ! to a : to resuscribe. (Only when I could not remember the exact name of the newsgroup.) Other than this, everything else I've ever done can be done in rn. -- ---------- Lawrence W. Esker ---------- Modern Amish: Thou shalt not need any \ * * * ******* / computer that is not IBM compatible. \ * * * * * / \ * * * * * ***** / Sr. Hardware/ASIC Design Engineer \ * * * * * * / Allen-Bradley Communications Div. \ ******* * * ******* / Work: (313)668-2500 Home: (313)973-8561 ----------------------------- Compuserve: 76337,2524 UseNet Smart: esker@abaa.uucp or abaa!esker@itivax.iti.org UseNet Other: __!uunet!mimsy!rutgers!citi!itivax!abaa!esker Nothing left to do but :-) ;-) ;-D
Lawrence.Esker@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG (Lawrence Esker) (08/13/89)
-- --+--+ +------+ Internet: Lawrence.Esker@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG | | | | UUCP : ...!attctc!tlsi!Lawrence.Esker | | +---+ | Note : TLSI is a FREE gateway for mail between | | | | : Usenet and Fidonet. For more informations + +----+---+ + : write to root@tlsi or attctc!tlsi!root TLSI: The Hard Drive Specialists - (214) 263-0707. We repair most brands.
wisner@mica.Berkeley.EDU (Bill Wisner) (08/16/89)
>Why bother editing .newsrc to do this? A simpiler way .. and much, much, MUCH slower, especially when using NNTP .. > to get back all old >messages while in a newsgroup is to type '1-$m'. This marks every message >from the begining to the end as unread. Bill Wisner wisner@mica.berkeley.edu ucbvax!mica!wisner
wisner@mica.Berkeley.EDU (Bill Wisner) (08/16/89)
Hello, new users! Today's lesson in USENET etiquette comes courtesy of Mr. Lawrence Esker: >-- >--+--+ +------+ Internet: Lawrence.Esker@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG > | | | | UUCP : ...!attctc!tlsi!Lawrence.Esker > | | +---+ | Note : TLSI is a FREE gateway for mail between > | | | | : Usenet and Fidonet. For more informations > + +----+---+ + : write to root@tlsi or attctc!tlsi!root >TLSI: The Hard Drive Specialists - (214) 263-0707. We repair most brands. The lesson, new users, as illustrated above, is: don't use long signatures, and don't ever, under any circumstances whatsoever, use giant "graphic" letters. Thank you for your time. Bill Wisner wisner@mica.berkeley.edu ucbvax!mica!wisner
richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) (08/18/89)
In article <30649@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> wisner@mica.Berkeley.EDU (Bill Wisner) writes: >Hello, new users! Today's lesson in USENET etiquette comes courtesy >of Mr. Lawrence Esker: > >>TLSI: The Hard Drive Specialists - (214) 263-0707. We repair most brands. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >The lesson, new users, as illustrated above, is: don't use long signatures, >and don't ever, under any circumstances whatsoever, use giant "graphic" >letters. Wait a minute Bill, class isn't over. Did we forget the part of the lecture that concerned commercial use of the net ? -- You havn't lived until you've heard Oleg sing ``I'll take you home Kathleen'' richard@gryphon.COM decwrl!gryphon!richard gryphon!richard@elroy.jpl.NASA.GOV
esker@abaa.uucp (Lawrence Esker) (08/18/89)
Can someone explain the following message that acted as if I sent it. I have no idea wahat caused it or what I did. Is this one of those 'forgeries' that some people have talked about? Article 50 of news.newusers.questions: Path: abaa!eecae!tank!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!attctc!tlsi!Lawrence.Esker From: Lawrence.Esker@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG (Lawrence Esker) Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions Subject: Re: Re: editing .newsrc Message-ID: <428.24E71AB9@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG> Date: 13 Aug 89 13:30:48 GMT Organization: TLSI.Fidonet.Org: The DFW/Usenet Gateway Lines: 9 -- --+--+ +------+ Internet: Lawrence.Esker@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG | | | | UUCP : ...!attctc!tlsi!Lawrence.Esker | | +---+ | Note : TLSI is a FREE gateway for mail between | | | | : Usenet and Fidonet. For more informations + +----+---+ + : write to root@tlsi or attctc!tlsi!root TLSI: The Hard Drive Specialists - (214) 263-0707. We repair most brands. -- ---------- Lawrence W. Esker ---------- Modern Amish: Thou shalt not need any \ * * * ******* / computer that is not IBM compatible. \ * * * * * / \ * * * * * ***** / Sr. Hardware/ASIC Design Engineer \ * * * * * * / Allen-Bradley Communications Div. \ ******* * * ******* / Work: (313)668-2500 Home: (313)973-8561 ----------------------------- Compuserve: 76337,2524 UseNet Smart: esker@abaa.uucp or abaa!esker@itivax.iti.org UseNet Other: __!uunet!mimsy!rutgers!citi!itivax!abaa!esker Nothing left to do but :-) ;-) ;-D
wisner@mica.Berkeley.EDU (Bill Wisner) (08/19/89)
>Wait a minute Bill, class isn't over. Did we forget the part of the >lecture that concerned commercial use of the net ? What, like "Quality Solutions at a Fair Price"? But, Richard, we won't be needing that part of the lecture just now, because Mr. Esker has reformed. His signature no longer contains a plug for "the hard drive specialists." Why, just look at it: >---------- Lawrence W. Esker ---------- Modern Amish: Thou shalt not need any >\ * * * ******* / computer that is not IBM compatible. > \ * * * * * / > \ * * * * * ***** / Sr. Hardware/ASIC Design Engineer > \ * * * * * * / Allen-Bradley Communications Div. > \ ******* * * ******* / Work: (313)668-2500 Home: (313)973-8561 > ----------------------------- Compuserve: 76337,2524 >UseNet Smart: esker@abaa.uucp or abaa!esker@itivax.iti.org >UseNet Other: __!uunet!mimsy!rutgers!citi!itivax!abaa!esker >Nothing left to do but :-) ;-) ;-D I count three network addresses (one would do quite nicely), two phone numbers (so he won't miss the flood of callers congratulating him on his beautiful signature), his job title (for the prospective employers out there), his current employer and two, count them, *two* cute little slogans. All I see missing are his physical characteristics and whether he's an organ donor. I won't even mention the "graphic" initials, which should have been part of the Geneva Convention.
bill@twwells.com (T. William Wells) (08/20/89)
In article <30748@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> wisner@mica.Berkeley.EDU (Bill Wisner) writes:
: I count three network addresses (one would do quite nicely), two phone numbers
: (so he won't miss the flood of callers congratulating him on his beautiful
: signature), his job title (for the prospective employers out there), his
: current employer and two, count them, *two* cute little slogans. All I see
: missing are his physical characteristics and whether he's an organ donor.
Wisner?
Get off his case!
Big signatures are a minor irritation; you don't need to make a
federal case of it! Signature size is essentially a matter of
courtesy. The four line "limit" is, at best, a convention; there *are*
no conventions on content. Or rather, what convention there is seems
to be that we ignore what is in the signature, even if we don't like
it.
I found nothing particularly objectionable in the original signature
or in the new and improved one; moreover, what you have been
complaining about is very common on the net. Common opinion, the only
thing that matters a damn as far as netiquette is concerned,
disagrees with you: signatures that aren't egregiously long are
acceptable; commercial tag lines are normal; affiliations and titles
are common. And many people give several ways for others to reach
them, out of consideration for those who aren't so fortunate to have
access to a smart mailer.
Complaints like yours belong in E-MAIL. You know this.
Were I him, I'd double the size of my signature for a couple of
weeks, just to spite you.
(BTW: new users? Welcome to a typical flame war: much noise about
trivia.)
Note that this message has its followups directed to alt.flame.
---
Bill { uunet | novavax | ankh | sunvice } !twwells!bill
bill@twwells.comNanook@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Dickinson) (08/20/89)
In an article of <13 Aug 89 13:30:48 GMT>, Lawrence.Esker@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG (Lawrence Esker) writes: >Can someone explain the following message that acted as if I sent it. I >have >no idea wahat caused it or what I did. Is this one of those 'forgeries' >that >some people have talked about? > > >Article 50 of news.newusers.questions: >Path: >abaa!eecae!tank!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!attctc >!tlsi!Lawrence.Esker >From: Lawrence.Esker@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG (Lawrence Esker) >Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions >Subject: Re: Re: editing .newsrc >Message-ID: <428.24E71AB9@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG> >Date: 13 Aug 89 13:30:48 GMT >Organization: TLSI.Fidonet.Org: The DFW/Usenet Gateway >Lines: 9 > Yes... My machine puked during a powerdown. It sent out 4 news messages with no content 'borrowning' the user name off of the last message in that news area. I've taken steps to prevent it from occuring again. (I hope). Sorry for the inconvience. Keith Dickinson -- __ Fidonet : 124/2202 [(214) 399-0094] / \ Internet: nanook@TLSI.Fidonet.Org / oo|\ or : nanook@f124.n2202.z1.Fidonet.Org (_\ |_) UUCP : attctc!tlsi!nanook _ /__\@'__ USnail : 2725 W. Pioneer #208, Irving Tx. 75061 // / | | (( / | (*) | "Speak UUCP Fido, Speak!" \\/ \ |__U__| ______ \ /_ || \\_ / FIDO \ tlsi is a FREE gateway for mail between \____)|_) \_) (________) Usenet and FidoNet. For info write to Root.