gwc@root.co.uk (Geoff Clare) (02/01/91)
Former readers of comp.unix.wizards who are puzzled, as I was until just now, that they have not seen the re-created group yet, may be interested to learn that some newsreaders are ignoring it. I was curious that the group had apparently not been re-created and checked in the active file on our system, only to find that it was there after all. A little investigation revealed that my newsreader (nn) had ignored it because my .newsrc still had a line left over from the last incarnation of comp.unix.wizards showing articles 1-19898 as read. As the re-created group started again from article number 1, nn has been treating all articles as already read. Other newsreaders may be doing the same. So if you haven't seen comp.unix.wizards yet, check your .newsrc! -- Geoff Clare <gwc@root.co.uk> (Dumb American mailers: ...!uunet!root.co.uk!gwc) UniSoft Limited, London, England. Tel: +44 71 729 3773 Fax: +44 71 729 3273
dylan@ibmpcug.co.uk (Matthew Farwell) (02/01/91)
In article <2590@root44.co.uk> gwc@root.co.uk (Geoff Clare) writes: >I was curious that the group had apparently not been re-created and checked >in the active file on our system, only to find that it was there after all. >A little investigation revealed that my newsreader (nn) had ignored it >because my .newsrc still had a line left over from the last incarnation of >comp.unix.wizards showing articles 1-19898 as read. As the re-created >group started again from article number 1, nn has been treating all >articles as already read. Other newsreaders may be doing the same. Unless of course, you never delgroup'ed it in the first place.... Dylan. -- Matthew J Farwell | Email: dylan@ibmpcug.co.uk The IBM PC User Group, PO Box 360,| ...!uunet!ukc!ibmpcug!dylan Harrow HA1 4LQ England | CONNECT - Usenet Access in the UK!! Phone: +44 81-863-1191 | Sun? Don't they make coffee machines?
adeboer@gjetor.geac.COM (Anthony DeBoer) (02/25/91)
In article <2590@root44.co.uk> gwc@root.co.uk (Geoff Clare) writes: >I was curious that the group had apparently not been re-created and checked >in the active file on our system, only to find that it was there after all. >A little investigation revealed that my newsreader (nn) had ignored it >because my .newsrc still had a line left over from the last incarnation of >comp.unix.wizards showing articles 1-19898 as read. As the re-created >group started again from article number 1, nn has been treating all >articles as already read. Other newsreaders may be doing the same. Now, isn't this the sort of thing that would only be caught by a wizard? This deletion-and-recreation fiasco in comp.unix.wizards might ultimately have had the benefit of keeping a lot of non-wizards out of the group... :-) Sort of like the forgeries-only setup in alt.hackers, but in the read direction instead of the write direction. -- Anthony DeBoer NAUI#Z8800 | adeboer@gjetor.geac.com | Programmer (n): One who Geac J&E Systems Ltd. | uunet!geac!gjetor!adeboer | makes the lies the Toronto, Ontario, Canada | #include <disclaimer.h> | salesman told come true.
cdash@margaux.colorado.edu (Charles Shub) (02/27/91)
In article <whatever> adeboer@gjetor.geac.COM (Anthony DeBoer) writes: => In article <2590@root44.co.uk> gwc@root.co.uk (Geoff Clare) writes: => >I was curious that the group had apparently not been re-created and checked => >in the active file on our system, only to find that it was there after all. => >A little investigation revealed that my newsreader (nn) had ignored it => >because my .newsrc still had a line left over from the last incarnation of => >comp.unix.wizards showing articles 1-19898 as read. As the re-created => >group started again from article number 1, nn has been treating all => >articles as already read. Other newsreaders may be doing the same. => => Now, isn't this the sort of thing that would only be caught by a wizard? This OBVIOUSLY NOT. Just look at the drivel that has appeared here since the recreattion. -- charlie shub cdash@boulder.Colorado.EDU -or- ..!{ucar|nbires}!boulder!cdash or even cdash@colospgs (BITNET) -or- (719) 593-3492
chrisn@cs.arizona.edu (Christopher E. Niswander) (03/01/91)
In article <1991Feb27.014901.5228@csn.org>, cdash@margaux.colorado.edu (Charles Shub) writes: > In article <whatever> adeboer@gjetor.geac.COM (Anthony DeBoer) writes: > => In article <2590@root44.co.uk> gwc@root.co.uk (Geoff Clare) writes: > => >A little investigation revealed that my newsreader (nn) had ignored it > => >because my .newsrc still had a line left over from the last incarnation of > => >comp.unix.wizards showing articles 1-19898 as read. As the re-created > => >group started again from article number 1, nn has been treating all > => >articles as already read. Other newsreaders may be doing the same. > => > => Now, isn't this the sort of thing that would only be caught by a wizard? This > > OBVIOUSLY NOT. Just look at the drivel that has appeared here since the > recreattion. You don't have to catch that glitch to read comp.unix.wizards; you only need to have a .newsrc that was created since the last incarnation. So we drivelling newcomers with new accounts (or who just happened to completely re-initialize our .newsrc for some reason) can read comp.unix.wizards without even having to think. Only old-timers with old accounts must catch the problem to read the newsgroup. So maybe the restart glitch _does_ have an influence on the recent drivel quotient of comp.unix.wizards, but an effect _opposite_ to what Geoff Clare might have expected. ;^) chrisn@cs.arizona.edu (Chris Niswander / PO Box 857 / Oracle AZ 85623) Disclaimer: I didn't write this. Someone else is using my account. I am in a small village in Baja California 80 miles from the nearest telephone, getting ready for the eclipse. Disclaimer': I don't believe my opinions; why should you?