RN for SCO Xenix ..... Help!

[Chip Rosenthal]

In article <52 at uisc1.UUCP> root at uisc1.UUCP (Super user) writes:
>In article <241 at kjvw.UUCP>, root at kjvw.UUCP writes:
>> I am running SCO Xenix 2.1.4 development system on a Wyse AT.  I have gotten
>> readnews and postnews to work, but I am having a *real hard time with the
>> "rn" program. 
>First, I'd like to congratulate you on your persistence and patience. My
>patience ran out somewhat earlier.

USENET does run on XENIX 286.  Many folks are doing so, including me.
Looking at the various solutions available, it seems that the biggest
hassle was getting the file locking stuff to work.  Once up, it runs
pretty cleanly.  Well...as clean as B2.11 can run :-)  (Has anybody
tried out the C-news expire under SCO?)

Rn, on the other hand, was a piece of cake.  It takes very little hacking
to get going, and most of it is in Configure to get it to know strange
things like /lib/Llibc.a and -LARGE and -Ml.   Larry Wall is to be
commended on his attention to portability.  (Well...except for the way
perl.y makes the XENIX yacc barf.)  I ran the first version of "rn" years
ago under EUNICE with little pain; an amazing accomplishment.  Compared
to that, XENIX is no sweat.

(By the way, I am not trying to belittle the original poster's problems
bringing up rn.  If you don't have a working Configure, then you are
dead.  But once that's resolved, there is very little else.)

>Second, SCO has a compiled version of complete News 2.11 available free of
>charge.

I would strongly discourage anybody from doing this.  Any one of hundreds
of comp.unix.xenix folks can point you to working sources.   I think I
recall messages complaining about problems with the binary-only distribution,
but they could very well be resolved by now.  I'm sure SCO has good
intentions in providing this service, but for better or worse you really
do want the sources if you are administering news.
-- 
Chip Rosenthal /// chip at vector.UUCP /// Dallas Semiconductor /// 214-450-0400
{uunet!warble,sun!texsun!rpp386,killer}!vector!chip
I won't sing for politicians.  Ain't singing for Spuds.  This note's for you.