Submission for Unix-PC

[gatelist at zorch.UU.NET]

Recently I posted a request for information regarding news software.
Thanks to the courtesy of so many respondents, I am able to present the
following information.

> I would like to get some news software.  I see many references to
> archives of various news software: news 2.11, bnews, cnews, vnews, rn,
> ?nn?, etc.

"B News", "C News", and "TMNN" each include news transport software, 
which provides for the transmission/reception of news articles to/from a 
newsfeed site and leaf sites.  At least "B News" also includes news 
reading software ("vnews").  The current release of "B News" is known 
also as "News 2.11".  A new release of "B News", 3.0, is anticipated.
"C News" is a rewrite of the "B News (2.11?)" transport software for 
improved speed.  "nn", "notes", "rn", and "vnews" each are newsreaders, 
user interfaces with which to view news articles.  "vnews" is included 
in the "B News 2.11" bundle.

>          ... What I want (and had in "notes") is the capability to see
> the subject line of all the basenotes in a newsgroup, with all the
> "responses" tied to the appropriate basenotes.

If properly initialized ("It takes setting a switch in a startup file"),
"rn" will present articles in threaded fashion by matching text in 
"Subject:" lines.  Apparently, this "rn" feature is not universally 
recognized -- several respondents replied that "rn" does not support 
threading.

> What in your opinion is the best news software?

The most popularly used news software seems to be "B News 2.11" with the
"rn" newsreader.  Some opined that "C News" and/or "TMNN" are superior
to "B News 2.11"; others recommended "B News 2.11" because it is widely
used and well tested.  A respondent offered the compelling suggestion:
"I suggest you get whatever the sysadmin at your news feed is most
familiar with, so that he can help you get going."  Most respondents
strongly preferred "rn" to "vnews".  Some warned that "notes" was
quasi-orphaned and its use should be discouraged.

> How big is it?

Source code is approx 2-3 MBytes, fitting on 3-4 floppy diskettes when
compressed.  Executables are approx 1 Mbyte.

> What is typical traffic in comp.sys.att, unix-pc* newsgroups?

Estimates ranged from 0 to 10 to 20 articles per day in these 
newsgroups, and I was assured that such a restricted subscription would
be easily managed on a 40Mbyte hard drive.  However, one respondent
noted that in some regions, a leaf is obligated to accept a full feed.

Thank you again for your informative responses.

John R Ruckstuhl, Jr
UUCP: ...hplabs!hp-lsd!sphere!ruck