Internet Info 1997 December/Internet_Info_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_December_1997.iso/faqs/alt/usenet/offline-reader/intro

Internet Message Format | 1997-10-19 | 19KB

Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!nntprelay.mathworks.com!news-peer.gsl.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news.idt.net!dispose.news.demon.net!demon!rill.news.pipex.net!pipex!warm.news.pipex.net!pipex!tank.news.pipex.net!pipex!laura.pcug.co.uk!alpha3!auofaq
Newsgroups: alt.usenet.offline-reader,alt.answers,news.answers
Followup-To: alt.usenet.offline-reader
From: [e-mail] (a.u.o FAQ)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: alt.usenet.offline-reader FAQ (01/02) intro
Summary: Reading mail and news available to your normal login account, but while you're not actually logged in
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Supersedes: <[e-mail]>
Date: 19 Oct 1997 00:00:00 +0100
Expires: 18 Dec 1997 12:00:00 GMT
Organization: Private System, London SW19, UK
Approved: [e-mail]
X-Posted-By: trivdb
Lines: 452
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.usenet.offline-reader:28721 alt.answers:29725 news.answers:114918

Archive-name: off-line-readers/usenet/intro
Alt-usenet-offline-reader-archive-name: intro
Posting-Frequency: biweekly
Original-Author: Rhys Weatherley
Last-modified: 1997-Oct-16

============================================================================

part 01/02 intro

 1 Credits and Disclaimer
 2 Spam
 3 Other sources
 4 QWK and Crayons
 5 Overview
 6 Newsgroups of interest to offline readers
 7 What is an offline reader?
 8 What is the difference from getting a news feed?
 9 What are QWK and BlueWave?
10 What is SOUP?
11 What is ZipNews?
12 Where are tutorials?
13 Where can I find the Good Netkeeping Seal of Approval?
14 Why does Forte Agent get its own group?

part 02/02 software

100 Where can I get the software?
200 Where are the QWK readers?
300 common sites, template
400 author contacts
500 ftp sites
600 miscellaneous
700 packers
800 readers

============================================================================

------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: Credits and Disclaimer
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

This FAQ is based in part on one by Dave Cheung <[e-mail]>,
last posted to alt.usenet.offline-reader in April 1993.

It was updated and posted by Rhys Weatherley for a while.

It was then digestified and hardly modified by Russell Schulz
<[e-mail]>

Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure the information contained
herein is correct, neither the current author, the current poster, nor
any previous author or previous poster can accept ANY LIABILITY WHATSOEVER
for errors, ommissions or damage howsoever caused.

------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: Spam
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

you wouldn't believe how much spam I get to this address.

------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: Other sources
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

many people have publicly complained that the FAQ is useless or worse.
you are certainly encouraged to mail them and ask them for their
insight, and stop reading the FAQ now.

aside from this, I will mostly stop responding to these or similar
non-points in the newsgroup or mail.

here are some quotes -- I hope you find them as humorous as I do -- the
last few are hilarious.

--> From: [e-mail] (Nick Knight)

> It's a shame that the FAQ's available to the general public are effected so
> negatively by the whims of their author(s), and/or a small "circle" of
> off-center extremists.

> This FAQ contain WAY too much pointed personal opinion.  Can it be cleaned
> up and made more useful, or is it destined to simply express the outdated
> viewpoint of one or two hard.heads?

--> From: [e-mail]

> This FAQ certainly takes the cake for being the most worthless one I've
> ever read.  I don't really care what the tone of the rest of the net is
> ... it doesn't disprove my point in the least.  Nice try, tho.

> There'd be hope, but Russell is in charge of this one.  The ultimate
> net.bitch.

--> From: [e-mail] (Nick Knight)

> I'll take this oportunity to point out that some of these "answers"
> aren't as valuable as a new user might think.  That's a shame, but
> because these "answers" are maintained my one or two close-minded
> old-timers, some of the "answers" are nothing more than pointy opinions,
> and in fact, are fact-less.

--> From: [e-mail] (Nick Knight)

> Good for you.  Your FAQ still is inaccurate and based on pointed
> opinion, nomatter *what* your follow up header "suggests".  It sucks,
> and if it's posted in all these newsgroups, I'll crosspost and say so in
> all of them.

--> From: [e-mail] (Nick Knight)

> Now, quit trying to change the subject and answer the basic claim.  Your
> FAQ sucks and is made worthless by the interjection of massively
> inaccurate opinion.

--> From: [e-mail] (Joe Kovacs)

> A constructive FAQ is badly needed.

--> From: [e-mail] (Martin Pollard)

> I'm more than willing to create, and post, an alternative FAQ, one which
> is long on actual facts and short on opinions (especially those of the
> closed- minded variety).  The current FAQ will be a good start, at least
> as far as raw information is concerned; the editorializing will, of
> course, be sent to /dev/null.

--> From: [e-mail] (Nick Knight)

> Hmmm.  I've toyed with this idea myself ... at first I thought I'd
> create a "FAQ about the alt-usenet* FAQ ... the real story"-type thing.
> I think it might be more useful to actual create a real "alternate" FAQ
> with some real information.  It couldn't possibly be any worse than what
> already exists!

--> From: [e-mail] (Nick Knight)

> As for "having to do with QWK" or not, who cares?  I mean, WHO CARES?
> You keep wanting to get so infinitely technical, and nobody needs to
> look that hard.  The files are created with a QWK extension.

--> From: [e-mail] (Nick Knight)

> At this point, while I'd love to actually see the FAQ corrected, I'm more
> interested in unstubbornizing Russell.  We've had public and private
> exchanges, and my personal opinion is that Russell possesses less
> intelligence than a centepede.


------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: QWK and crayons
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

using QWK for Internet mail or Usenet is like using wax crayons for all
your business correspondence.  it'll get your message across, but only
to those people who don't throw it away without opening it.

this is because QWK has small limits on certain essential headers,
and does not allow certain other essential ones.  some QWK packers
try to compensate by recreating the headers and removing the truncated
data, but such efforts are prone to failure.

of course, some formerly-QWK packages also can ignore the truncated
headers and use full headers in the body of the text -- which they
correctly manipulate, just like any other correct newsreader.  it's
nice that these authors have started to catch up to the rest of the
crowd.  but since this can be done only by ignoring the QWK headers,
they can not be seriously referred to as QWK messages anymore.


------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: Overview
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

A common question on netnews these days is "how do I package up my
mail and news to be read offline?".  This FAQ attempts to answer
this question for e-mail and netnews, to point the reader at
relevant software, and to describe some of the ongoing efforts in
this area.  Other networks such as FidoNet, CompuServe, etc. are not
covered.


------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: Newsgroups of interest to offline readers
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

alt.usenet.offline-reader is for the discussion of offline systems
for netnews in general.  This includes the installation and use of
offline systems, and the discussion of "packet formats" to
facilitate offline activities.

comp.os.msdos.mail-news is for the discussion of any aspect of
managing RFC-compliant mail and news on MS-DOS machines, and is
not limited to the discussion of offline activities.

comp.os.os2.mail-news is for the discussion of any aspect of
managing RFC-compliant mail and news on OS/2 machines, and is
not limited to the discussion of offline activities.

comp.os.ms-windows.apps.winsock.mail \  for the use of winsock-compatible
comp.os.ms-windows.apps.winsock.news  > mail, news, and other applications
comp.os.ms-windows.apps.winsock.misc /  (including SLIP/PPP access)

alt.usenet.offline-reader.forte-agent is for the discussion of Forte, Inc.'s
Agent and Free Agent newsreader/mail agents.

alt.oui.support is for the discussion of Peak to Peak's OUI (Offline
Usenet Interface) [unconfirmed].

news.software.readers is for the discussion of news software in general,
and specific packages which aren't already covered in a more specific group.


------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: where does `offline' begin?
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

==begin FAQ caption==
  From: Rahul Dhesi <[e-mail]>
  Newsgroups: comp.mail.pine,news.software.readers,comp.mail.misc
  Message-ID: <3k6bv8$[e-mail]>
  Date: 15 Mar 1995 09:28:08 GMT

Suppose I have a high-powered Sun machine that gets, oh, 6 incoming
newsfeeds totalling a couple of hundred megs a day.  If I read or
post news on it, am I reading or posting offline?  (Probably not, you
might say.)

What if I cut it down to, say 2 incoming news feeds and 50 megs a day?

One incoming newsfeed and 3 megs a day?  A sporadic incoming newsfeed
that's rather selective based on my tastes, a couple of hundred
kbytes a day?

Just what is meant by offline news reading?
==end FAQ caption==


------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: What is an offline reader
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

The concept of offline reading comes from BBS world where a user
connects via a modem to the bbs, and downloads a file (usually
called a packet) containing all unread messages since the last
connection. Then a program is used, to extract the messages from the
packet, read them and reply to them, creating a reply packet to be
uploaded at the next connection.  This saves time (the bbs lines are
less engaged) and money (on phone bills).  It also means that the
user can make use of much friendlier reading tools than can be made
available in an interactive login environment.

For the purposes of this FAQ, "offline" is defined to mean the
following:  "transferring mail and news in some form from an existing
interactive account to a user's machine, usually via a modem, so
that the messages may be read while the user is not connected to the
account, and so that replies may be composed to be uploaded to the
account at some later time to be injected into the network".


------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: What is the difference from getting a news feed?
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

Another definition of "offline" pertains to the system administrator of
a mail and news site (usually a UUCP site) who reads mail and news while
the machine is not physically connected to the network, usually with
some friendly third-party utility.  This usage is common in the Waffle
community.

It is often the case that your server can provide you with an automatic
transfer method to send you mail and news. This is called a "feed" and
can be received by modem using the UUCP protocol (among other methods).

There is no big difference with the "offline reading" concept except
that it is a little more automated.  If your home machine runs on a
multi-tasking system, or you can dedicate it to mail and news all
night long (when you're asleep -- probably easy to do) you can even
set it to call the server regularly.  You can also start feeding other
machines if you wish.

The disadvantage is that traditionally, getting a feed has been a lot
more complicated, needlessly so, than using an offline reader.  Another
disadvantage is that some providers charge more for a uucp connection
on top of a shell connection or slip connection.

One advantage of the uucp approach is that uucp is designed to _only_
transfer files.  You don't have to worry about your ProComm script
accidentally leaving you logged in for nine hours on a long-distance
connection until you find it in the morning, waiting for you to press
`Enter'.  If a uucp connection is idle, the other system will disconnect,
since it's not expecting anyone to be there to press `Enter'.  You can
also more confidently set your machine to dial up at 3:00 am when system
response is quickest, the phone lines to your provider are never busy,
and any long-distance charges drop as low as they go.

Also, it is almost always easier to get a free uucp connection than a
free shell account with offline-friendly capabilities (for instance,
most FreeNet sites don't).

SNUUPM is a package designed to allow simple installation of the full
UUPC, SNews, and PMail (Pegasus Mail) packages.

uufree is another such installation and configuration suite, but none
of the included packages is shareware, and the installation time has
been kept to an absolute minimum -- and most of the configuration can
easily be done by the site giving you the uucp feed.

At the start, especially if you want few newsgroups, you may want
to begin with an offline news reader and then maybe move to a
feed when you feel more confident.


------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: What are QWK and BlueWave?
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

QWK and BlueWave are the names of popular packet formats in the BBS
community. QWK was originally created to get messages for PC-Board
bulletin boards and FidoNet "mail areas" (the equivalent of netnews
newsgroups).  It became a de-facto standard since more and more QWK
readers are available not only on MS-DOS machines but on all
architectures.

However, the QWK and BlueWave formats are not capable of carrying
RFC-compliant messages such as Internet mail and netnews.  Some
efforts have been made to adapt QWK to netnews, but at best the
extra information present in netnews messages has been ignored by
existing readers, and at worst the extra information is truncated
or lost.  Some of this information, for example the Message-ID:
and References: headers, is very important to netnews, and the
loss of this information causes problems for other netnews
readers.

Some packages try to put all the RFC-compliant header information
in the _bodies_ of the messages, which creates a lot of ugly
messages when these aren't intercepted, but also doesn't solve
the problem of creating _correct_ headers, since the QWK programs
will just let any old garbage out, and your messages can silently
disappear, without you getting any warning until it's too late.

As mentioned, there are already a _ton_ of QWK readers.  if you're
looking for a programming project, see the next section.  it'll be
about as much work, but a lot more fun because it's a lot less
likely to be ignored once you finish.


------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: What is SOUP?
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

SOUP == "Simple Offline USENET Packet" format.  It is intended as a
replacement for QWK in the netnews community.  The messages stored in
SOUP packets are completely RFC-compliant so that no critical
information is lost.  Software which supports SOUP on a variety of
platforms is available.  See "Where can I get the software?" later in
this FAQ for more information.

SOUP was originally called the "Helldiver Packet Format" or HDPF, and
was devised by Rhys Weatherley ([e-mail]) near the end of 1992.
A variant of HDPF, called the "Simple Local News Packet" format or SLNP,
was devised by Philippe Goujard ([e-mail]) soon afterwards.
SOUP now combines the features of both HDPF and SLNP.  Rhys Weatherley
currently maintains the "official copy" of the format document.

The SOUP format document may be found on any (old) SimTel FTP mirror as

    msdos/offline/soup12.zip

The latest copy may also be obtained by mailing Rhys Weatherley at the
above e-mail address.

SOUP also has the ability to download "summaries" of message
areas.  That is, downloading just the header information for the
user to peruse and then choose what messages they want to be
downloaded later.  This can be useful in very large newsgroups
where a user typically only reads a few messages and wishes to
avoid downloading the rest of the "noise".  This feature is not
currently widely implemented however.


------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: What is ZipNews?
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

ZipNews is an offline reading system that was developed
independently by Jack Kilday ([e-mail]).  It is primarily
intended for Waffle, PC-Board and Wildcat! systems, although the
UQWK package can generate ZipNews packets (and process ZipNews reply
packets) on Unix systems.  Two known ZipNews compliant readers exist.
SOUP and ZipNews formats are superficially very similar, and it is
not inconceivable that a reader for one format could be adapted to
read the other format.  The original ZipNews reader can also function
as a local newsreader for Waffle system adminstrators.

------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: Where are tutorials?
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

[e-mail] (Michael Kirk)

  I still have the file (offline.zip) available thru my Home
  Page (http://cpcug.org/user/mtk/) but havn't had the time in
  months to update it.

[e-mail] (Kevin Martin)

  I have expanded and edited the Hands-On How-To in an effort
  to make it more "Web-friendly."  It now includes hot links
  to many of the add-on and maintenance utilities discussed
  here and on the YARN mailing list.

  This html version is at http://www.nic.com/~cannon/handson.html

------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: Where can I find the Good Netkeeping Seal of Approval?
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

The Good Netkeeping Seal of Approval
http://www2.thecia.net/users/rnewman/Good-Netkeeping-Seal

------------------------------

Subject: a.u.o intro: Why does Forte Agent get its own group?
From: [e-mail] (Alt.Usenet.Offline-reader FAQ)

alt.usenet.offline-reader.forte-agent was created because of the high
volume of traffic Agent/Free Agent users created which was useless to
a significant number of readers.  that's why we get most any new group.

some FAQ sites I've seen posted:

  William Guynes' site:
    http://users.arn.net/~wguynes/forteagent/agentfaq.htm
    ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/alt.usenet.offline-reader.forte-agent

  Automating Free Agent/Agent:
    http://crash.ihug.co.nz/~geoff/agentfaq.htm