home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- New features in release 6.4 (compared to release 6.3.10):
- ---------------------------------------------------------
-
- Incompatible changes:
- Regular expressions in kill file are now CASE INSENSITIVE by default.
- - must use '/=' instead of '/' to get 6.3 behaviour.
-
- Major improvements:
- Uses standard .newsrc
- Individual articles can be left unread between invocations.
- Even individual digest sub-articles can remain unread!!!
- Articles can also remain "selected" between invocations.
- New faster expiration in database
- Unsubscribed groups can be omitted from .newsrc.
- More flexible and configureable installation.
- Locking to avoid simultaneous use of nn.
- Global database locking.
- Optional accounting, quota, and authorization possibilities.
- Presentation sequence can now be (partially) based on .newsrc
- Nnmaster can automatically archive all new articles in selected groups.
- Related groups can be merged into one group when shown to the user.
- Menus are now sorted in "subject age" order.
- Map command can now include definition of anonymous macroes.
- Auto kill/select possibilities significantly expanded.
-
-
- Level of program changes (from user's point of view):
- *** => new program, ** => major changes/rewrite, * => minor changes
-
- ** nn(1) The news reader program
- *** nnacct(1m) Accounting, quota, and access management
- * nnadmin(1m) The administration program (link to nn)
- * nncheck(1) Check for unread articles (link to nn)
- ** nngoback(1) Mark older articles as unread (link to nn)
- *** nngrab(1) Faster keyword search
- ** nngrep(1) Grep for news groups (link to nn)
- ** nnmaster(8) Database manager
- *** nnpost(1) Standalone posting program (link to nn).
- *** nnspew(8) Subject list maintenance
- ** nntidy(1) Cleans up the rc file (link to nn)
- *** nnstats(1m) Collection and expiration statistics
- * nnusage(1) Show usage statistics
-
-
- Changes in standard key mappings:
- ---------------------------------
-
- selection mode:
- CR -> continue-no-mark (IMPORTANT!)
- J -> junk-articles
- L -> leave-next
- " -> layout
-
- reading mode:
- L -> leave-next
-
-
- New key commands:
- -----------------
-
- continue-no-mark (CR)
- junk-articles (J)
- leave-next (L)
-
-
- New control structures in init file
- -----------------------------------
-
- on host ... end Execute only on specified hosts
- on term ... end Execute only on specified terminals
- on slow ... end Execute only at slow speed
- on fast ... end Execute only at higher speeds (>2400)
- save-files ... end Specify default save files for groups
- without messing up the sequence.
-
- :bug send a bug report
- :cost show current accounting figures
- :local VARIABLE [VALUE] make VARIABLE local to current group [and set to VALUE]
- :rmail read incoming mail (no update)
- :show rc [GROUP] show (current) GROUPS .newsrc entry
-
- New menu sorting methods
- ------------------------
-
- :sort sender
- :sort lexical
- :sort subject (will order subjects according to age of first article)
-
-
- New variables
- -------------
-
- append-signature-mail Explicitly append .signature to outgoing mail
- append-signature-post Explicitly append .signature to posted articles
- attributes Article attribute symbols
- auto-junk-seen Automatically mark seen articles read
- auto-preview-mode Enter preview mode when selecting an article on menu
- backup (new semantics) Keep backup of rc file (-B)
- backup-suffix STR String to append to backup file names (.bak)
- bug-report-address Mail address for the :bug command
- case-fold-search String and pattern matching is case independent (! -i)
- collapse-subject Offset at which long subjects are compressed
- confirm-auto-quit User must confirm quit after reading last group
- confirm-create User must confirm creation of new files
- confirm-entry User must confirm entry to groups
- confirm-entry-limit N - confirm only for groups with more than N unread art.
- confirm-junk-seen Ask for confirmation before marking seen articles read
- cross-filter-seq Show cross posted articles in first group in sequence
- data-bits N Screen output is 7 or 8 bits
- decode-skip-prefix N Automatically unshar uuencoded articles if N>0
- edit-patch-command Allow user to edit command used by :patch before exec
- edit-print-command Allow user to edit command used by :print before exec
- edit-unshar-command Allow user to edit command used by :unshar before exec
- edit-response-check Don't send articles if they are not edited.
- editor CMD Use speficied editor instead of $EDITOR
- entry-report-limit N Give entry report for groups with >N unread articles
- expired-message-delay N Wait for N seconds after telling article is expired.
- flush-typeahead Flush typeahead before reading each command
- include-full-header M command includes full header in mailed articles.
- keep-unsubscribed Keep unsubscribed groups in .newsrc
- mailer CMD Use CMD to send outgoing mail
- mailer-pipe-input 'mailer' reads standard input/takes file argument
- mmdf-format Folders are written in MMDF format
- new-group-action N Specifies how NEW groups are handles -- see :man
- newsrc FILE Specify alternative .newsrc file (new semantics)
- nntp-cache-dir DIR Alternative directory for nntp cache files
- nntp-cache-size N Max number of different files in cache.
- orig-to-include-mask N Specifies which header fields are placed in Orig-To:
- preview-continuation N Specifies what to do after preview of one article
- preview-mark-read Previewing an article marks it read
- query-signature Ask for confirmation before appending .signature
- quick-count Use quick method to count unread articles in .newsrc
- re-layout N Presentation of Re: prefixes on menu subjects
- repeat-group-query Cause 'nn -g' to repeat group query (-r)
- report-cost Report cost of session on exit
- response-check-pause N Wait N seconds after mailing/posting for error check
- response-default-answer STR Default answer to action prompt
- retain-seen-status Retain articles' seen status between invocations
- retry-on-error N Retry N times if open of article fails
- save-counter-offset First value of save counter
- scroll-clear-page Scrolling clears page before drawing next page
- select-on-sender Should = command on menu match on sender or subject
- select-leave-next Ask to mark leave-next articles selected on entry
- slow-mode Minimize screen output
- slow-speed SPEED 'on slow' clause is true for this and lower speeds
- sort-mode N Default sort mode for menus and :sort command
- spell-checker CMD Spelling checker for edited messages (one arg)
- subject-match-limit N Treat subjects matching in N characters as identical
- subject-match-offset N Skip N characters of subjects before comparison
- subject-match-parts Treat subjects matching upto first digit as idential
- suggest-default-save Show default save file name on prompt line.
- tidy-newsrc Automatically remove garbage from .newsrc
- update-frequency N Write .newsrc for every N groups
- use-selections Use select file
- visible-bell Use visible bell if defined in termcap/terminfo
- wrap-header-margin Fold long header lines over multiple lines
-
-
- New options:
- ------------
-
- nnmaster: -G -l [lock message] -i -H -k -O -X
- -I [limit] -D [level] -Q [[!]group]...
- nntidy: -N -Q -v -a -c -i -r -s -u
- nngrep: -a -n -p -r -s -u -l
- nncheck: -c [groups]...
- nngoback: -v -i [groups]...
- nn: -Ifiles -nsender -i
-
- nnadmin changes
- ---------------
-
- E)xpire and I)nitialize commands now requires confirmation also when
- called from command line:
- nnadmin =EYW -- request expire (from cron)
- nnadmin IY -- request rebuild
-
- Z)ap in GROUP menu -- will call rmgroup to remove group.
- V)alidation can now be run from nn's :admin command.
- D)ump entry on master menu.
- ! - will fork subshell on all menus.
-
-
- Other changes (highlights):
- ---------------------------
-
- NOTICE: nn no longer relies on the `min' field in the active file to
- detect expire. So there is no need to run the `upact' program
- with Cnews anymore.
-
- nntidy, nngoback and nngrep are now integrated into nn giving them a
- much greater flexibility, e.g. you can go back on individual groups or
- hierarchies (interactively).
-
- nnmaster can now ignore and optionally remove badly formed and
- out-dated articles in the news spool directory (not with NNTP).
- This can give more accurate numbers of unread articles, and also
- smaller databases.
-
- Individual groups and group hierarchies can now be permanently
- excluded from the database, and per-group flags can be permanantly set
- in the GROUPS file. Groups can be automatically archived and archive
- is directly available from nn. Some possibilities are:
-
- R recollect all articles on every scan
- X ignore group
- D always try to split articles as digests
- N never attempt to digest articles
- >file append all new articles to file
-
- '*' part counter can now be specified anywhere in save file names.
- Several roblems with `$N' has been fixed.
-
- Default save file names are now expanded ($L/$F/$G) when shown.
-
- RC, RC:nnn, and RC:string forms can now be specified in the
- presentation sequence to use all or part of .newsrc as the
- group order information when building presentation sequence.
-
- The kill file can now contain entries which "trigger" on matching more
- than one field or value, and it may also contain "kill unless" entries.
- For example, to kill all articles NOT from ME on subject "XY.*Z:" :
- group:~n=&s/:ME:XY.*Z\:
- (these complex entries must be entered manually into the kill file).
-
- Kill entries can work for a set of groups specified with a regular
- expression, e.g. /^news\.*:+n=:Kim F. Storm
-
- Timezone is now considered when sorting articles on date.
-
- Single character arrow keys are no longer recognized as arrow keys if
- they send the same code as "erase" "kill" "interrupt" CR or NL!!!
-
- Now parses "n", "x", and "=group" codes in the active file and handles
- groups accordingly.
-
- Unsubscribed groups can now be omitted from .newsrc provided
- new-group-action is set appropriately. It uses per-group creation
- time stamps saved either in a .nn/LAST file or an rn compatible
- .rnlast file.
-
- nnmaster will now dynamically expand the MASTER file, and thus never
- run out of "free group slots".
-
- "q" and "Q" can now be used in addition to ^G and "interrupt" to
- break out of multi-page listings (hit any key to continue).
-
- nn -a0 will now allow you to (U)nsubscribe to a group and (r)ead a
- group directly. It also accepts a (q)uit answer.
-
- Return value when saving through a pipe is now checked and an error
- message is given if the command failed.
-
- Multiple, alternative init files can now be specified to nn via the -I
- option:
- nn -Ia,,b First read a, then global init file, then b.
- nn -I,init This is the default (read global, then local file)
-
- "on term" can now match several terminal types, e.g. "on term t1 t2 t9"
-
- G command now acts "reasonnable" on empty reply to the "number of
- (extra) articles" prompt:
- If goto another group with unread articles => j
- If goto another group without unread articles => a
- If goto same group with more unread articles => u
- If goto same group without more unread articles => a
-
- The G command can now search on sender as well as subject (and both).
-
- Cross postings are now eliminated according to the presentation
- sequence rather than the Newsgroups: line by default. Here is what
- Wayne Davison has said about the new method:
-
- Now that I have been using "tn"s article selector and see the same
- subjects appear in a second group, I agree with you totally that
- your new method of handling cross-posted articles is the right way
- to go. It gets especially annoying when I have marked a
- cross-posted article as unread in one group and encounter it in a
- second group -- I must remember to mark it unread again or it will
- be marked as read in both groups. Just thought you might like to
- know.
-
-
- Four new "selectors" in group sequence. Neither of these include
- anything directly in the sequence, but they will EXCLUDE groups from
- the sequence:
- !:X groups excludes groups not in .newsrc, e.g. "!:X alt*"
- will exclude all "alt" groups not found in .newsrc.
- !:O groups exclude groups unless they are new, e.g.
- "!:O bionet*" will ignore OLD bionet groups even
- when they occur in .newsrc.
- !:U groups exclude unsubscribed groups.
- !:N groups exclude new groups.
-
-
- $(VAR) is now expanded in file names (VAR is an environment variable).
-
- And lots more if you upgrade from 6.3.0!!!
-