reading from DejaNews or from a foreign server

reading from DejaNews or from a foreign server

[Jack Vinson]

Well, it looks like I will need to do more News reading from a different
source.  The news server at work blows.

When I try to connect to dejanews with 'G w,' I don't seem to be getting
any articles, even when I specify very busy groups like comp.lang.c.  I get
the message "Couldn't request group: No matching articles."  Maybe I don't
quite get how that is supposed to work.  (I was hoping to simply to connect
to the group and start reading, but the *Info* page makes it sound like
that is difficult at best.)

So, the other option is to connect to my school server from work.  I would
like to do this as a foreign server.

I tried the obvious: gnus-browse-foreign-server, but I get errors on
connecting.  My guess is that I need to telnet in and then connect to the
news server.  I am guessing I need to set the nntp-open-connection-function
to nntp-open-telnet, but it is not clear how to do this only for the
foreign group.  How do I set the the secondary-select-method to get happy?

What if the news server I am familiar with is a spool, but on a foreign
server?  Does that even make sense?  It would need my login ID and password
if they aren't the same as the ones on this system, right? 

-- 
Jack Vinson <jvinson@chevax.ecs.umass.edu>    http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~vinson/
Zippy: I'm reporting for duty as a modern person.  I want to do
 the Latin Hustle now!

Re: reading from DejaNews or from a foreign server

[Jack Vinson]

Let's try this again....

I have access to a nntp news server called news.bob.com.  However, I
can only get to that news server if I first login to one of the machines at
bob.com (let's go with foo.bob.com).  What do I need to do to get news from
this server?

I've tried a couple iterations around a select method like this, based on
the vague clues in the *info* file
'(nntp "bob"
       (nntp-address "news.bob.com")
       (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet)
 )

or

'(nntp "bob2"
       (nntp-address "foo.bob.com")
       (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet)
       (nntp-telnet-parameters '("exec" "telnet" "-8" "news.bob.com" "nntp"))
       )

Of course, none of this works.  Could it simply be that telnet from NT
doesn't understand all the proper switches?

-- 
Jack Vinson <jvinson@chevax.ecs.umass.edu>    http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~vinson/
Zippy: Okay, BARBRA STREISAND, I recognize you now!!  Also EFREM ZIMBALIST,
 JUNIOR!!  And BEAUMONT NEWHALL!!  Everybody into th' BATHROOM!

Re: reading from DejaNews or from a foreign server

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Jack Vinson <jvinson@chevax.ecs.umass.edu> writes:

> When I try to connect to dejanews with 'G w,' I don't seem to be getting
> any articles, even when I specify very busy groups like comp.lang.c.  I get
> the message "Couldn't request group: No matching articles."  Maybe I don't
> quite get how that is supposed to work.  (I was hoping to simply to connect
> to the group and start reading, but the *Info* page makes it sound like
> that is difficult at best.)

`G w' will search for articles containing the string "comp.lang.c".

Anyway, DejaNews have changed their layout yet again, so I wouldn't be 
surprised if nnweb broke again.

> I tried the obvious: gnus-browse-foreign-server, but I get errors on
> connecting.  My guess is that I need to telnet in and then connect to the
> news server.  I am guessing I need to set the nntp-open-connection-function
> to nntp-open-telnet, but it is not clear how to do this only for the
> foreign group.  How do I set the the secondary-select-method to get happy?

Create a virtual server with the right settings in the server buffer,
and then give the name of this server when you are prompted for a
backend when `B'ing.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: reading from DejaNews or from a foreign server

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Jack Vinson <jvinson@chevax.ecs.umass.edu> writes:

> '(nntp "bob2"
>        (nntp-address "foo.bob.com")
>        (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet)
>        (nntp-telnet-parameters '("exec" "telnet" "-8" "news.bob.com" "nntp"))
>        )
> 
> Of course, none of this works.  Could it simply be that telnet from NT
> doesn't understand all the proper switches?

Is foo.bob.com an NT machine?  If not, then telnet isn't run on an NT
box, which means that it doesn't matter much...

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen