Re: Agent startup (how it works)

[Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com>]

Dan Christensen <jdc@jhu.edu> writes:

> Laura Conrad <lconrad@concord.com> writes:
> > Dan Christensen <jdc@jhu.edu> writes:
> > > Robert Epprecht <epprecht@sunweb.ch> writes:
> > > > ;; =========== .emacs
> > > > (require 'gnus-agent)
> > > 
> > > > put (gnus-agentize) at the end of .gnus.el
> > > 
> > > It would be nice if both of these steps were unnecessary.  Is there
> > > any reason that Gnus isn't always agentized?  Besides the "Plugged" in
> > > the mode line, would a typical non-agent user even notice a
> > > difference?
> > 
> > Your news postings and email would never get sent, if you didn't say
> > "J S". 
> 
> Why not?  `M-x gnus' would start Gnus plugged.  And when plugged,
> doesn't Gnus send mail and news immediately?
> 
> > That's actually one of the things I don't like about the design of the
> > agent -- I don't think it should affect your mail at all unless you
> > agentize the mail server.
> 
> When unplugged:
> 
> I think that Gnus should fetch incoming mail if the mail server isn't
> agentized (and not fetch it if the mail server is agentized).  ("The"
> mail server really means any mail server which has the get-new-mail
> variable set.)
> 
> And similarly for incoming news.

Agent already does this for incoming news ( on unagentized servers)

> For outgoing mail and news, I think the behaviour should be controlled
> by a new variable.  For example, something like `gnus-agent-queue'
> with possible values `t' (or `both'), `news', `mail' and `nil' (or `none').

This might be a possible course, but my own feeling is that when
"unplugged", gnus should behave as if actually unplugged, that is, no
racing on-line if you happen to press <RET> on a group belonging to an
unagentized server (nntp).  Currently the behavior is mixed and
confusing.

At present , no mail can be gotten when unplugged, yet news in
unagentized nntp groups can.  But try to send a message while in that
group and it isn't sent but queued, even though you are actually
on-line yet unplugged.

I think it would be lots less confusing if the behavior was consistent
across all groups.  When unplugged, no plugged type activity.

Anything that gnus can access on the local machine, should be possible
while unplugged or plugged.  Mail on the local spool should  be able
to be incorporated.  Same for any News spool on the local machine. If
it doens't require going online then gnus should be able to do it
"unplugged". 

The "can't do that while unplugged" message you get when pressing 
`J s' should have a concomitant message that comes up when pressing 
`C-c C-c' while unplugged, telling you that you have queued a message and
not "sent" it.  Don't know how others do, but I often forget to send
them.  Or forget that I am unplugged, close gnus, later wondering why
my message isn't showing up. Then later still, when batching, I see
something being sent and wonder what the heck it was.

That mode line message just isn't making it for me.
Of course, that may just be early onset senility....