Re: Strange server names confusion

[prj@po.cwru.edu (Paul Jarc)]

Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE (Kai Großjohann) wrote:
> Simon Josefsson <jas@extundo.com> writes:
>> Foreign groups are identified by the name of the server (car of each
>> entry in `gnus-server-alist').
> 
> And secondary groups are identified in some other way?

Here's the story AIUI.  Every select method has a first element (the
backend) and a second element (which you and I might have thought of
as the "name" but which Gnus calls the "address").  Some select
methods (the primary and foreign ones) also have "server names".  The
primary select method's name is "native", and a foreign method's name
is its key in gnus-server-alist.  Secondary select methods do not have
"server names".

gnus-server-to-method maps strings to select methods.  It accepts two
kinds of strings: server names, for methods that have them, and
"backend:address", for all methods.

gnus-method-to-server-name, despite the name, does not map methods to
server names.  It maps methods to server identifications as they would
appear in fully qualified group names - either "backend", if the
address is "", or "backend+address".

> Does this mean I can have two secondary servers with the same name (as
> long as the backend is different), but not two foreign servers with
> the same name?

You can have two servers of any kind with the same "address" if they
have different backends.  You cannot have two servers of any kind with
the same "name".  I think.

> Well, I tried to enter "nntp:quimby" (with quotes) after `G e' on the
> group, then I tried to enter the group -- no dice.  But with "quimby"
> (with quotes), it worked.

I think "nntp:quimby.gnus.org" would work, assuming "quimby.gnus.org"
is the second element of your select method.


paul