(setq nntp-server-list-active-group 'nil) - will it break anything?

(setq nntp-server-list-active-group 'nil) - will it break anything?

[Mike McEwan]

Hi,
   Quassia is in the clear (as I suspected :-)), I've finally
discovered what was going on with my attempts at running gnus
`agentized'.

  It would appear gnus attempts to obtain its information on a given
newsgroup via `LIST ACTIVE group', but if for some reason the server
doesn't support this a `GROUP group' is performed instead. Please tell 
me if I'm wildly off track here, I'm completely new to emacs lisp.

  My particular ISP's server seems to have a distinct lag between the
article counts returned from `LIST ACTIVE group' as opposed to using
the `GROUP' command. The output of `LIST ACTIVE group' would appear to
be incremented very occasionally, perhaps hours in between, I haven't
timed it. Is this usual, my knowledge of NNTP server operation is
limited? 

  Anyway this explains why I was seeing many more articles being
downloaded from my ISP by leafnode as opposed to gnus. Leafnode only
uses the `GROUP' command. Having mooched around in nntp.el I noticed:- 

(defvoo nntp-server-list-active-group 'try)

  I've changed this variable in my .gnus to `nil' and everything seems 
okay - *all* articles downloaded. My question is, will/does this break 
anything?

-- 
Regards, Mike.

Re: (setq nntp-server-list-active-group 'nil) - will it break anything?

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Mike McEwan <mike@lotusland.demon.co.uk> writes:

>   My particular ISP's server seems to have a distinct lag between the
> article counts returned from `LIST ACTIVE group' as opposed to using
> the `GROUP' command. The output of `LIST ACTIVE group' would appear to
> be incremented very occasionally, perhaps hours in between, I haven't
> timed it. Is this usual, my knowledge of NNTP server operation is
> limited? 

There usually is a lag, but it should be minutes, not hours.  It
sounds to me like the news server isn't flushing its active file as
often as it should.

> (defvoo nntp-server-list-active-group 'try)
> 
>   I've changed this variable in my .gnus to `nil' and everything seems 
> okay - *all* articles downloaded. My question is, will/does this break 
> anything?

Nope; it won't break anything.  

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