Re: Connecting to a newsserver with nntp.

[larsi@ifi.uio.no (Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen)]

gsstark@MIT.EDU (Greg Stark) writes:

> There are lots of problems with trying to determine if the host is up through
> some other mechinism like ping.  Trusting two different protocols to agree
> about whether the host is available is going to be inherently unreliable.

That's true, but if one knows that a server doesn't answer pings, then
it is down (and vice versa, etc.), then it would be nice to be able to
ping the server first.  YMMV.  So adding a `nntp-ping-before-connect'
variable (nil by default) seems like a reasonable idea.

> The real answer regarding C-g is to implement asynchronous backend
> interfaces.  Then Gnus can initiate connections to the nntp backend
> and your mail backend and allow you to read your mail while the nntp
> backend is still waiting to time out.  Lars has already indicated
> that this is in the cards for Red Gnus.  (Right Lars?)

Yup.  I've written parts of if already, even.

--
  "Yes.  The journey through the human heart 
     would have to wait until some other time."