Xref: utzoo news.software.nn:846 news.software.b:5338
Path: utzoo!utstat!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ub!acsu.buffalo.edu
From: pjg@acsu.buffalo.edu (Paul Graham)
Newsgroups: news.software.nn,news.software.b
Subject: thread following is nice (trn)
Summary: i like trn
Message-ID: <32148@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Date: 5 Aug 90 21:59:40 GMT
Sender: news@acsu.Buffalo.EDU
Followup-To: news.software.nn
Organization: University at Buffalo
Lines: 51
Nntp-Posting-Host: urth.acsu.buffalo.edu

well i've used trn for a bit and it's got some good stuff.  the thread
menu looks amazingly like an nn menu.  letters, numbers, `.', `,', `@'
are all there and do what you expect.  so can space.  this is clearly a
*good* thing.  (switching on threads has a threshhold, but since i'm
used to nn -- now --  i set the threshold to 1. thus it looks even more
like nn).  here's what a discussion looks like (via the t command):

[1] Imagine if you couldn't use compress any more
[2] Clear enough. [was Re: Imagine.]

 -( )+-(1)+-(1)
     |    \-(1)+-(1)+-(1)
     |         |    \-(1)+-(1)
     |         |         \-(1)
     |         \-(1)+-(1)--(1)
     |              |-(1)--(1)
     |              |-(1)--(1)--[1]
     |              \-(1)--[1]+-[1]
     |                        \-[1]
     |-(1)--(1)+-(2)
     |         \-(1)--(1)--(1)--(1)
     \-( )--(1)
 -(1)
 -(1)

the numbers replace the subject and the differing brackets tell you
what you've read.  things are hilited to show current and last
position.  while reading you just get a fragment of this up in the
corner.  a command brings the whole thing up.

so what's wrong?  well although you can move back and forth you can't
control where you go at a node with children (it reads things depth
first, which makes sense) so it's tricky moving to just the right
node.  of course since you can't tell what's in a given node perhaps
that doesn't mean much but . . .

the empty nodes are in other newsgroups.  *major* flaw, you can't move
across newsgroups.  posters aren't so kind.  this particular discussion
is happening in three newsgroups and people have managed to isolate
pieces in various groups.  (aside, there goes another 6M to a database.)

my complaints are based upon my limited experience and it may be that
i just don't know what i'm doing.

i put this in .nn so kim can see how neat this is and go like
gangbusters.  i put this in .b because it's better than news.misc
for this subject. perhaps we do need a news.readers.misc.

and despite problems with broken references you should see what a 70
article thread with 7 subject lines looks like.  now i want xtrn.
with graphics (not like xrn).