Xref: utzoo comp.unix.internals:2190 comp.unix.wizards:24304
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!noao!amethyst!arizona!chrisn
From: chrisn@cs.arizona.edu (Christopher E. Niswander)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.internals,comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: newsreaders may ignore comp.unix.wizards
Summary: Regarding drivellers...
Message-ID: <977@caslon.cs.arizona.edu>
Date: 28 Feb 91 22:41:10 GMT
References: <2590@root44.co.uk> <1991Feb25.142140.4552@gjetor.geac.COM> <1991Feb27.014901.5228@csn.org>
Followup-To: comp.unix.internals, comp.unix.wizards
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson
Lines: 30

In article <1991Feb27.014901.5228@csn.org>, cdash@margaux.colorado.edu (Charles Shub) writes:
> In article <whatever> adeboer@gjetor.geac.COM (Anthony DeBoer) writes:
> =>  In article <2590@root44.co.uk> gwc@root.co.uk (Geoff Clare) writes:
> =>  >A little investigation revealed that my newsreader (nn) had ignored it
> =>  >because my .newsrc still had a line left over from the last incarnation of
> =>  >comp.unix.wizards showing articles 1-19898 as read.  As the re-created
> =>  >group started again from article number 1, nn has been treating all
> =>  >articles as already read.  Other newsreaders may be doing the same.
> =>  
> => Now, isn't this the sort of thing that would only be caught by a wizard? This
> 
> OBVIOUSLY NOT.  Just look at the drivel that has appeared here since the
> recreattion.

You don't have to catch that glitch to read comp.unix.wizards; you only need
to have a .newsrc that was created since the last incarnation.  So we drivelling
newcomers with new accounts (or who just happened to completely re-initialize
our .newsrc for some reason) can read comp.unix.wizards without even
having to think.  Only old-timers with old accounts must catch the problem to
read the newsgroup.  So maybe the restart glitch _does_ have an influence
on the recent drivel quotient of comp.unix.wizards, but an effect _opposite_
to what Geoff Clare might have expected. ;^)


chrisn@cs.arizona.edu         (Chris Niswander / PO Box 857 / Oracle AZ 85623)

Disclaimer:  I didn't write this.  Someone else is using my account.  I am in
	     a small village in Baja California 80 miles from the nearest
	     telephone, getting ready for the eclipse.
Disclaimer': I don't believe my opinions; why should you?