Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!bellcore!ALEX.wif.ctt.bellcore.com!pc From: pc@ctt.ctt.bellcore.com Newsgroups: news.software.nntp Subject: nntp help sought. Message-ID: <1991Apr10.134456.23193@bellcore.bellcore.com> Date: 10 Apr 91 13:44:56 GMT References: <1991Apr10.035259.14710@watserv1.waterloo.edu> Sender: usenet@bellcore.bellcore.com (Poster of News) Reply-To: Organization: Bellcore - Wierd Ideas Factory Lines: 32 In article <1991Apr10.035259.14710@watserv1.waterloo.edu> ssingh@watserv1.waterloo.edu (Sneaky Sanj ;-) writes: > I would like to read some of these groups elsewhere via NNTP, but > I have no idea what this is, really. Nor do I know how to enable it. > Just that it is tied to rrn in some way. NNTP is a protocol usually run over TCP that moves information about available articles, newsgroups etc. to a user on a remote machine. rrn is a version of rn that uses this protocol to read news from such a remote machine rather than local spool files. > I have heard that rrn/rn software here has been modified to prevent > reading news from alternate sources. Is there any way I can tell > that this has been done? well, you could dump the binary... many versions of rrn allow an environment variable to set the NNTP server. something like setenv NNTPSERVER somehost man rrn might tell you about your version. there is nothing to prevent local systems people compiling without this option, or otherwise hacking the code. you are a guest on their machines after all: it's difficult to claim you have a right to read something they consider offensive. with proper arrangements one could produce a version of rrn given the source, that read its news from an outside host, but you would have to make arrangements with said outside host. most such hosts do not allow connections to NNTP for other than Xfer purposes. peter clitherow, bellcore, pc@bellcore.com 444 hoes lane, room 1h-213, piscataway, nj 08854-4182 (908) 699-3322