GOD, I dont understand anything, why so complicated.HELP

[bartonian]

I dont know, I've used & built PC's for years, never had much of a problem learning most any software but god knows I'm new to this and it baffles me. I was dead pleased when I recently got broadband (NTL Cable) I really want to use these newsgroups.
I assumed that these servres contained huge databases that would be easy to search, to cut a long boring thing short could any kind person sugest to me how I would go about finding any of the MAX STEEL programs or where to look for any computer generated films. I use ntlworld servers if that helps and newsbin 405.
Please help

[lordsnow]

> I assumed that these servers contained huge databases
> that would be easy to search

Yes and no. I'll explain:

Programs/warez/porn/whatever is posted to a certain newsgroup. There are a LOT of newsgroups (like 100's of thousands), but your provider will probably only offer a 'small' selection (10's of thousands).

Getting what you want starts with knowing WHERE to get it (what group), and hoping it's actually there. If no-one posted it, you can't download it, right?

I have no idea what MAX STEEL is, but it sounds like a game so try the warez newsgroups. If it's not there, you can request it to be posted.

As for searching the server for what you want. Yes, of course a server keeps track of what it has. You can also query a server, but it has limitations: (a) You have to go through each likely group and ask if it contains what you want, (b) queries may be case-sensitive.

So, you could ask for: *Max Steel* in one of the Warez groups, but it won't find anything 'cause it may have been posted as MAX STEEL.

To answer your question: yes, searching is possible - but I don't know of any software that's out there that does specifically that. Kinda strange 'cause it's real easy to write.

---
This is MY snow! Get off my f'ing SNOW!

[Quade]

Max Steel is a cartoon I believe.

[kewakl]

>To answer your question: yes, searching
>is possible - but I
>don't know of any software
>that's out there that does
>specifically that. Kinda strange 'cause
>it's real easy to write.
>

Yeah, easy to write, BUT it would require GOBS of memory to hold all of the headers (you COULD write the headers to disk but performance would suffer!)
NewsBin doesn't try to do this and we still overload our RAM/CPU
with a small sample of the possible groups/servers.

Some NSPs charge for header DLs. Unless the APP were to write all headers to disk, then you would have to reDL every run.

You do know that NewsBin provides all of this info and you COULD write your OWN _DOWNLOAD_ list.

You need the following files:
GROUPS.DIC -      holds references to groups
SERVERS.DIC -    holds references to servers
(The .DIC files save diskspace - NewsBin uses the numeric to replace the group or server name in the spool/nbs file.)

and finally your desired group(s) file(s).

eg) alt.binaries.great.spool


You would need to open and read the group spool file(s.)
Open and read SERVERS.DIC and GROUPS.DIC.

_-_-_-_- DO NOT CHANGE *ANYTHING* IN THESE FILES -_-_-_-_
_-_-_-_- Maybe work with a **COPY** of the files -_-_-_-_

Replace the SERVER/GROUP references (with the actual server/group names) in your UI so that the user would know the (server/group)SOURCE of the posts.
Allow user to select which posts to tag for DL.
Write the necessary info to a simple TEXT file using the same format that NewsBin uses. Name the text file SOMETHING and include '.nbs' as the extension. Put this file in the NewsBin install folder (saves navigation.) Then you can load this file from Newsbin and DL the posts. If all is done correctly, you have created your own DOWNLOAD list.

It is possible that you could have NewsBin automatically load this .nbs file when it starts.
I have not figured out how NewsBin tracks the last (SAVED) Download File list and then restores it to the Post List when it restarts.
Quade, a bit of info on this might help.

Maybe someone would write a NewsSearchApp that works with NewsBin.

I think that this app would have the same (or MORE) problem with users loading the spools from more groups than they have memory.

[I know that I have simplified it a bit. With my limited understanding of the format of the spool/nbs/DIC files, I can only mumble in _general_ terms!]

Hey, SMITE, since it appears that you are NOT going to write the
        ABSOLUTE ULTIMATE DREAM NEWS APP
how about this one!

[kewakl]

I have been searching the forum. I know that Quade posted the general format of the spool files, but I cannot find it.
I know that the files a TAB-Delimited but I am unsure of a few fields. Please help.

Subject From MessageID ?? Server Group ?RecordNum ?Size

Is Size in LINES? How to convert to BYTES?

[kewakl]

I just loaded my alt.binaries.multimedia.spool file into a
huge-ass array using vb6.
It took 3 minutes. ~106.9 MB -- ~410000 headers.
I did NOT update the UI until the loading was finished.

w2k Task Manager shows:
Mem Usage         391,568K
VM Size             315,812K
Peak Mem usage 334,164K
Page Faults       6,747,864

Would you wait 3 minutes for NewsBin to load ONE group's headers?
It seems like VB is out (again!)

Can someone do his/hers in some C variation, just for programming language comparison?

I tried to directly populate a listview control (sorted)!
It sped until about 10000 headers - then it bogged!
I only updated the UI at MOD's of 1000 headers.

[Smite]

When looking for specific things on the newsgroups, which I don't know what groups to look at, I find these sites very usefull:
http://www.nfonews.com/
http://alpha.newzbin.com/

[kristi43]

Not sure if this will help, but Easynews news server has an advanced search. You could give it "max steele" or whatever, and it will come back with the posts and ngs that have that name in it. I've used it when I need another piece of a classical piece, or a movie. Sort of like a Google, but for binaries and everything.
Kristi
PS Advanced search is down at the moment but they indicate it should be up next week.

[Quade]

You can search the spools easily enough from within Newsbin. I think it's the 7th toolbar button. The one marked "Find".

[Quade]

LAST EDITED ON 01-24-03 AT 11:21 PM (EST)
Best bet's a virtual list control where windows asks you for the information to populate the window. That way, you're never being asked for more then perhaps 80 items at a time. How long does it take Newsbin to load this spool? It's all C++;

Don't use the sorted view. It's one reason I don't do in-order insertions. It's way too slow. Better to load in any order then apply a sort to the whole thing.

I use a "hash_set" to hold each line. Each line represents one post on N servers, the stuff at the end is the server index,group index, record number and size of the post.

[SUBJECT][FROM][MESSAGEID][DATE][SINDEX][GINDEX][RECORD][SIZE]....

[SINDEX][GINDEX][RECORD][SIZE] - repeated for each server it's on.

Groups.dic and servers.dic supply the group/server mapping index.

Estimated size in bytes as reported by XOVER (meaning it might not be right)

[kristi43]

I did not assume that they had already d/l'ed it, but was wondering which ng to subscribe to to find it...

But since you brought up that feature and I had not explored it I went and did a search on something I knew was in the spool. Nothing! <puzzled emoticon> read in the manual, and looked in the parsing guide. Tried it again. Still nothing! <bigger puzzled emoticon!!!> Happened to notice I had "show new posts" checked... Duh!!!!!!! Voila! Image link not allowed for unregistered users Thanks for nudging me in that direction - I can see where that would be very very useful for me!
Kristi

[Smite]

Again, that checkbox needs relabeled and/or the logic rewritten. Currently it's still "Only show new posts", or "Do not show old posts", in the stackable format though, having a "Show old posts" box would make much more sense.

[kristi43]

Well... perhaps the boxes need to be relabeled, and some of the instructions need to be re-written as to labels, (and etc, etc etc), but
a) I was able to figure it out, and
b) that is an ongoing process anyway, I feel....

So I am happy :7 and anything I can't figure out, I get a quick answer to. I learned back in '63 not to expect perfection from a computer, as a 7074 added 2+2 and came up with 5 (shortly thereafter we discovered that the AC looked much like a glacier! LOL! Image link not allowed for unregistered users Amazing to think back to those days and giggle!

Since I am reading the "manual" from the front, I did entertain briefly the idea of noting where it is "inaccurate" (result of program evolution), and letting them know, but with them working on another release (so they can charge us tons more $$$ Image link not allowed for unregistered users ), it doesn't make a lot of sense. Maybe when the new release is out there will be a time and a place (web bin) to post the incongruities and bring things more into line. Then again, maybe we'll be too bored, or busy, or ......

Onward!

[Smite]

Well, I think the NB5 interface will be similar enough that pointing out inconsistancies in NB4 will most likely also apply to NB5.

And as for "so they can charge us tons more $$$", I hope you realize that so far they're running on a "pay once, use every version forever" policy? (ie: when you bought 3.x or 4.x, you got the right to use 382910432.x as well)

[itimpi]

Strictly speaking the license allows them to charge when major version numbers change. Having said that all upgrades so far have been free - and we have already been told that the upgrade to NB5 will be free.

[kristi43]

LAST EDITED ON 01-25-03 AT 05:12 PM (EST)

[kristi43]

LAST EDITED ON 01-25-03 AT 05:12 PM (EST)

[Smite]

Heh, nope, afraid you misread that:

From the purchase page:
"NewsBin Professional has a one time registration fee of $35.00.  All upgrades above 4.0 (yes, that includes future 5.0+) will be free to registered users.  If you have registered version 3.0 or higher, you do not have to purchase another key"

And from the NB license:
"DJI Interprises, LLC ("DJII") grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license (the "License") to install and use the current version of DJII’s software product NewsBin Professional, including the accompanying user documentation and any later versions within the same major release series (collectively, "NewsBin")"

In other words, you have paid for Newsbin, and all DJI Interprises products that fall into the Newsbin line, including every future version. "Major version numbers" have no bearing on it.

That said, people who purchase newsbin in the future aren't guaraunteed the same licence, but for those of us that have already paid, we're set for life.

Well, it's possible they could release a very similar news reader under a series other than the "Newsbin" one, and we would not have a licence to use it, but that would be very underhanded of them.

[Smite]

I'm afraid the wink didn't convey that all that well, and I felt it was neccisary to clarify the point for anyone reading this that did not know about the current terms of licence. I'm glad you weren't one of them.

[kristi43]

What would we do without our forum monitor?

[kristi43]

What would we do without our forum monitor?

[Smite]

Probably just argue with me less.

<shrug> I don't see any harm in clarifying/correcting someone else's comments if I think it would confuse/mislead a newcomer, but that's rarely the kind of post I make. I hardly consider myself a "monitor".

In this case, I happened to be replying anyhow, so I threw it in there.