🚀 go-pugleaf

>Path: funic!fuug!mcsun!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!arizona.edu!carat.arizona.edu!jms
>From: jms@carat.arizona.edu (Joel M-for-Vnews Snyder)
>Newsgroups: news.software.readers
>Subject: VNEWS 1.4 Beta ready for final testing (VAX/VMS)
>Message-ID: <11JUL199115003344@carat.arizona.edu>
>Date: 11 Jul 91 22:00:00 GMT
>Reply-To: jms@arizona.edu
>Distribution: world,local
>Organization: University of Arizona MIS Department - Mosaic Group
>Lines: 69
>Nntp-Posting-Host: carat-p2p.mis.arizona.edu
>News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  Lines: 69

VNEWS V1.4 (beta 1) is now ready for final testing.  This is the
Beta release, and is believed to be free of bugs which cause
crashing and burning.  This version replaces all previous Alpha versions.

(For those of you who don't know, VNEWS is a NNTP-based news reader,
for VAX/VMS systems, which looks remarkably like rn.  VNEWS supports
TGV Multinet, Wollongong WINS/TCP, Process Software's TCPware, 
CMU TEK TCP/IP, Digital's UCX and DECnet.  It also supports VMS versions 4 
and 5.)


To get VNEWS 1.4 Beta 1:

	ftp arizona.edu
	user anonymous
	cd netusers:[jms.vnews-beta1]
	mget *.*
	cd netusers:[jms.vnews-beta1.docs]
	mget *.*				! possibly to a different
						! local directory, eh?

Then, be sure to READ the 0*.* files (a readme and a short installation
note).  You will need a FORTRAN compiler, and possibly a Macro compiler,
and even a C compiler (if you run CMU).

As always, bug reports should come to me; fixes for detected bugs are
always appreciated.  (preferred addresses: jms@carat.arizona.edu or
jms@sovset.bitnet [same thing])

This version has all known bugs fixed, and has all of the features which
1.4 will have in it.  If you have a suggestion for a major new feature, it
will go into 1.5, which will not be out for a while.*

Many thanks to all of you who helped with the Alphas, especially Pat
Rankin, Ehud Gavron, Jim Gerland, Bruce Miller, Marc Shannon, Vance
Hammerly, Warren Massey, and a bunch of you who sent in bug reports.

IF YOU INSTALL VNEWS.CLD INTO YOUR SYSTEM TABLES -- beware!  This version
has a new switch (/autocatchup) which makes it incompatible with earlier
versions.  You will have to put a new VNEWS.CLD into DCLTABLES  - or -
simply delete VNEWS from your system DCLTABLES and use the foreign
command version.

Most, if not all, problems come from unusual definitions of MAIL$EDIT,
particularly from you VMS gurus there.  If you have MAIL$EDIT point
to a weird command file, make sure that you realize the VNEWS calls
MAIL$EDIT with TWO arguments - input, and output.  Also: consider simply
defining NNTP_VISUAL as CALLABLE_EDT or CALLABLE_TPU and saving yourself
the headaches.

If anyone out there is willing to update the documentation, please go
at it!  I think it needs a lot of help!   The final distribution will
have substantially more information, in the form of the relevant RFCs
and a set of the news.announce.newusers messages. 

I will be developing a VNEWS quick reference card for you to distribute
to your users.  Any suggestions on how best to distribute it?  (i.e.,
only ASCII, or perhaps Postscript?)  

Best wishes, and good luck!

Joel M Snyder, 627 E Speedway, 85705  Phone: 602.626.8680 FAX: 602.795.0900
The Mosaic Group, Dep't of MIS, the University of Arizona, Tucson
BITNET: jms@sovset  Internet: jms@carat.arizona.edu  SPAN: 47541::carat::jms   
"Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose." - Gracian


* "a while" - defined as time it takes me to finish my dissertation plus
a few weeks.