Release Notes for VNEWS, 1.41.				September, 1991

VNEWS 1.41 is a maintenance release designed to fix a few bugs that got
past the beta tests for VNEWS 1.40.  

Changes to 1.40:

Cancel command fixed to only check user@site.
Let user edit a file twice without restoring original mistake.
Be more forgiving of server errors.
Centralize all output for ease in converting to Japanese.
Break CMD.FOR into two separate pieces for ease of updating.
Change version number.
Make DECnet node names be up to 64 characters long.
Add new logical name NNTP_HOST_NAME which can override local TCP/IP host name.
Add Q! command to abort run.
Fix MAKEFILE, LINK_VNEWS and COMPILE_VNEWS for minor bug in Multinet compiling.
Speed up loading of new groups.
Deal in a more friendly way with very long group names.
Fix $ command not working.


Here are the things which I know are wrong with VNEWS, but have not
fixed.  All of you out there are invited to pitch in and provide fixes
to these problems.  There will probably not be a maintenance release for
another month or so, and a new functional release will go out in time
for DECUS Fall Anaheim.  

Also: Anyone who provided (or provides) a bug fix to VNEWS is entitled to 
drink free beer on my tab at DECUS Anaheim.


1) If the editor acts in an antisocial way and changes your default width
and length (screen), VNEWS does not detect this and clean up.  

2) Some TCP/IPs think that timezone names can be longer than the RFC
thinks that they should be.  This should be detected and complained about.

3) There is no VNEWS reference card, and there should be.

4) FUSION/TCP is not supported.

5) Crossposting is not supported (minor change to GROUP_FIND needed).

6) It is possible that the unsupported and undocumented LUNAR_DATE routines
fail to adequately deal with leap years.  Not being an astronomer, I am at
a loss to handle this.  (Look in phoon.for if you're interested).

7) The first time one runs VNEWS, there is considerable dissent about the
appropriate actions involving 1500 unsubscribed news groups.  This should
be customizable easily on a site-by-site basis, and there should be a 
"default" xx.newsrc available if desired by the system manager.

8) A server which supports NEWGROUPS implies that VNEWS startup could be
considerable shortened.  Detecting---and taking advantage---of this at
run-time is a bit of a pain.

9) The way in which VNEWS retrieves active groups is a little kludgey, and 
the way it stores XX.NEWSRC in core is wasteful.  Something should be done
about this.  

A) XX.NEWSRC files are too long.  Most people only subscribe to a handful
of groups.  

B) When VNEWS writes out an invalid XX.NEWSRC file, it doesn't tell the
user enough to recover things easily. 

C) The documentation sucks.

jms

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