• Re: XanaNews - Introduction

    From BillH@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jul 31 17:04:51 2024
    On 7/31/2024 at 9:56:09 AM D wrote:


    *note: the XanaNews 1.21 "Help" contents feature may appear blank, if
    so, in the "XanaNews" folder, right-click "XanaNews.chm", select "Properties" and next to "Security: This file came from another
    computer and might be blocked to help protect the computer", check "Unblock", click "Apply/OK"

    <snip>

    [end quoted plain text]

    I am on Windows 11 23H2. I right clicked on XanaNews.chm and selected properties. I don't see that message anywhere. When I click on Help > Contents or Help > Topic Search, nothing happens.

    Bill

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to BillH on Wed Jul 31 22:27:52 2024
    On Wed, 31 Jul 2024 17:04:51 -0000 (UTC), "BillH" <billh@domain.is.invalid> wrote:
    On 7/31/2024 at 9:56:09 AM D wrote:
    *note: the XanaNews 1.21 "Help" contents feature may appear blank, if
    so, in the "XanaNews" folder, right-click "XanaNews.chm", select
    "Properties" and next to "Security: This file came from another
    computer and might be blocked to help protect the computer", check
    "Unblock", click "Apply/OK"
    snip

    I am on Windows 11 23H2. I right clicked on XanaNews.chm and selected >properties. I don't see that message anywhere. When I click on Help > >Contents or Help > Topic Search, nothing happens.
    Bill

    the "blank" xananews.chm occurred on my windows 7 pc, but in windows 11 pc works fine; windows 11 is unnecessarily complicated and less user-friendly
    than its predecessors, e.g., to install a program from "unknown publisher"
    it makes you click personalize ... privacy & security ... windows security ...reputation-based protection ... app & browser control ... check app and files ... switch (temporarily, rather permanently) to "off" ... and voila! (whether or not that fixes your "blank" xananews.chm anomaly, i cannot say) also, and every program i've tested that runs on win 7 also runs on win 11,
    but some essential programs, like tor browser, will soon nix win 7 support

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jul 31 17:56:09 2024
    *get the most current version of XanaNews (2017-08-22):
    https://github.com/graemeg/xananews/releases/tag/v1.21 >https://github.com/graemeg/xananews/releases/download/v1.21/xananews_32bit_v1.21.zip

    *note: the XanaNews 1.21 "Help" contents feature may appear blank, if so,
    in the "XanaNews" folder, right-click "XanaNews.chm", select "Properties"
    and next to "Security: This file came from another computer and might be
    blocked to help protect the computer", check "Unblock", click "Apply/OK"

    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Welcome to XanaNews
    Welcome to XanaNews
    XanaNews is a free, powerful, fully featured newsreader for Windows 98, >Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
    Here's what XanaNews will do for you:
    *Support for Multiple News (NNTP) Servers.
    *Multiple threaded engine. Supports three threads per news server so you
    can simultaneously download group lists, message headers and messages for multiple servers.
    *Threaded multicolumn tree message display. Display messages in thread or
    chronological order. Sort threads or messages by date, size, author or subject.
    *Displays NNTP and MIME images inline, building them up as they arrive.
    *Save images and other binary attachments.
    *Powerful message deleting feature. Delete messages that don't match your
    criteria.
    *Threads that contain messages to you are displayed highlighted.
    Intelligent resume/cancel button. When it's red you can cancel the selected operation. When it's green you can resume after network failures, and when it's grey you can't click it!
    *Batch mode. Define batches of message retrieval operations. A single batch
    can work across multiple newsgroups - even on multiple servers!
    *Both images and other binary attachments can be saved.
    *Powerful configurable message filters can be created for individual
    newsgroups, or all newsgroups on a server.
    *Decode UUE, Base64 and yEncoded messages.
    *SSL Support
    *Supports posting multiple attachments
    *Integrates with ISpell spell checker.
    XanaNews was written by Colin Wilson. Get the latest version of XanaNews
    from Colin Wilson's Delphi Website
    http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/delphi.htm (https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/delphi.htm) (https://web.archive.org/web/20080315081009fw_/http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/xananews.htm)

    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Getting Started
    Getting Started
    When you first run XanaNews the New User Setup wizard will be displayed:
    1. Type in your name and E-Mail address and click 'Next'.
    2. The next screen asks for the Server Account Name and the Server Name.
    The Server Account Name should be a friendly name that describes the
    server. The 'Server Name' should be the Internet name of the server that
    you will connect to. Contact your ISP for details. Press the 'Next' button. >3. Some servers require a user name and password before they can be accessed. >The next screen allows you to enter these. Most news servers provided by
    ISPs don't require these details. If in doubt leave the screen alone, and >press the 'Next' button again.
    4. The final New User Setup wizard screen allows you to specify a dialup >connection to use when connecting to this server. If your computer is always >connected to the Internet, leave this screen alone, otherwise select a
    dialup connection from the list provided, then press 'Next'
    Press OK to finish the New User Setup wizard. XanaNews will automatically >connect to the Internet and download the list of newsgroups available on the >server. When this download finished you will be presented with the list of >newsgroups.
    That's it! You now ready to start using XanaNews. For details see the help
    on using the workspace.

    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Online Support for XanaNews
    Online Support for XanaNews
    1. XanaNews on the World Wide Web
    You can always download the latest version of XanaNews, help file updates, >etc. at http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/delphi.htm
    2. Dedicated XanaNews Support newsgroups.
    The main XanaNews newsgroups are available on the free forums.talkto.net
    server. To access the newsgroups from XanaNews, add a new account by
    selecting 'Add New Account...' from the Account menu. Set the account's
    name to 'XanaNews Support Groups' and set the server account name to
    'forums.talkto.net.'
    3. Additional support newsgroups on Usenet
    XanaNews is often discussed in several Usenet newsgroup, including
    alt.usenet.offline-reader.xananews and news.software.readers

    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Newsgroups, USENET and Privacy >Newsgroups, USENET and Privacy
    Here's a short article on the basics of Newsgroups. You can find much more >information on the world wide web. For instance at >http://www.usenet.org.uk/usenet-information.html
    People are often confused by newsgroups. Who owns them? Who can read them? >Who can post to them? And what on earth is USENET??
    And what about Privacy? If I read a message will anyone know? If I post a >message will I be identifiable?
    1. What are Newsgroups?
    Newsgroups are places on the Internet where people can post messages about
    particular topics that interest them. Anyone who has access to the
    newsgroup can read the message, and anyone can post a reply. The reply can
    be seen by anyone else, who can post a reply, and so on. XanaNews allows
    you to read these messages and post replies; both to the main USENET
    newsgroups and also to other Private newsgroups.
    Because anyone can read and reply to any message, they're not really like
    e-mail. And because the messages remain on the server for days or even
    weeks, they are not 'Instant' like chat rooms, either.
    2. What is USENET?
    USENET is a vast group of newsgroup servers from all over the world which
    share messages between each other. If you post a message in a newsgroup on
    one server, anyone else that has access to USENET will be able to see your
    message, and post a reply. And your reply will get shared so that it can
    be seen by anyone else.
    Thousands of Internet Service Providers, and commercial newsgroup hosting
    services share in this USENET group. So its really not 'owned' by anyone.
    3. What are Private Newsgroups?
    By contrast, Private newsgroups exist on private newsgroup servers and do
    not participate in USENET. Many technical companies provide private
    newsgroups to their customers, so that they can discuss their products
    among themselves and with representatives from the company who choose to
    join in.
    The main XanaNews support newsgroups are held on the private
    forums.talkto.net server, and it is provided free to XanaNews users.
    Microsoft host a large private news server at msnews.microsoft.com where
    Microsoft products can be discussed.
    4. What about Privacy? Can people tell which groups I read?
    Broadly speaking, no one can tell. However, your countries' law
    enforcement agencies may be able to find out by examining your computer,
    or by asking your ISP for details of messages you download.
    5. Can people tell which groups I post to?
    Of course - that's the whole point. Your message is there for all to see.
    *Messages you post contain your e-mail address. XanaNews allows you to
    type in what you like for your e-mail address, so some people disguise
    theirs in various ways - mostly to avoid spammers who often trawl USENET
    for valid e-mail addresses.
    *Many news servers automatically attach a special header to each of your
    messages containing the IP address of the computer you posted from. This
    'nntp-posting-host' header can be used to identify which ISP you use, and
    could allow hackers to connect to your computer if it has not been
    updated with Microsoft security patches.
    [end quoted plain text]

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to BillH on Wed Jul 31 23:21:23 2024
    On Wed, 31 Jul 2024 21:51:21 -0000 (UTC), "BillH" <billh@domain.is.invalid> wrote:
    On 7/31/2024 at 2:27:52 PM D wrote:
    On Wed, 31 Jul 2024 17:04:51 -0000 (UTC), "BillH"
    <billh@domain.is.invalid> wrote:
    On 7/31/2024 at 9:56:09 AM D wrote:
    *note: the XanaNews 1.21 "Help" contents feature may appear blank,
    if >> so, in the "XanaNews" folder, right-click "XanaNews.chm",
    select >> "Properties" and next to "Security: This file came from
    another >> computer and might be blocked to help protect the
    computer", check >> "Unblock", click "Apply/OK"
    snip

    I am on Windows 11 23H2. I right clicked on XanaNews.chm and
    selected properties. I don't see that message anywhere. When I
    click on Help >
    Contents or Help > Topic Search, nothing happens.
    Bill

    the "blank" xananews.chm occurred on my windows 7 pc, but in windows
    11 pc works fine; windows 11 is unnecessarily complicated and less
    user-friendly than its predecessors, e.g., to install a program from
    "unknown publisher" it makes you click personalize ... privacy &
    security ... windows security ...reputation-based protection ... app
    & browser control ... check app and files ... switch (temporarily,
    rather permanently) to "off" ... and voila! (whether or not that
    fixes your "blank" xananews.chm anomaly, i cannot say) also, and
    every program i've tested that runs on win 7 also runs on win 11, but
    some essential programs, like tor browser, will soon nix win 7 support

    I don't get anything "blank", it just doesn't do anything at all when I
    click on the Help options, except for Help > About.
    Strange. I install programs from all over the place and I've never had
    any issues or problems. I'm sure some of the the program publishers
    would be "unknown" to Windows. I've never had to go through that chain
    of prompts.
    I posted on this newsgroup because I couldn't see the Help for the
    program. There is probably a way to make it work, but I couldn't find
    any clues when I searched.
    Bill

    maybe try this . . .

    right-click "XanaNews.chm" > Open with > Microsoft(r) HTML Help Executable

    if that doesn't work, not sure what will short of some registry adjustment?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From BillH@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jul 31 21:51:21 2024
    On 7/31/2024 at 2:27:52 PM D wrote:

    On Wed, 31 Jul 2024 17:04:51 -0000 (UTC), "BillH"
    <billh@domain.is.invalid> wrote:
    On 7/31/2024 at 9:56:09 AM D wrote:
    *note: the XanaNews 1.21 "Help" contents feature may appear blank,
    if >> so, in the "XanaNews" folder, right-click "XanaNews.chm",
    select >> "Properties" and next to "Security: This file came from
    another >> computer and might be blocked to help protect the
    computer", check >> "Unblock", click "Apply/OK"
    snip

    I am on Windows 11 23H2. I right clicked on XanaNews.chm and
    selected properties. I don't see that message anywhere. When I
    click on Help >
    Contents or Help > Topic Search, nothing happens.
    Bill

    the "blank" xananews.chm occurred on my windows 7 pc, but in windows
    11 pc works fine; windows 11 is unnecessarily complicated and less user-friendly than its predecessors, e.g., to install a program from
    "unknown publisher" it makes you click personalize ... privacy &
    security ... windows security ...reputation-based protection ... app
    & browser control ... check app and files ... switch (temporarily,
    rather permanently) to "off" ... and voila! (whether or not that
    fixes your "blank" xananews.chm anomaly, i cannot say) also, and
    every program i've tested that runs on win 7 also runs on win 11, but
    some essential programs, like tor browser, will soon nix win 7 support

    I don't get anything "blank", it just doesn't do anything at all when I
    click on the Help options, except for Help > About.

    Strange. I install programs from all over the place and I've never had
    any issues or problems. I'm sure some of the the program publishers
    would be "unknown" to Windows. I've never had to go through that chain
    of prompts.

    I posted on this newsgroup because I couldn't see the Help for the
    program. There is probably a way to make it work, but I couldn't find
    any clues when I searched.

    Bill

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From BillH@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jul 31 22:52:05 2024
    On 7/31/2024 at 3:21:23 PM D wrote:

    On Wed, 31 Jul 2024 21:51:21 -0000 (UTC), "BillH"
    <billh@domain.is.invalid> wrote:
    On 7/31/2024 at 2:27:52 PM D wrote:
    On Wed, 31 Jul 2024 17:04:51 -0000 (UTC), "BillH"
    <billh@domain.is.invalid> wrote:
    On 7/31/2024 at 9:56:09 AM D wrote:
    *note: the XanaNews 1.21 "Help" contents feature may appear
    blank, >> if >> so, in the "XanaNews" folder, right-click
    "XanaNews.chm", >> select >> "Properties" and next to "Security:
    This file came from >> another >> computer and might be blocked to
    help protect the >> computer", check >> "Unblock", click "Apply/OK"
    snip

    I am on Windows 11 23H2. I right clicked on XanaNews.chm and
    selected properties. I don't see that message anywhere. When I
    click on Help >
    Contents or Help > Topic Search, nothing happens.
    Bill

    the "blank" xananews.chm occurred on my windows 7 pc, but in
    windows >> 11 pc works fine; windows 11 is unnecessarily complicated
    and less >> user-friendly than its predecessors, e.g., to install a
    program from >> "unknown publisher" it makes you click personalize
    ... privacy & >> security ... windows security ...reputation-based
    protection ... app >> & browser control ... check app and files ...
    switch (temporarily, >> rather permanently) to "off" ... and voila!
    (whether or not that >> fixes your "blank" xananews.chm anomaly, i
    cannot say) also, and >> every program i've tested that runs on win 7
    also runs on win 11, but >> some essential programs, like tor
    browser, will soon nix win 7 support

    I don't get anything "blank", it just doesn't do anything at all
    when I
    click on the Help options, except for Help > About.
    Strange. I install programs from all over the place and I've never
    had any issues or problems. I'm sure some of the the program
    publishers would be "unknown" to Windows. I've never had to go
    through that chain of prompts.
    I posted on this newsgroup because I couldn't see the Help for the
    program. There is probably a way to make it work, but I couldn't
    find any clues when I searched.
    Bill

    maybe try this . . .

    right-click "XanaNews.chm" > Open with > Microsoft(r) HTML Help
    Executable

    if that doesn't work, not sure what will short of some registry
    adjustment?

    That did allow the help file to be opened. Thanks for that. I didn't
    know about this function.

    Unfortunately, the help file has very little info other than very low
    level stuff. Most of the topics just say "enter topic text here". So
    I really couldn't learn anything about more complex questions.

    Thanks,
    Bill

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jim the Geordie@21:1/5 to All on Thu Aug 1 10:35:18 2024
    In article <20240731.175609.2d3d52cd@mixmin.net>, noreply@mixmin.net
    says...
    <snip>

    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Getting Started
    Getting Started
    When you first run XanaNews the New User Setup wizard will be displayed:
    1. Type in your name and E-Mail address and click 'Next'.
    2. The next screen asks for the Server Account Name and the Server Name.

    Tried it years ago.
    Never found out how to 'filter'.

    --
    Jim the Geordie

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to Jim the Geordie on Thu Aug 1 15:37:04 2024
    On Thu, 1 Aug 2024 10:35:18 +0100, Jim the Geordie <jim@jimXscott.co.uk> wrote: >In article <20240731.175609.2d3d52cd@mixmin.net>, noreply@mixmin.net
    says...
    <snip>
    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Getting Started
    Getting Started
    When you first run XanaNews the New User Setup wizard will be displayed:
    1. Type in your name and E-Mail address and click 'Next'.
    2. The next screen asks for the Server Account Name and the Server Name.

    Tried it years ago.
    Never found out how to 'filter'.

    still working on it . . . comprehensive help menu . . . stay tuned
    (back in the 1950s and '60s they'd say "don't touch that dial" and
    "now, another word from our sponsor") . . . 'sing along with mitch'

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jim the Geordie@21:1/5 to All on Thu Aug 1 17:55:50 2024
    In article <20240801.153704.adcdb02a@mixmin.net>, noreply@mixmin.net
    says...

    On Thu, 1 Aug 2024 10:35:18 +0100, Jim the Geordie <jim@jimXscott.co.uk> wrote:
    In article <20240731.175609.2d3d52cd@mixmin.net>, noreply@mixmin.net >says...
    <snip>
    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Getting Started
    Getting Started
    When you first run XanaNews the New User Setup wizard will be displayed: >> >1. Type in your name and E-Mail address and click 'Next'.
    2. The next screen asks for the Server Account Name and the Server Name.

    Tried it years ago.
    Never found out how to 'filter'.

    still working on it . . . comprehensive help menu . . . stay tuned
    (back in the 1950s and '60s they'd say "don't touch that dial" and
    "now, another word from our sponsor") . . . 'sing along with mitch'

    Fine. I only popped in to see whether anything has changed.
    Clearly not.
    Back to Gravity.

    --
    Jim the Geordie

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to BillH on Fri Aug 2 21:08:22 2024
    On Wed, 31 Jul 2024 22:52:05 -0000 (UTC), "BillH" <billh@domain.is.invalid> wrote:
    On 7/31/2024 at 3:21:23 PM D wrote:
    snip
    maybe try this . . .
    right-click "XanaNews.chm" > Open with > Microsoft(r) HTML Help
    Executable

    That did allow the help file to be opened. Thanks for that. I didn't
    know about this function.
    Unfortunately, the help file has very little info other than very low
    level stuff. Most of the topics just say "enter topic text here". So
    I really couldn't learn anything about more complex questions.
    Thanks,
    Bill

    thanks to "blueshirt@indigo.news" for pointing this out, the elusive
    "add" button is definitely there in the tools > options > filter menu
    on my fairly new windows 11 pc, but not on my old windows 7 pc, which
    (video card/driver?) anomaly may not affect other windows 7 users?...
    but the xananews "help" file really is missing some information; also,
    (the "tools > batches..." menu includes a run every 'x' minutes timer)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)