[Pan-users] Re: An "alias" feature for group names

[Frank Tabor]

On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 13:35:05 -0400, Rinaldi J. Montessi wrote:

> Matej Cepl wrote:
>> On 2007-06-22, 16:56 GMT, Duncan wrote:
>>> That would be a useful feature, certainly.  Have you bugged it
>>> (entered it on bugzilla as a feature request) yet?  If not, please do
>>> so.
>> 
>> http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=450368
> 
> I'm going back some years here and my recollections may be inaccurate as
> to specifics, but the feature did exist.
> 
> Older versions of Netscape Communicator news client (up to 4.xx) had a
> feature similar to this.  I believe it involved manipulation of the
> newsrc file either at the server end or the user end.  Those
> manipulations added by the user would be overwritten if the newsrc file
> was updated.  For instance, the newsrc contained the entry:
> 
> netscape.communicator "Netscape Communicator"
> 
> By setting a user preference Netscape Communicator would appear in the
> group list.
> 
> For those groups that did not have a "pretty name" (I think that was the
> term used), users could hand edit the newsrc file and add one using the
> format shown.
> 
> I'm a little fuzzy on whether or not Pan segregates subscribed groups
> from the entire groups list.  It doesn't appear to work that way.
> Netscape used (IIRC) a hostinfo.dat file containing all available groups
> and a newsrc containing subscribed groups.
> 
> Perhaps this will jog another reader's memory and we can get more
> accurate information.
> 
> Rinaldi

IIRC, Communicator used the "Pretty Name" from the discription.  If the 
server doesn't send a description, you had to make a name up.  

I'll fire up Communicator tomorrow when I have a little more time and 
check for sure.

-- 
Frank Tabor
The naked truth of it is, I have no shirt.
                -- William Shakespeare, "Love's Labour's Lost"