Re: gnus scoring insanity

[notbob]

asjo@koldfront.dk (Adam Sjøgren) writes:


> It seems it is the same deal as with all the other things you are
> complaining about.

I prefer to think of 'em as salty observations.  

> I use scoring very simply: To not see articles from people I've becomed
> tired of.

Feel free to include me.  

> To this purpose, I have a single file, called ~/News/all.SCORE, which
> contains this¹:

Interesting.  Was I supposed to manually create the all.SCORE file?  If
so, this has become a major issue, it not being a first time I've
created necessary files.  Problem is, I've yet to find one word of
instruction in the gnus manual that I should create any files and what
and where those files should be named/located.    


>   (
>    ("from"
>     ("Someone I Do Not Care To Read At All <someone@example.com>" -10000 nil 
> e)
>     ("Someone I Just Want To Skip Most Of The Time <someoneelse@example.com>" 
> -5000 nil e))
>   )

[...]


> There is a quite thorough example and explanation of the format in the
> manual:

>  * http://gnus.org/manual/gnus_266.html#SEC266

I saved the above info.  Thank you.

> But I guess that was in the half you skipped.

Oooh... you can be a bit salty too.  ;)

>> "The current score file is by default the group's local score file,
>> even if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands
>> into some other score file (e.g. `all.SCORE'), you must first make
>> this score file the current one."

> Which part of that paragraph is unclear to you?

All of it!  What current score file?  Does it have an actual name and
location?  Does gnus create it or am I supposed to guess about that
issue again?  If I am, I need to know the file name to create and
where.  I don't.  Same questions for the local score file.  "some other
score file"?  I don't want possible examples, I need concrete information.
Last but not least, what is "this" score file?  

The whole paragraph is useless.  Near as I can tell, some unnamed
default score file is actually some other unnamed score file, EVEN IF
NO SUCH SCORE FILE EXISTS!!  That's a killer, that one.  Lastly, to
insert commands into SOME OTHER(!) unnamed score file, you must first
make THIS OTHER SCORE FILE (????) "the current one".  Who's on first!?

> (Not all Gnus users and developers are native english speakers, so
> please do excuse us, and suggest improvements to the language.)

Soon as I get it figured out, I'll try, so help me god.

>> Where are the score files?

> In ~/News/, unless you ask Gnus to put them somewhere else (by setting
> gnus-kill-files-directory²).

I'll hafta do that, as that exact same file name and dir is used by
slrn, which I still have in case I lose my gnus mind.

> They were probably obvious to the author at the time.

Or they were on drugs.  ;)

> It isn't required beforehand knowledge, but it's hard not to pick up a
> little along the way... :-)

I've stuck my toe in the proverbial water.  Got some lisp code
snippets pasted in my ~/.emacs file.  Not intimidated by it, just
trying to ingest the big pieces of emacs before I start nibbling the
little ones.

> Which terms are the ones you consider 'proprietary'?!

All the ones having to do with emacs which I don't know the meaning of.

Don't take my rants personally.  I sometimes get frustrated, but still
slog on.

nb