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Also please see: https://discourse.rahul.net/.

(Old document, not recently revised.)

LINUX NEWSREADERS

This document contains brief hints for using Newsreading programs in the
Linux environment.  Primarily, it tells you how to set your From: line
in each Newsreading program.  It also tells you how to set your From:
line to use Strategy C spam filtering.  It also (where necessary)
tells you how to set the name of the host from which you will
read News.

USING NOJUNK STRATEGY C WHEN POSTING TO USENET

Each Newsreading program has its own method for allowing you to
customize the From: line in postings.  Here are some of them.  These
apply to the Newsreading programs installed here in the Linux
environment.  Once the From: line has been set as given below, it will
be converted into an anti-spam format when you post to Usenet.

You should follow the Nojunk directions given below only if you are
familiar with how Strategy C Nojunk spam filtering works.  (Please see
the online manual 'man a2i-nojunk' which you can read from the UNIX
shell on waltz.rahul.net.)

In the instructions below, we use 'c--' in place of 'c..', and
'xx.usenet.us.com' in place of '%HASH%.usenet.us.com'.  These new strings
(c-- and xx.usenet.us.com) work the same way as the older strings (c..
and %HASH%.usenet.us.com) used to work and they are more easily accepted
by the various Newsreading programs.

Wherever the username 'joeuser' is used below, you will use your
own username instead.

NN

If you are using nn as a Newsreader, create a file ~/.nn/init and into
it put one of the following lines:

    set news-header From: joeuser@rahul.net
    set news-header From: joeuser@xx.usenet.us.com
    set news-header From: c--joeuser@xx.usenet.us.com

The above sets the From: line to be used in News postings.  You can also
set the From: line for use in email in a similar manner, by defining
'mail-header' instead of 'news-header'.

TIN

If you are using tin as a Newsreader, set your From: line from within
tin's options menu as follows.  From within tin use the 'M' command
(don't type the quotes) to get to the options menu.  Look for the menu
item 'Mail address' which will be approximately item 67 or 85 on the menu.
This menu item can be used to define the From: line that will be used in News
postings and in mail.  There is no provision in tin to use different From:
lines in News and mail.  To set the 'Mail address', select the 'Mail address'
item by using the up and down arrow keys, hit return, type the desired value
for the From: line, and hit return again.  Then type q to exit the options
menu.

Set your From: line as one of these:

    joeuser@rahul.net
    joeuser@xx.usenet.us.com

This will be used literally in mail, and replies will come back to you
without any Nojunk filtering being applied.

The xx.usenet.us.com form will still work in normal email; in News
postings, however, the 'xx' part will become a two-digit code as usual.

SLRN

If you are using slrn as a Newsreader, you must specify the newsreader
host by setting the NNTPSERVER environment variable.  From the linux
environment, be sure to set it to:

  news.rahul.net

When using slrn as a Newsreader, set your From: line by creating a file
.slrnrc in your home directory.  In that file set the local part and the
host part of your email address in separate lines, like this:

    set username "joeuser"
    set hostname "rahul.net"

Or you may use Strategy C Nojunk filtering:

    set username "joeuser"
    set hostname "xx.usenet.us.com"

You may also set the username as "c--joeuser".  For example:

    set username "c--joeuser"
    set hostname "xx.usenet.us.com"

TRN

If you are using trn as a Newsreader, set your From: line by defining
the environment variable NEWSHEADER in your .cshrc file.  The easiest
way of doing this is to copy the contents of the file

  /usr/local/setup/linux/trn.header

into your .cshrc file, and edit the definition of FROM to show your
preferred From: line in postings.  Use any one of these:

  From: joeuser@rahul.net (Joe User)
  From: joeuser@xx.usenet.us.com (Joe User)
  From: c--joeuser@xx.usenet.us.com (Joe User)

Be sure the include the entire line including the 'From:' part.

By default, trn inserts an Originator: header into postings,
that may give away your real email address.  To suppress this,
somewhere in your dot files, set the NO_ORIGINATOR environment
variable to 1.  For example, in your .login file:

  setenv NO_ORIGINATOR 1