Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
[ANN] dictator.* hierarchy
4 views
Skip to first unread message
RS Wood
May 10, 2013, 7:43:44 PM5/10/13
to
I'm pleased to announce a new hierarchy in town: dictator.*
The dictator hierarchy is associated with
http://www.dictatorshandbook.net, a website and book discussing the ways
of autocrats, tyrants, and dictators (usually modern ones like Chavez,
Assad, and Kim Jong Un, although Stalin and friends make an occasional
appearance: in sum, bad governance in all its forms, from rigging
elections to corruption, genocide, insurgency, cults of personality,
clamping down on press/internet, and so on. Imagine a hierarchy where
not only is Godwin's Law acceptable, it's expected!
The forums run on Usenet technology, and I'm just starting to peer with
other networks so the hierarchy is available on other networks.
The forum charter and FAQs are here and are reprinted below:
http://www.dictatorshandbook.net/forumcharter.html
I'm the forum owner and author of the book, and can be reached at
in...@dictatorshandbook.net or through the address on my website,
www.therandymon.com.
Peering data is:
incoming.conf
____________
peer dictatorshandbook.net {
hostname: dictatorshandbook.net
streaming: true
max-connections: 2
}
innfeed.conf
___________
peer dictatorshandbook.net {
ip-name: dictatorshandbook.net
port-number: 119
}
newsfeeds
_________
dictatorshandbook.net/dictatorshandbook.net\
:dictator*,/!local\
:Ap,Tm,<100000:innfeed!
Charter and FAQs
INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE
This forum's purpose is to encourage informed, intelligent discussion
about dictators, tyrants, and pretenders-to-the-throne, and their
methods. Since these autocrats all seem to be using the same play book,
we track and discuss it in the context of the book.
Provided you are interested in the subject matter and are willing to
contribute constructively, we'd love you to join the discussion, either
by posting news of your own or by commenting on the rolling newsfeed
that provides links to articles of interest. It's optimized for speed
and low bandwidth access, so it's easy to use on any Internet-enabled
device from phones to tablets to desktops. The forum doesn't require you
log in, have a real address, verify your email, or anything. You are
totally anonymous, as you should be if you're going to discuss
dictators.
It also has no advertising; we're not selling advertising and we're not
interested in your personal information. In fact, we're not selling
anything other than our fabulous book and related merchandise. We are
certainly not selling anything related to your personal information. We
find that refreshing, and hopefully you do too.
Please read the forum charter first (below). In participating, you agree
to be bound by it.
CHARTER
The purpose of this forum is to encourage discussion and debate on
dictators and their methods, as well as our book. It is intended to
permit anonymous discussion (use any alias you'd like). Links will
regularly be posted here to recent news articles about germane topics,
and discussion can go from there. Feel free to post what you want here;
it doesn't have to be the NewsFeeder that starts all the conversations.
See the charter below for more information on usage rules and
netiquette. Note: Presence of a country does not necessarily mean it is
a dictatorship; absence of a country on the forum doesn't mean it is
not. Simply, a post means a subject covered by the book was employed in
that country. The focus is on methods, not "is he a dictator or not?"
These days, the tools of dictators are used by many leaders in
"democratic" countries.
USAGE RULES
No spam ever. Every single spam message will be deleted, and if it gets
to be a major problem, we will take other appropriate measures. Keep
the posts on topic, and relevant to the appropriate country. Be civil:
treat your fellow interlocutors with respect. Typically, it is
customary to post your replies below the previous text. Under no
circumstances will we permit links to, discussions about, or any
reference to warez, cracking, child pornography, or illegal drug use.
All offending posts will be immediately removed and other appropriate
actions may be taken as necessary and at the owners' sole discretion.
No douchebaggery. Yes, you.
SPAM
This forum is currently unmoderated, which means it will eventually
attract spammers. At that point, all forum posts will be filtered by a
sophisticated heuristic moderation process designed to filter out only
spam. All other posts will be permitted. Should at some point, the forum
become so popular that off-topic posts become a problem, the filter will
be re-calibrated to also filter out off-topic posts. However, at present
all posts are acceptable and will be permitted. Should this process
become overwhelming, at the owners' option, this forum will go
"invitation only." Hopefully that moment will be a long time in the
future, and this forum will remain practical and useful for a long time.
FAQs
Is this social networking? No. We have no interest in who you are, who
your friends are, or what your friends "like." We don't want any of your
personal information, and keep nothing about you on file. We are
interested only in promoting educated, interested discussion about the
topic: dictators and their methods.
Where is the "Like" button? Up your ass, probably. "XXX likes this" is
the most idiotic and substance-free form of communication ever invented.
Speak up and use your brain rather than jabbing blindly at the stupid
"like" button. This is a discussion forum, not an exercise in
lemming-like "group-think."
Can I be tracked on this forum? Not as far as we know. No effort is made
to keep any identifying information at all. Choose any alias you want,
post under different names, use a false email address. You are free and
anonymous. Note however that the server does automatically note IP
addresses in the logs.
How can I invite someone to this forum? Just send them the link to this
page. There's no automatic "Invite everyone in your Hotmail
addressbook" because we don't think that's a reasonable mechanism for
selecting who to invite. Rather, you are free to thoughtfully consider
and to invite people who would benefit from and contribute to a
meaningful discussion here.
How can I post a picture or video? You can't. This is a text-only forum.
If you find something interesting on the web, you may post a hyperlink
to it. The forum will automatically dump any messages over 100KB.
Can I earn karma, choose an avatar, have a public profile, or send
personal messages to other users? No, these are all characteristics of
web forums. This elite forum doesn't permit any of those things. As a
result, your posts are not tied to any traceable profile or email
address, and is much simpler and faster to download and read. You may
post a link to your website in your signature, but if it looks like spam
we will erase it without warning.
Is this Usenet? Yes! Why not a regular forum? Because Usenet is
superior and potentially the only legitimate way to discuss
dictatorships in relative anonymity. Web forums suck. And
Twitter/Facebook are abominations.
The dictator hierarchy is associated with
http://www.dictatorshandbook.net, a website and book discussing the ways
of autocrats, tyrants, and dictators (usually modern ones like Chavez,
Assad, and Kim Jong Un, although Stalin and friends make an occasional
appearance: in sum, bad governance in all its forms, from rigging
elections to corruption, genocide, insurgency, cults of personality,
clamping down on press/internet, and so on. Imagine a hierarchy where
not only is Godwin's Law acceptable, it's expected!
The forums run on Usenet technology, and I'm just starting to peer with
other networks so the hierarchy is available on other networks.
The forum charter and FAQs are here and are reprinted below:
http://www.dictatorshandbook.net/forumcharter.html
I'm the forum owner and author of the book, and can be reached at
in...@dictatorshandbook.net or through the address on my website,
www.therandymon.com.
Peering data is:
incoming.conf
____________
peer dictatorshandbook.net {
hostname: dictatorshandbook.net
streaming: true
max-connections: 2
}
innfeed.conf
___________
peer dictatorshandbook.net {
ip-name: dictatorshandbook.net
port-number: 119
}
newsfeeds
_________
dictatorshandbook.net/dictatorshandbook.net\
:dictator*,/!local\
:Ap,Tm,<100000:innfeed!
Charter and FAQs
INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE
This forum's purpose is to encourage informed, intelligent discussion
about dictators, tyrants, and pretenders-to-the-throne, and their
methods. Since these autocrats all seem to be using the same play book,
we track and discuss it in the context of the book.
Provided you are interested in the subject matter and are willing to
contribute constructively, we'd love you to join the discussion, either
by posting news of your own or by commenting on the rolling newsfeed
that provides links to articles of interest. It's optimized for speed
and low bandwidth access, so it's easy to use on any Internet-enabled
device from phones to tablets to desktops. The forum doesn't require you
log in, have a real address, verify your email, or anything. You are
totally anonymous, as you should be if you're going to discuss
dictators.
It also has no advertising; we're not selling advertising and we're not
interested in your personal information. In fact, we're not selling
anything other than our fabulous book and related merchandise. We are
certainly not selling anything related to your personal information. We
find that refreshing, and hopefully you do too.
Please read the forum charter first (below). In participating, you agree
to be bound by it.
CHARTER
The purpose of this forum is to encourage discussion and debate on
dictators and their methods, as well as our book. It is intended to
permit anonymous discussion (use any alias you'd like). Links will
regularly be posted here to recent news articles about germane topics,
and discussion can go from there. Feel free to post what you want here;
it doesn't have to be the NewsFeeder that starts all the conversations.
See the charter below for more information on usage rules and
netiquette. Note: Presence of a country does not necessarily mean it is
a dictatorship; absence of a country on the forum doesn't mean it is
not. Simply, a post means a subject covered by the book was employed in
that country. The focus is on methods, not "is he a dictator or not?"
These days, the tools of dictators are used by many leaders in
"democratic" countries.
USAGE RULES
No spam ever. Every single spam message will be deleted, and if it gets
to be a major problem, we will take other appropriate measures. Keep
the posts on topic, and relevant to the appropriate country. Be civil:
treat your fellow interlocutors with respect. Typically, it is
customary to post your replies below the previous text. Under no
circumstances will we permit links to, discussions about, or any
reference to warez, cracking, child pornography, or illegal drug use.
All offending posts will be immediately removed and other appropriate
actions may be taken as necessary and at the owners' sole discretion.
No douchebaggery. Yes, you.
SPAM
This forum is currently unmoderated, which means it will eventually
attract spammers. At that point, all forum posts will be filtered by a
sophisticated heuristic moderation process designed to filter out only
spam. All other posts will be permitted. Should at some point, the forum
become so popular that off-topic posts become a problem, the filter will
be re-calibrated to also filter out off-topic posts. However, at present
all posts are acceptable and will be permitted. Should this process
become overwhelming, at the owners' option, this forum will go
"invitation only." Hopefully that moment will be a long time in the
future, and this forum will remain practical and useful for a long time.
FAQs
Is this social networking? No. We have no interest in who you are, who
your friends are, or what your friends "like." We don't want any of your
personal information, and keep nothing about you on file. We are
interested only in promoting educated, interested discussion about the
topic: dictators and their methods.
Where is the "Like" button? Up your ass, probably. "XXX likes this" is
the most idiotic and substance-free form of communication ever invented.
Speak up and use your brain rather than jabbing blindly at the stupid
"like" button. This is a discussion forum, not an exercise in
lemming-like "group-think."
Can I be tracked on this forum? Not as far as we know. No effort is made
to keep any identifying information at all. Choose any alias you want,
post under different names, use a false email address. You are free and
anonymous. Note however that the server does automatically note IP
addresses in the logs.
How can I invite someone to this forum? Just send them the link to this
page. There's no automatic "Invite everyone in your Hotmail
addressbook" because we don't think that's a reasonable mechanism for
selecting who to invite. Rather, you are free to thoughtfully consider
and to invite people who would benefit from and contribute to a
meaningful discussion here.
How can I post a picture or video? You can't. This is a text-only forum.
If you find something interesting on the web, you may post a hyperlink
to it. The forum will automatically dump any messages over 100KB.
Can I earn karma, choose an avatar, have a public profile, or send
personal messages to other users? No, these are all characteristics of
web forums. This elite forum doesn't permit any of those things. As a
result, your posts are not tied to any traceable profile or email
address, and is much simpler and faster to download and read. You may
post a link to your website in your signature, but if it looks like spam
we will erase it without warning.
Is this Usenet? Yes! Why not a regular forum? Because Usenet is
superior and potentially the only legitimate way to discuss
dictatorships in relative anonymity. Web forums suck. And
Twitter/Facebook are abominations.
Tim Skirvin
May 12, 2013, 12:15:28 PM5/12/13
to
RS Wood <in...@dictatorshandbook.net> writes:
> SPAM
> This forum is currently unmoderated, which means it will eventually
> attract spammers. At that point, all forum posts will be filtered by a
> sophisticated heuristic moderation process designed to filter out only
> spam.
Err, how?
> SPAM
> This forum is currently unmoderated, which means it will eventually
> attract spammers. At that point, all forum posts will be filtered by a
> sophisticated heuristic moderation process designed to filter out only
> spam.
Are you advertising a hierarchy, or a private server?
- Tim Skirvin (tski...@killfile.org)
--
http://wiki.killfile.org/ Skirv's Homepage <FISH>< <*>
http://wiki.killfile.org/reviews Skirv's Reviews
Message has been deleted
RS Wood
May 15, 2013, 8:41:22 PM5/15/13
to
On 2013-05-12, Tim Skirvin <tski...@killfile.org> wrote:
> RS Wood <in...@dictatorshandbook.net> writes:
>
>> SPAM
>> This forum is currently unmoderated, which means it will eventually
>> attract spammers. At that point, all forum posts will be filtered by a
>> sophisticated heuristic moderation process designed to filter out only
>> spam.
>
> Err, how?
>
> Are you advertising a hierarchy, or a private server?
>
> - Tim Skirvin (tski...@killfile.org)
Ha ha! Figured you guys would enjoy that one. The 'sophisticated
> RS Wood <in...@dictatorshandbook.net> writes:
>
>> SPAM
>> This forum is currently unmoderated, which means it will eventually
>> attract spammers. At that point, all forum posts will be filtered by a
>> sophisticated heuristic moderation process designed to filter out only
>> spam.
>
> Err, how?
>
> Are you advertising a hierarchy, or a private server?
>
> - Tim Skirvin (tski...@killfile.org)
moderation process' is me having a laugh. The process consists of me
and a script for canceling (by hand) any posts that qualify as spam.
Fortunately, that's not been a problem so far.
The dictator.* hierarchy currently only exists on my own server and
through two peers (albasani.net and news.mccarragher.com). But I am
indeed advertising a hierarchy: I'd very much like it to be available as
widely as possible to encourage discussion and sharing. (obviously,
Usenet is a good fit for discussing autocratic governments; it's
much harder to shut down the discussion if it's peered and available all
over the 'net).
Russ Allbery
May 15, 2013, 9:37:37 PM5/15/13
to
RS Wood <r...@therandymon.com> writes:
> The dictator.* hierarchy currently only exists on my own server and
> through two peers (albasani.net and news.mccarragher.com). But I am
> indeed advertising a hierarchy: I'd very much like it to be available as
> widely as possible to encourage discussion and sharing.
In that case, there are a variety of procedures at:
> The dictator.* hierarchy currently only exists on my own server and
> through two peers (albasani.net and news.mccarragher.com). But I am
> indeed advertising a hierarchy: I'd very much like it to be available as
> widely as possible to encourage discussion and sharing.
http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/faqs/usenet-hier.html
that you may want to consider following.
--
Russ Allbery (r...@stanford.edu) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
Message has been deleted
RS Wood
May 19, 2013, 4:34:20 PM5/19/13
to
On 2013-05-14, D. Stussy <spam+ne...@bde-arc.ampr.org> wrote:
> "RS Wood" wrote in message news:kmk0nf$cfh$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
>
> Please send a checkgroups control message for the hierarchy or a newgroup
> control message for each group therein.
>
D.S. - I haven't figured out how to send a checkgroups control message,
so I took the easy way out: newgroup eight times. The groups are:
dictator.asia
dictator.europe
dictator.africa
dictator.america
dictator.mideast
dictator.chitchat
dictator.general
dictator.announce
If this stuff is 'leaking' onto your servers, then hopefully those
newgroup commands to as well and provide a home for those lonely posts.
Russ - Thanks for the link to the FAQ; I'm working my way through the
information and setting up some additional pages for administrators on
the website www.dictatorshandbook.net including the checkgroups,
control.ctl, and the PGP key.
> "RS Wood" wrote in message news:kmk0nf$cfh$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
> I'm pleased to announce a new hierarchy in town: dictator.*
>====================
>
> Please send a checkgroups control message for the hierarchy or a newgroup
> control message for each group therein.
>
D.S. - I haven't figured out how to send a checkgroups control message,
so I took the easy way out: newgroup eight times. The groups are:
dictator.asia
dictator.europe
dictator.africa
dictator.america
dictator.mideast
dictator.chitchat
dictator.general
dictator.announce
If this stuff is 'leaking' onto your servers, then hopefully those
newgroup commands to as well and provide a home for those lonely posts.
Russ - Thanks for the link to the FAQ; I'm working my way through the
information and setting up some additional pages for administrators on
the website www.dictatorshandbook.net including the checkgroups,
control.ctl, and the PGP key.
Adam H. Kerman
May 19, 2013, 5:04:10 PM5/19/13
to
RS Wood <ra...@therandymon.com> wrote:
>D.S. - I haven't figured out how to send a checkgroups control message,
>so I took the easy way out: newgroup eight times. The groups are:
Dude, checkgroups is what makes you hierarchy administrator as opposed
>D.S. - I haven't figured out how to send a checkgroups control message,
>so I took the easy way out: newgroup eight times. The groups are:
to proponent.
Syntax is here: ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/usenet/CONFIG/README
Use the syntax for the newsgroups file line, which is the same.
checkgroups is nothing more than a list of newsgroups with descriptions,
one per line.
Subject: cmsg checkgroups dictator.*
Control: checkgroups
Approved: ra...@therandymon.com
>dictator.asia
>dictator.europe
>dictator.africa
>dictator.america
>dictator.mideast
>dictator.chitchat
>dictator.general
>dictator.announce
>If this stuff is 'leaking' onto your servers, then hopefully those
>newgroup commands to as well and provide a home for those lonely posts.
inappropriate if this is to be a Usenet hierarcchy.
>Russ - Thanks for the link to the FAQ; I'm working my way through the
>information and setting up some additional pages for administrators on
>the website www.dictatorshandbook.net including the checkgroups,
>control.ctl, and the PGP key.
Message has been deleted
RS Wood
May 21, 2013, 8:00:45 PM5/21/13
to
On 2013-05-20, D. Stussy <spam+ne...@bde-arc.ampr.org> wrote:
>==================
>
> No newgroup messages have reached me yet posts to the groups do.
>
Thanks for everyone's patience as I come up to speed. Checkgroups
control message went out just now, and I'm working on getting PGP sig
running so future messages will be signed by ne...@dictatorshandbook.net
>==================
>
> No newgroup messages have reached me yet posts to the groups do.
>
Thanks for everyone's patience as I come up to speed. Checkgroups
control message went out just now, and I'm working on getting PGP sig
running so future messages will be signed by ne...@dictatorshandbook.net
Adam H. Kerman
May 21, 2013, 8:05:00 PM5/21/13
to
Adam H. Kerman <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>RS Wood <ra...@therandymon.com> wrote:
>>D.S. - I haven't figured out how to send a checkgroups control message,
>>so I took the easy way out: newgroup eight times. The groups are:
>Dude, checkgroups is what makes you hierarchy administrator as opposed
>to proponent.
>Syntax is here: ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/usenet/CONFIG/README
>Use the syntax for the newsgroups file line, which is the same.
>checkgroups is nothing more than a list of newsgroups with descriptions,
>one per line.
>Subject: cmsg checkgroups dictator.*
>Control: checkgroups
>Approved: ra...@therandymon.com
>>dictator.asia
>>dictator.europe
>>dictator.africa
>>dictator.america
>>dictator.mideast
>>dictator.chitchat
>>dictator.general
>>dictator.announce
I saw your checkgroups control message. You still haven't written
>RS Wood <ra...@therandymon.com> wrote:
>>D.S. - I haven't figured out how to send a checkgroups control message,
>>so I took the easy way out: newgroup eight times. The groups are:
>Dude, checkgroups is what makes you hierarchy administrator as opposed
>to proponent.
>Syntax is here: ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/usenet/CONFIG/README
>Use the syntax for the newsgroups file line, which is the same.
>checkgroups is nothing more than a list of newsgroups with descriptions,
>one per line.
>Subject: cmsg checkgroups dictator.*
>Control: checkgroups
>Approved: ra...@therandymon.com
>>dictator.asia
>>dictator.europe
>>dictator.africa
>>dictator.america
>>dictator.mideast
>>dictator.chitchat
>>dictator.general
>>dictator.announce
brief descriptions. Without the descriptions, your control messages won't
be processed automatically (at least for the purpose of the sample
newsgroups and active files at ftp.isc.org). Lack of a newsgroups file
line won't prevent newgroup control messages from being archived, but I see
Russ isn't allowing their processing yet. You said earlier that
you sent them.
Message has been deleted
RS Wood
May 23, 2013, 6:20:43 PM5/23/13
to
On 2013-05-23, D. Stussy <spam+ne...@bde-arc.ampr.org> wrote:
> The groups need descriptions for the checkgroups message to be valid.
You're right. In a week or two when I've got PGP signing running I'll
send out a revised control message, signed and with descriptions.
Thanks for the help.
> The groups need descriptions for the checkgroups message to be valid.
You're right. In a week or two when I've got PGP signing running I'll
send out a revised control message, signed and with descriptions.
Thanks for the help.
Julien ÉLIE
May 24, 2013, 2:18:22 PM5/24/13
to
> You're right. In a week or two when I've got PGP signing running I'll
> send out a revised control message, signed and with descriptions.
> Thanks for the help.
Are you facing issues when trying to sign your messages?
> send out a revised control message, signed and with descriptions.
> Thanks for the help.
In case you need help, do not hesitate to ask.
In the link Russ gave you:
http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/faqs/usenet-hier.html
a few programs like pgpcontrol, signcontrol, cmsg-tools, etc. are
suggested. I suggest you select one of them to assist you in sending
your control messages.
--
Julien �LIE
� � Ne me dis pas que c'est cette poign�e de Gaulois d'en face qui
vous a mis dans cet �tat !
� Il est vrai que j'ai �t� frapp� moi-m�me par la force
persuasive de cette poign�e, amiral ! � (Ast�rix)
RS Wood
May 25, 2013, 7:48:06 AM5/25/13
to
Julien ÉLIE wrote:
>> You're right. In a week or two when I've got PGP signing running I'll
>> send out a revised control message, signed and with descriptions.
>> Thanks for the help.
>
> Are you facing issues when trying to sign your messages?
> In case you need help, do not hesitate to ask.
>
> In the link Russ gave you:
> http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/faqs/usenet-hier.html
>
> a few programs like pgpcontrol, signcontrol, cmsg-tools, etc. are
> suggested. I suggest you select one of them to assist you in sending
> your control messages.
>
Many thanks for the support. Russ's FAQ is really good; I'm going through
>> You're right. In a week or two when I've got PGP signing running I'll
>> send out a revised control message, signed and with descriptions.
>> Thanks for the help.
>
> Are you facing issues when trying to sign your messages?
> In case you need help, do not hesitate to ask.
>
> In the link Russ gave you:
> http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/faqs/usenet-hier.html
>
> a few programs like pgpcontrol, signcontrol, cmsg-tools, etc. are
> suggested. I suggest you select one of them to assist you in sending
> your control messages.
>
it line by line. I'm not having any technical issues, I'm just short of
time (day job is getting in the way) :) If all goes well I'll have it done
by the end of the weekend. Thanks for everyone's patience.
RS Wood
May 25, 2013, 7:39:18 PM5/25/13
to
>>
>> a few programs like pgpcontrol, signcontrol, cmsg-tools, etc. are
>> suggested. I suggest you select one of them to assist you in sending
>> your control messages.
>>
>
> Many thanks for the support. Russ's FAQ is really good; I'm going through
> it line by line. I'm not having any technical issues, I'm just short of
> time (day job is getting in the way) :) If all goes well I'll have it
> done
> by the end of the weekend. Thanks for everyone's patience.
1. I used your signpost.py, which was pretty easy, thanks. But I see it's
been coded to also send checkgroup messages to news.admin.hierarchies. Is
that still preferred practice?
2. Once signpost.py created the message, I sent it with rnews -h localhost,
which seems to have worked correctly. In the mail I received however the
tabs separating group name from description seem to have been mangled. If
that causes trouble for anyone, I'd like to hear about it.
Finally, following Russ's FAQ I've created
http://dictatorshandbook.net/usenet/usenetadmin.html
which has links to innfeed.txt, the public key, checkgroups, and control.ctl
plus links to stuff users/readers would be interested in. I'll send an
email to the ISC address in the FAQ requesting the control.ctl and public
key be incorporated into the appropriate lists.
Message has been deleted
RS Wood
May 26, 2013, 4:31:57 AM5/26/13
to
D. Stussy wrote:
> "RS Wood" wrote in message news:knri34$hpg$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
> ...
>
> Still not quite correct. For the control file, instead of "doit", you
> want "verify-_PGP_KEY_" if you want only PGP-signed messages to be
> considered
> valid. The PGP key field is usually an e-mail address. If you don't care
> about the PGP signature, you appear to be done.
I've changed them to:
checkgroups:ne...@dictatorshandbook.net:dictator.*:verify-
ne...@dictatorshandbook.net
newgroup:ne...@dictatorshandbook.net:dictator.*:verify-
ne...@dictatorshandbook.net
rmgroup:ne...@dictatorshandbook.net:dictator.*:verify-
ne...@dictatorshandbook.net
(ignore linebreaks as posted, of course)
> "RS Wood" wrote in message news:knri34$hpg$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
> ...
> Finally, following Russ's FAQ I've created
> http://dictatorshandbook.net/usenet/usenetadmin.html
> which has links to innfeed.txt, the public key, checkgroups, and
> control.ctl
> plus links to stuff users/readers would be interested in. I'll send an
> email to the ISC address in the FAQ requesting the control.ctl and public
> key be incorporated into the appropriate lists.
> ==============
> http://dictatorshandbook.net/usenet/usenetadmin.html
> which has links to innfeed.txt, the public key, checkgroups, and
> control.ctl
> plus links to stuff users/readers would be interested in. I'll send an
> email to the ISC address in the FAQ requesting the control.ctl and public
> key be incorporated into the appropriate lists.
>
> Still not quite correct. For the control file, instead of "doit", you
> want "verify-_PGP_KEY_" if you want only PGP-signed messages to be
> considered
> valid. The PGP key field is usually an e-mail address. If you don't care
> about the PGP signature, you appear to be done.
I've changed them to:
checkgroups:ne...@dictatorshandbook.net:dictator.*:verify-
ne...@dictatorshandbook.net
newgroup:ne...@dictatorshandbook.net:dictator.*:verify-
ne...@dictatorshandbook.net
rmgroup:ne...@dictatorshandbook.net:dictator.*:verify-
ne...@dictatorshandbook.net
(ignore linebreaks as posted, of course)
Adam H. Kerman
May 26, 2013, 10:35:59 AM5/26/13
to
The newsgroups file line should be less than 80 characters. Remember to
count the 8-position tab (which moves the tab in multiples of 8, but it's
not necessarily the equivalent of 8 spaces).
dictator.general General discussion of bad governance and autocratic tactics
That line is too long. Making the description useful is an art. It should be
a phrase made up of key words that don't repeat words in the group name.
Words like "general" and "discussion" aren't key words; no one would use
them as search terms. Also "general" is in the group name.
count the 8-position tab (which moves the tab in multiples of 8, but it's
not necessarily the equivalent of 8 spaces).
dictator.general General discussion of bad governance and autocratic tactics
That line is too long. Making the description useful is an art. It should be
a phrase made up of key words that don't repeat words in the group name.
Words like "general" and "discussion" aren't key words; no one would use
them as search terms. Also "general" is in the group name.
RS Wood
May 26, 2013, 11:42:55 AM5/26/13
to
does it count double if you separate using two tabs, as recommended for some
groups? The comment about search got me to revise my strategy and think
about what punters would search for. This is what I'm thinking of:
dictator.asia Autocracy, tyranny, bad governance in Asia
dictator.europe Autocracy, tyranny, bad governance in Europe
dictator.africa Autocracy, tyranny, bad governance in Africa
dictator.mideast Autocracy, tyranny, bad governance in MiddleEast
dictator.america Autocracy, tyranny, bad governance in America
dictator.general The art of autocracy, tyranny, and dictatorship
dictator.chitchat Topics only marginally related to bad governance
dictator.announce Announcements for the dictator.* hierarchy
Adam H. Kerman
May 26, 2013, 7:57:20 PM5/26/13
to
RS Wood <r...@therandymon.com> wrote:
>You're right, it's not easy. Does the tab count as 1 character or 8? And
>does it count double if you separate using two tabs, as recommended for some
>groups?
An 8-position tab (conventional) positions the following character as if it
>You're right, it's not easy. Does the tab count as 1 character or 8? And
>does it count double if you separate using two tabs, as recommended for some
>groups?
follows a character at a position that's a multiple of 8. In theory, the
description would be a maximum of 55 characters long (80-1-24) if the group
name is less than 24 characters long. If the group name is less than 16
characters long (less than 8 characters long would be unusual), then separate
with two tabs. If the group name is at least 24 characters but less than 32,
then the description must be no more than 47 characters long.
Julien ÉLIE
May 27, 2013, 1:57:42 PM5/27/13
to
Hi RS Wood,
> Julien - two questions:
>
> 1. I used your signpost.py, which was pretty easy, thanks. But I see
> it's been coded to also send checkgroup messages to
> news.admin.hierarchies. Is that still preferred practice?
Yes, checkgroups control articles should be crossposted to
news.admin.hierarchies. It is essentially to maximize their
propagation. Do not worry: they will not appear in
news.admin.hierarchies because they are *control* articles.
http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/faqs/usenet-hier.html
"The exception is checkgroups messages, which should normally be posted
to the administrative group of your hierarchy and possibly crossposted
to news.admin.hierarchies."
> 2. Once signpost.py created the message, I sent it with rnews -h
> localhost, which seems to have worked correctly. In the mail I
> received however the tabs separating group name from description seem
> to have been mangled. If that causes trouble for anyone, I'd like to
> hear about it.
The script is "signcontrol.py".
I have just had a look at the checkgroups you sent. They are properly
formatted, with tabs.
--
Julien �LIE
� Et maintenant nous sommes roul�s. � (Ast�rix)
> Julien - two questions:
>
> 1. I used your signpost.py, which was pretty easy, thanks. But I see
> it's been coded to also send checkgroup messages to
> news.admin.hierarchies. Is that still preferred practice?
news.admin.hierarchies. It is essentially to maximize their
propagation. Do not worry: they will not appear in
news.admin.hierarchies because they are *control* articles.
http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/faqs/usenet-hier.html
"The exception is checkgroups messages, which should normally be posted
to the administrative group of your hierarchy and possibly crossposted
to news.admin.hierarchies."
> 2. Once signpost.py created the message, I sent it with rnews -h
> localhost, which seems to have worked correctly. In the mail I
> received however the tabs separating group name from description seem
> to have been mangled. If that causes trouble for anyone, I'd like to
> hear about it.
I have just had a look at the checkgroups you sent. They are properly
formatted, with tabs.
--
Julien �LIE
� Et maintenant nous sommes roul�s. � (Ast�rix)
Julien ÉLIE
May 27, 2013, 2:08:19 PM5/27/13
to
Hi RS Wood,
>> That line is too long.
>
> Does the tab count as 1 character or 8?
One.
> And does it count double if you separate using two tabs, as
> recommended for some groups?
Yes.
http://ftp.isc.org/pub/usenet/CONFIG/README
The total line length should be at most 79 columns. The description
should start with a capital and not be more than 55 characters (79 - 24)
long. If the group name is longer than 24 characters, the description
should be correspondingly shorter. If the group is moderated, it should
have " (Moderated)" at the very end of the description, not counted as
part of the length of the description. This text must be exactly that,
with no variations, as it is used by news software to find moderated
groups.
Traditionally, all newsgroup descriptions ended with a period, but this
isn't necessary and steals away one character that is occasionally
useful for forming a better description.
>> That line is too long.
>
> You're right, it's not easy.
Didn't signcontrol.py send you the warning "The description is too long. You should shorten it." and you decided to accept it?
> Does the tab count as 1 character or 8?
> And does it count double if you separate using two tabs, as
> recommended for some groups?
http://ftp.isc.org/pub/usenet/CONFIG/README
The total line length should be at most 79 columns. The description
should start with a capital and not be more than 55 characters (79 - 24)
long. If the group name is longer than 24 characters, the description
should be correspondingly shorter. If the group is moderated, it should
have " (Moderated)" at the very end of the description, not counted as
part of the length of the description. This text must be exactly that,
with no variations, as it is used by news software to find moderated
groups.
Traditionally, all newsgroup descriptions ended with a period, but this
isn't necessary and steals away one character that is occasionally
useful for forming a better description.
Russ Allbery
May 27, 2013, 3:04:32 PM5/27/13
to
Julien ÉLIE <iul...@nom-de-mon-site.com.invalid> writes:
> Hi RS Wood,
>> Does the tab count as 1 character or 8?
> One.
It counts for however many characters it takes to move to the next tab
stop. I should find some cleaner way of explaining that. The
documentation sort of says that:
The total line length should be at most 79 columns. The description
should start with a capital and not be more than 55 characters (79 - 24)
long. If the group name is longer than 24 characters, the description
should be correspondingly shorter.
and that's where that 24 number came from, but you have to know what's
going on to infer the rule for longer group names. (The idea is to be
able to display the newsgroups entry verbatim on a traditional 80-column
display.)
> Hi RS Wood,
>> Does the tab count as 1 character or 8?
> One.
stop. I should find some cleaner way of explaining that. The
documentation sort of says that:
The total line length should be at most 79 columns. The description
should start with a capital and not be more than 55 characters (79 - 24)
long. If the group name is longer than 24 characters, the description
should be correspondingly shorter.
going on to infer the rule for longer group names. (The idea is to be
able to display the newsgroups entry verbatim on a traditional 80-column
display.)
Adam H. Kerman
May 27, 2013, 4:07:59 PM5/27/13
to
Russ Allbery <r...@stanford.edu> wrote:
>Julien <iul...@nom-de-mon-site.com.invalid> writes:
or longer, the description should be correspondingly shorter."
Try this:
The newsgroups file line has the following syntax
group.name<one or more tab characters>description
and should not exceed 79 columns.
A useful description is a phrase made up of key words that don't repeat
words in the group name. A key word is a search term a user might use to
search for a group to subscribe to on the group's topic. "Discussion" is
never a key word.
Assume an 8-position tab. That means the character following the tab starts
in the next column following column 8 or a multiple of 8.
If the group name is very short, it is desireable that the description starts
at column 25 and is no more than 55 characters long (79 - 24). If the group
name is less than 8 characters, separate with 3 tabs. If 8 to 15 characters,
separate with 2 tabs. Otherwise separate with 1 tab.
If the group name is 24 characters or longer, separate with 1 tab, but
shorten the description correspondingly so that line length doesn't exceed
79 characters. For instance, if the group name is 24 to 31 characters long,
the tab brings the cursor to position 32, leaving 47 characters for the
description.
>Julien <iul...@nom-de-mon-site.com.invalid> writes:
>>RS Wood wrote:
>>>Does the tab count as 1 character or 8?
>>One.
>It counts for however many characters it takes to move to the next tab
>stop. I should find some cleaner way of explaining that. The
>documentation sort of says that:
> The total line length should be at most 79 columns. The description
> should start with a capital and not be more than 55 characters (79 - 24)
> long. If the group name is longer than 24 characters, the description
> should be correspondingly shorter.
>and that's where that 24 number came from, but you have to know what's
>going on to infer the rule for longer group names. (The idea is to be
>able to display the newsgroups entry verbatim on a traditional 80-column
>display.
I thought you'd corrected that years ago. "If the group name is 24 characters
>>>Does the tab count as 1 character or 8?
>>One.
>It counts for however many characters it takes to move to the next tab
>stop. I should find some cleaner way of explaining that. The
>documentation sort of says that:
> The total line length should be at most 79 columns. The description
> should start with a capital and not be more than 55 characters (79 - 24)
> long. If the group name is longer than 24 characters, the description
> should be correspondingly shorter.
>and that's where that 24 number came from, but you have to know what's
>going on to infer the rule for longer group names. (The idea is to be
>able to display the newsgroups entry verbatim on a traditional 80-column
>display.
or longer, the description should be correspondingly shorter."
Try this:
The newsgroups file line has the following syntax
group.name<one or more tab characters>description
and should not exceed 79 columns.
A useful description is a phrase made up of key words that don't repeat
words in the group name. A key word is a search term a user might use to
search for a group to subscribe to on the group's topic. "Discussion" is
never a key word.
Assume an 8-position tab. That means the character following the tab starts
in the next column following column 8 or a multiple of 8.
If the group name is very short, it is desireable that the description starts
at column 25 and is no more than 55 characters long (79 - 24). If the group
name is less than 8 characters, separate with 3 tabs. If 8 to 15 characters,
separate with 2 tabs. Otherwise separate with 1 tab.
If the group name is 24 characters or longer, separate with 1 tab, but
shorten the description correspondingly so that line length doesn't exceed
79 characters. For instance, if the group name is 24 to 31 characters long,
the tab brings the cursor to position 32, leaving 47 characters for the
description.
Julien ÉLIE
May 27, 2013, 4:18:45 PM5/27/13
to
Hi Russ,
>>> Does the tab count as 1 character or 8?
>
>> One.
>
> It counts for however many characters it takes to move to the next tab
> stop.
>
--
Julien ÉLIE
« I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with
me. » (Sigmund Freud)
>>> Does the tab count as 1 character or 8?
>
>> One.
>
> It counts for however many characters it takes to move to the next tab
> stop.
>
> The total line length should be at most 79 columns.
Oh, yes. Thanks for having corrected!
--
Julien ÉLIE
« I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with
me. » (Sigmund Freud)
0 new messages