Anyone using Hogwasher; need advice
Dudley Henriques
If someone is using Hogwasher as their newsreader, I could use a bit of
advice setting up properly. Just switched to a Mac from a PC using OE
6.0 and need some advice setting up Hogwasher correctly on the new IMac.
I've never used filters before and might need a hand setting one up.
Can anyone lend me a hand?
Much appreciated;
Dudley Henriques
J.J. O'Shea
(in article <W7mdnTi5ybVmXPfb...@rcn.net>):
The Hog's filters are easy.
1 select an example of the kind of post you want to filter. Use
command-shift-s to filter by subject, command-shift-a to filter by author. Of
course, once you've got the filter window open you can change things, so it's
not a big deal which way you go.
2 the filter dialog opens to the General pane. You set basic parameters here.
The default newsgroup which will be filtered is the one the post is being
read from; you can add other groups using the Specify button. You can set the
amount of time the filter will run (the default is 31 days) or if you want it
to keep running until it hasn't been matched for the number of days you
specify. (Depending on my level of interest in a thread, I might set a filter
to run for 3 to 7 days after the last time it got a match, so that if there's
a reply in that time I'll see it.)
3 the Criteria pane is next up. You can filter by up to three criteria,
either ANDing them or ORing them. Criteria include subject line, author line,
date posted, number of lines, newsgroup or internet header lines of your
choice, and text in the main body of the post. Or you can simply select all
posts. You set the actual text that's being filtered. You could, for example,
filter on 'User-Agent: Thunderbird 2' which would pick up all posts made by
someone using Thunderbird version 2.x, for Mac or Windows, or on 'User-Agent:
Thunderbird 2.0.0.0 (Macintosh/20070326)' which filters on posts made by
someone using _your_ current version of Thunderbird.
4 the Actions pane is next up. Here's where you specify what your filter is
supposed to do. You can select 'delete', which would make the filter a
kill-filter and delete all posts matching your criteria, or you could select
'label' and pick a colour from the drop-down menu and all posts matching your
criteria will be marked in the colour you specified or you could select
'download'. If you select download you can also label it. If you select
download you will have further choices, including saving as text, downloading
binaries, or saving as text or downloading binaries and then deleting the
post.
The Hog will allow me to set a filter which will find all posts in
comp.sys.mac.apps made using Thunderbird 2 for Mac, colour them purple,
download them, save them as text to a folder I specify, and then delete them.
And the Hog will let me do this in a matter of seconds.
--
email to oshea dot j dot j at gmail dot com.
Jolly Roger
> =If someone is using Hogwasher as their newsreader, I could use a bit
> of advice setting up properly. Just switched to a Mac from a PC using
> OE 6.0 and need some advice setting up Hogwasher correctly on the new
> IMac.
> I've never used filters before and might need a hand setting one up.
> Can anyone lend me a hand?
Hi Dudley. Welcome to the Macintosh community! : ) I think you'll
find the Mac community much more helpful than other communities out
there - in general, Mac users are much more eager to help each other
than, say, Windows users. I'm sure you will enjoy your new Mac
experience!
Anyway, yes, you've come to the right place for help with most any Mac
application. And for Mac system issues, feel free to ask questions in
comp.sys.mac.system.
Now, how can we help you? : )
--
JR
Dudley Henriques
answer.
I have a vision issue at present and following a general instructional
path is a bit difficult.
If I could prevail on you, after reading below exactly what I want
Hogwasher to do, to perhaps simply give me a 1-2-3 rote path to
accomplish what I need, I'm sure as I do it, the micros of the how's and
why's will become apparent.
Let me explain if I may please/
I'll be using HW completely in a text scenario; no graphic downloads at
all; simply reading posts in specific threads and answering them when
applicable.
What I need to accomplish is to set up HW to download only new headers
since last viewed with the subject headers that I have an interest in
showing at the top of the list either by some mark or label. Then the
rest of the list showing in descending order normally as posted to the
group.
If you could be kind enough to list for me a rote path telling me
exactly what I need to do to accomplish this, I would be extremely
grateful to you.
Between my vision issues and my newbie status with both Mac and
Hogwasher, AND learning to formate a filter properly through
understanding how it's done, I have quite a chore if following a
tutorial approach.
If I can just follow directions and make a filter, I'll be fine
understanding the in's and out's of all of it.
Please be advised I completely understand if I'm asking a bit much. You
have been very kind to supply what you have posted, and if need be, I'll
print that out and try studying it to find the answer.
I just don't want to give you the impression I'm lazy :-))))
And thank you again.
Dudley Henriques
Jolly Roger
> I have a vision issue at present and following a general instructional
> path is a bit difficult.
As a side note, you should be aware that Mac OS X has several features
to help people with vision and hearing problems that you may find
useful. To see these features, from the Apple menu, select System
Preferences, then click Universal Access.
--
JR
Dudley Henriques
Many thanks. And would you believe I'm an MVP with Microsoft ???? :-))
I'm not however a computer type guy, but rather an adviser on aviation
matters with their flight simulator program. I have some basic computer
skills of course, but nothing working with scripts and filters.
I switched to the Mac for several reasons involving my online work and
like it very much. The problem is I'm so used to using OE on the PC that
I've never had to deal with filters, and it's this lack of knowledge
that's slowing up my transition to a Mac newsreader.
Presently I'm using Thunderbird, but because of a vision problem
(cataract operation just two days ago) the default user interface fonts
are way too small for me to see properly. I thought Hogwasher might work
a but better since I can change the user interface font size. There is
also a way to increase the user interface font size in TB, but it
involves a process way above my meager pay scale.
Basically what I need to do is get a news reader I can configure the way
I explained it in my second post to the poster above this one.
Several people have suggested MT Newsreader. Perhaps this one is better?
I don't need the binary ability as I just answer aviation related
questions on the aviation groups.
Dudley Henriques
Adrian
To OP:
An immediate help with vision when dealing with small stuff onscreen is
to hold down the CTRL key whilst moving the scroll wheel foward ....
impressive eh?
--
Adrian
Richard Maine
> An immediate help with vision when dealing with small stuff onscreen is
> to hold down the CTRL key whilst moving the scroll wheel foward ....
> impressive eh?
I'm not the OP, but... Say, that's handy. I'm sure I could have found it
if I went looking, but I hadn't happened to go looking or otherwise trip
over it. Thanks fo rthe tip.
--
Richard Maine | Good judgement comes from experience;
email: last name at domain . net | experience comes from bad judgement.
domain: summertriangle | -- Mark Twain
Dudley Henriques
fit a zoom level forward I would leave it that way and it would be much
easier to work. Is this possible?
DH
Jolly Roger
> Jolly Roger wrote:
>> Hi Dudley. Welcome to the Macintosh community! : ) I think you'll
>> find the Mac community much more helpful than other communities out
>> there - in general, Mac users are much more eager to help each other
>> than, say, Windows users. I'm sure you will enjoy your new Mac
>> experience!
>>
>> Anyway, yes, you've come to the right place for help with most any Mac
>> application. And for Mac system issues, feel free to ask questions in
>> comp.sys.mac.system.
>>
>> Now, how can we help you? : )
>
> Many thanks. And would you believe I'm an MVP with Microsoft ???? :-))
> I'm not however a computer type guy, but rather an adviser on aviation
> matters with their flight simulator program. I have some basic computer
> skills of course, but nothing working with scripts and filters.
Then you should come to feel at home on a Mac - Macs, in general, try
to stay out of your way and give you the most friendly experience.
> I switched to the Mac for several reasons involving my online work and
> like it very much. The problem is I'm so used to using OE on the PC
> that I've never had to deal with filters, and it's this lack of
> knowledge that's slowing up my transition to a Mac newsreader.
Okay.
> Presently I'm using Thunderbird, but because of a vision problem
> (cataract operation just two days ago) the default user interface fonts
> are way too small for me to see properly. I thought Hogwasher might
> work a but better since I can change the user interface font size.
> There is also a way to increase the user interface font size in TB, but
> it involves a process way above my meager pay scale.
Most news readers will allow you to configure the font face and at
least the size of text. Some older (Carbon) news readers, such as
MT-NewsWatcher use an older method of text anti-aliasing that isn't as
easy to read as newer (Cocoa) news readers, such as Unison.
Personally, I prefer Unison because it has a very simplified interface
(doesn't throw a ton of complicated features in your face like other
news readers) and has a more Mac-like appearance then other news
readers. In Unison's General preferences, you can set the font face and
size of message list and message body text.
> Basically what I need to do is get a news reader I can configure the
> way I explained it in my second post to the poster above this one.
So it sounds like you want your news reader to highlight articles with
certain key words in the subject or body of the message? Most any news
reader can do this. Can you give more specifics about the criteria you
will use?
> Several people have suggested MT Newsreader. Perhaps this one is better?
MT-NewsWatcher certainly is one of the more flexible and robust news
readers out there. But it can be cumbersome to learn because it has so
many features, and the user interface is a bit clunky and hard to learn
as well.
> I don't need the binary ability as I just answer aviation related
> questions on the aviation groups.
The good news is most any news reader can do this! So I think you
should probably make your news reader selection based on which one
*feels* right for you.
--
JR
Dudley Henriques
some coldcuts :-) I'll be back in about 30 minutes and will answer your
post immediately.
As soon as I get back, I'll post under this one so we can pick up on it
DH
Jolly Roger
> Don't laugh, but my wife just asked me to walk her down to the store
> for some coldcuts :-) I'll be back in about 30 minutes and will answer
> your post immediately.
> As soon as I get back, I'll post under this one so we can pick up on it
: ) We'll be here.
--
JR
Adrian
You generally have a better result doing this if you are using an old
style CRT monitor rather than the modern LCD screens ... however, you
can still do it, it just doesn't look as sharp. Go to Apple menu; choose
System Preferences, choose Displays; select the pixel dimensions you
want your display to run ... that's it.
--
Adrian
Dudley Henriques
D
Jolly Roger
Yes. The technology in LCD screens is such that if you set them to any
resolution but the default resolution, they must interpolate the image,
which inevitably introduces blurriness and loss of clarity.
--
JR
Dudley Henriques
<jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
Hi JR;
Following your lead, I've downloaded and installed Unisom. At first
glance it looks like the perfect choice for me. I've selected a larger
text and have all my aviation groups (and this one also) in the
"others" folder. I've selected ungroup messages which gives me the
entire thread.
Now what I need to be able to do is to pick a thread (like this one for
example) and assign it a rule so that it shows up on top of the list
when I open the group each time so I can instantly find it. I take it
the blue dots will tell me immediately if someone has answered a post
or if there is another post on the thread I might want to open and read.
Basically, how do I configure to highlight the threads I'm involved
with at the top of the list then have the rest of the download (I use
300 at a time) appear below that in the order the posts came into the
group since my last update?
I'm getting there I think :-))))
Also, I just noticed that a spell checker isn't showing on the reply
window. How do I check spelling before sending?
Dudley
Dudley Henriques
<jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
Neber mynd the speel shecker. I found it :-)))
Dudley
Joey DoWop Dee
> On 2007-06-09 13:15:18 -0400, Jolly Roger
> <jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
>
>> On 2007-06-09 12:14:13 -0500, Dudley Henriques <dhenr...@rcn.com> said:
>>
>>> Don't laugh, but my wife just asked me to walk her down to the store
>>> for some coldcuts :-) I'll be back in about 30 minutes and will answer
>>> your post immediately.
>>> As soon as I get back, I'll post under this one so we can pick up on it
>>
>>>> We'll be here.
>
> Neber mynd the speel shecker. I found it :-)))
> Dudley
>
Did you forget to turn it on? :-p
--
Joey DoWop Dee
Remember: It is To Laugh
Dudley Henriques
Just joking with the post naturally. I was looking at the top for a
spell check icon and didn't think to right click and get it that way. I
like the Unison program and will like it better I think as I discover
how to best use it.
DH
Jolly Roger
> Just joking with the post naturally. I was looking at the top for a
> spell check icon and didn't think to right click and get it that way. I
> like the Unison program and will like it better I think as I discover
> how to best use it.
Be sure to select Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling As You Type! ; )
--
JR
Jolly Roger
> Basically, how do I configure to highlight the threads I'm involved
> with at the top of the list then have the rest of the download (I use
> 300 at a time) appear below that in the order the posts came into the
> group since my last update?
You'll want to create a rule that matches certain key words in the
subject and/or body of messages, right? To create a new rule:
1. From the Unison menu bar, select Unison > Preferences.
2. Click Rules.
3. Click the [+] button.
4. Fill in the appropriate information.
Note that you can use regular expression matching in any condition by
selecting "Matches regex" rather than "contains" et al.
Questions??
--
JR
Dudley Henriques
<jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
Got that about a second after I posted asking about it :-))
I'm almost there with Unison. GREAT program, and I can see the fonts
with no trouble.
Just some minute details on Unison the way I'm using it so far; when
you get a minute. With your help I think I'll have this licked in one
more post :-)
1.What is the best way to handle a thread I want to highlight and
access quickly each time I open a specific group? Ideally I'd like it
at the top of the list but realize that might not be possible.
Is making a rule for a color bar on the initial header the fastest way
to find that thread again...then click the arrow open and check for new
messages?
2. To open a group and click on a thread header and just get the
messages uploaded since the last time I checked that group, do I have
to click "get latest messages", or does opening the group automatically
download just those messages? I'm assuming I have to have "show read
messages" clicked in order to see the blue dot for any new message when
I reopen that thread???
I think this might do it JR...and be sure to let me know if you ever
need to learn how to kill a Mig. :-))
Dudley
Dudley Henriques
<jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
A bit further down in the thread I asked a few more :-)
I think I have the rules thing now. I just create a rule for the
subject on each thread I want highlighted then assign say a red color
to it and execute the rule on the header to activate it. Then when I
reopen the group, I can see the red bars quickly and navigate to the
thread easily.
It's a bit more complicated than selecting the "glasses" in OE that
assigns a thread as watched, but it will work just fine for me.
Discovering Unison through you was your good deed for the day and has
helped me a lot :-)
Dudley
Jolly Roger
> I think I have the rules thing now. I just create a rule for the
> subject on each thread I want highlighted then assign say a red color
> to it and execute the rule on the header to activate it. Then when I
> reopen the group, I can see the red bars quickly and navigate to the
> thread easily.
Another thing that may help you is the View > Hide Read Messages menu
item. When you enable that feature, the news reader hides messages you
have already read from the list, so you see only the newer messages you
haven't read yet.
--
JR
Jolly Roger
> 1.What is the best way to handle a thread I want to highlight and
> access quickly each time I open a specific group? Ideally I'd like it
> at the top of the list but realize that might not be possible.
> Is making a rule for a color bar on the initial header the fastest way
> to find that thread again...then click the arrow open and check for new
> messages?
Well, you should do the highlighting, of course. But you may also try
initially selecting all messages/threads except the ones that interest
you and marking them read (Message > Mark Thread As Read). Then set
View > Hide Read Messages. Now as time goes on, only unread messages
are shown (at the top, naturally, since all other read messages are
hidden).
To quickly mark other non-interesting threads read, you can
Control-click (or right-click if your mouse has a right button) the
thread and select Mark Thread As Read from the contextual menu.
> 2. To open a group and click on a thread header and just get the
> messages uploaded since the last time I checked that group, do I have
> to click "get latest messages", or does opening the group automatically
> download just those messages? I'm assuming I have to have "show read
> messages" clicked in order to see the blue dot for any new message when
> I reopen that thread???
Yes, Get Latest Messages gets whatever has been posted since the last
time you checked. And if you select View > Hide Read Messages, you
will not see previously-read messages.
--
JR
Dudley Henriques
<jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
Don't know how to thank you JR. You've made my Mac transition a whole
lot easier than it could have been.
Now, all I have to do is explain to Microsoft why I like my Mac so much :-)
Dudley Henriques
President Emeritus
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
MVP Microsoft Flight Simulator
Jolly Roger
> Don't know how to thank you JR. You've made my Mac transition a whole
> lot easier than it could have been.
No problem, but don't thank just me - and be sure to ask if you have
any questions about other Mac stuff! : )
--
JR
Dudley Henriques
<jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
Will do, and thanks as well to the group at large for taking an
interest. I'll probably become a sort of regular on the group as I
attempt to learn more about this IMac.
Adding the Mac to our capabilities was the result of having put
together a state of the art PC for use with the flight simulator and my
on line work for the sim community. In one week, the new motherboard
needed a bios update that installed incorrectly and resulted in having
to shunt the BIOS to reset it.
That about did it for me with PC's. A 4K dollar system almost trashed
by a needed BIOS update! (The mobo manufacturer specified the need for
the update or I wouldn't have done it)
Anyway, the new Mac is working out just fine so far. There's a lot to
learn of course. I just downloaded ONYX to handle the system
maintainence and run the scripts. Now I have a good news reader, and
Mozilla and Safari are fine as the browsers.
I'll purchase the Unison and all should be up and running :-)
Thanks again to all and be looking for me from time to time.
Dudley Henriques
Jolly Roger
> On 2007-06-09 17:09:11 -0400, Jolly Roger
> <jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
>
>> On 2007-06-09 15:36:43 -0500, Dudley Henriques <dhenr...@rcn.com> said:
>>
>>> Don't know how to thank you JR. You've made my Mac transition a whole
>>> lot easier than it could have been.
>>
>> No problem, but don't thank just me - and be sure to ask if you have
>> any questions about other Mac stuff! : )
>
> Will do, and thanks as well to the group at large for taking an
> interest. I'll probably become a sort of regular on the group as I
> attempt to learn more about this IMac.
Great! : )
> Adding the Mac to our capabilities was the result of having put
> together a state of the art PC for use with the flight simulator and my
> on line work for the sim community. In one week, the new motherboard
> needed a bios update that installed incorrectly and resulted in having
> to shunt the BIOS to reset it.
> That about did it for me with PC's. A 4K dollar system almost trashed
> by a needed BIOS update! (The mobo manufacturer specified the need for
> the update or I wouldn't have done it)
Ouch. I've had similar experiences with PCs at work too. I work in
software development and engineering for a major semiconductor
manufacturer, and most of our work is done on PC. I consider myself
very lucky to be able to use a Mac for my main desktop at work.
> Anyway, the new Mac is working out just fine so far. There's a lot to
> learn of course. I just downloaded ONYX to handle the system
> maintainence and run the scripts. Now I have a good news reader, and
> Mozilla and Safari are fine as the browsers.
Take a look at this recent thread about essential Mac applications. You
may get some good ideas from it:
> I'll purchase the Unison and all should be up and running :-)
Just a note: The Panic engineering team is *very* responsive to bug
reports and feature requests. And Panic is actively working on Unison
on an ongoing basis. So if you see things in Unison that could use
improvement, be sure to let them know! I personally think Unison has
potential to become one of the best Mac Usenet clients around.
--
JR
Dudley Henriques
<jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
I'll definitely check out the Mac applications and establish contact
with Panic as well. I take it you sent in the rules color issue and
I'll augment that with my own report to them.
If you hear anything about the issue or a fix on the way before I do,
could you drop me a line? My email isn't munged so it can be used as it
shows on the posts.
Dudley
Jolly Roger
> I'll definitely check out the Mac applications and establish contact
> with Panic as well. I take it you sent in the rules color issue and
> I'll augment that with my own report to them.
Great! Please do. I think you'll find them very receptive and eager
to help. And the more reports they get the better, I think.
> If you hear anything about the issue or a fix on the way before I do,
> could you drop me a line? My email isn't munged so it can be used as it
> shows on the posts.
Okay sure will do.
--
JR
Sharon Fink
Dudley Henriques <dhenr...@rcn.com> wrote:
> Hi;
>
> If someone is using Hogwasher as their newsreader, I could use a bit of
> advice setting up properly. Just switched to a Mac from a PC using OE
> 6.0 and need some advice setting up Hogwasher correctly on the new IMac.
> I've never used filters before and might need a hand setting one up.
> Can anyone lend me a hand?
> Much appreciated;
> Dudley Henriques
Hi, Dudley
Forgive the familiarity but I've met you previously in the Windows
newsgroups. Just wanted to say that I'm enjoying my Mac as well. Very
close to becoming a Mac-only user.
(Not using Hogwasher so can't help you there. Sorry.)
Sharon the fledgling Mac addict
--
Sharon F
MVP - Windows Shell
Sharon Fink
Dudley Henriques <dhenr...@rcn.com> wrote:
> Basically what I need to do is get a news reader I can configure the way
> I explained it in my second post to the poster above this one.
> Several people have suggested MT Newsreader
In MT Preferences, scroll down to fonts in left column. Among other
options, you can select preferred font and point size are available for
lists and text.
Have not read this entire thread yet so am sorry if it's a repeat of
information.
Sharon Fink
Dudley Henriques <dhenr...@rcn.com> wrote:
> I'm almost there with Unison. GREAT program, and I can see the fonts
> with no trouble.
Although I use MTNW now, Unison is on my list "to try." Good to hear
it's such an agreeable program to work with.
Dudley Henriques
Hi Sharon;
I see we share an MVP with Microsoft. I'm with the flight simulator program.
I've already told my MVP lead about my necessary use of a Mac for the
work I'm doing. He said not to worry, as a lot of Microsoft people like
and use Mac's. After hearing this I waited for 15 minutes for lightning
to hit the house but it didn't, so I guess it's ok with Microsoft if we
like Macs :-))
I'm learning to like my Mac more and more each day. Its a learning
curve coming off the PC, but once into it a bit, it's much less hassle
and really a nice computer.
If you go with a Mac and use it heavily, the MacPro would probably be
great for you. I use an IMac (had the Pro but needed a high end gaming
PC for the simulator so had to change over there) and it's fine for my
online work in the sim community.
Also, I find the Mac people generally to be much less "stressed" than
the PC folks. Perhaps they know something we have yet to learn
:-))
Glad to "meet you" again, and look forward to hearing from you again as
we Mac along together :-)
Dudley Henriques
MVP 2007 Microsoft Flight Simulator
Sharon Fink
Obtained a MBP last October. Awesome laptop. It travelled to the Redmond
campus with me this spring and it wasn't the only one there. I haven't
replaced the PC desktop yet but I believe its days are numbered. When
the time comes, I'll be joining you in the iMac family.
As far as being less stressed: I've had one lockup since October and it
was user error (I launched iCal before the MBP was fully awake).
I look forward to Mac-ing along with you as well :)
Better change this sig soon!
Dudley Henriques
Were you out at the MVP summit? I had to miss it due to family health
issues. I heard it was quite an event.
I knew the PC days were numbered when I blew the Asus mobo doing a
called for bios update. This trashed a 3800 dollar system.
I then put together a 4000 dollar high end gaming system for the sim
work that needed a bios update immediately out of the box to
accommodate Vista Ultimate. THAT bios flash went bad as well ending up
in my having to shunt the CMOS to reset it.
That about did it for me and the PC's :-)
Now the gaming PC is off line and in use with the sim, and I'm strictly
a Mac guy :-)
Dudley Henriques
Sharon Fink
Dudley Henriques <dhenr...@rcn.com> wrote:
Yes, I was at the Summit. Awesome event. Sorry to hear you had family
health troubles to deal with and hope that the "skies are a little
clearer" for you now.
I can only imagine the feeling of numbness that followed the BIOS update
failures. That's not a place one wants to be on any platform! My
purchase was based on curiosity. I did not expect to be so captivated.
I've downloaded Unison but won't get to try it until later tonight.
Dudley Henriques
I think you'll like it. I haven't registered it as yet but probably
will in the next few days.
You can set it up any way you like, but what seems to be working for me
is as follows;
I've set up to show all read messages and threads open so that gives me
the entire thread at a glance. To make the threads easy to find once
you post into one, I select the header on the involved thread, go into
preferences/rules/ and select subject. This gives you the header in the
selection window. Then select a red color for that header. Then go into
the header again in the group listings and right click apply rules.
Now every time you open that group, the red header and all the posts
using that header in the thread will be highlighted. What's not quite
so apparent right away is that if you browse down the red highlighted
lines, you can see the NEW postings by referencing the blue dots at the
left side margin.
This system has been working for me very well so far.
Good luck with it.
Dudley
Sharon Fink
> I think you'll like it. I haven't registered it as yet but probably
> will in the next few days.
> You can set it up any way you like, but what seems to be working for me
> is as follows;
> I've set up to show all read messages and threads open so that gives me
> the entire thread at a glance. To make the threads easy to find once
> you post into one, I select the header on the involved thread, go into
> preferences/rules/ and select subject. This gives you the header in the
> selection window. Then select a red color for that header. Then go into
> the header again in the group listings and right click apply rules.
> Now every time you open that group, the red header and all the posts
> using that header in the thread will be highlighted. What's not quite
> so apparent right away is that if you browse down the red highlighted
> lines, you can see the NEW postings by referencing the blue dots at the
> left side margin.
> This system has been working for me very well so far.
> Good luck with it.
> Dudley
It took a while to become accustomed to MT Newswatcher's layout and
then I was fine with it. It's biggest drawback for me is that it's an
online reader only. It's my understanding that Unison is an
offline/online reader. If that's correct that's a definite plus in its
favor. "Favorites" vs "subscribe" is different but not hard to figure
out.
Not enough time behind the wheel for a full review but so far I like
the clean look of this interface. The blue dot system (next to each
thread group) is the same as what Apple uses in their support forum.
Scores a point or two for familiarity and uniformity.
I'm going to check on your other thread about deleting rules (never
mind, I see you've been more than adequately advised). FWIW, I've
always filtered on "from" to keep track of threads I've participated
in. This has worked well in other readers but that may not be as
effecive in Unison. Guess some time with their help manual will answer
a few of my questions...
--
Sharon F
Dudley Henriques
>
>
> It took a while to become accustomed to MT Newswatcher's layout and
> then I was fine with it. It's biggest drawback for me is that it's an
> online reader only. It's my understanding that Unison is an
> offline/online reader. If that's correct that's a definite plus in its
> favor. "Favorites" vs "subscribe" is different but not hard to figure
> out.
> I have no problem at all using Unison online. In fact I'm online now
> answering this.
>
Sharon Fink
Dudley Henriques <dhenr...@rcn.com> wrote:
> > I have no problem at all using Unison online. In fact I'm online now
> > answering this.
No problem online here either - when it's available. Connection is
intermittent at my brother's house (watch his boys 3 days a week). With
offline reading, I could stay "caught up."
Still need to check out Hogwasher. Also on my "to try" list...
Dudley Henriques
Personal opinion; HW is a bit pricey for a newsreader. 50 dollars is in
the price range with Microsoft Flight Simulator. MSFS employs dozens of
highly trained professionals working a multi-million dollar budget.
By all means check it out as it might be right for your needs, but for
me; I found Unison the perfect newsreader at the right price and it
performs perfectly for my needs. It's a great and a simple program that
just does enough and not too much to make it bloated.
Anyway, good luck with your "quest". :-))
Dudley
Jolly Roger
> I found Unison the perfect newsreader at the right price and it
> performs perfectly for my needs. It's a great and a simple program that
> just does enough and not too much to make it bloated.
That's the reason I chose Unison. I've used MT-NewsWatcher (and before
that, NewsWatcher) since the 90s. Back then it was *the* best Mac news
reader. But while it's certainly feature-rich, it's also big, complex,
and ugly by today's Mac standards. In contrast, Unison is a very young
application, and is simple, and looks and behaves more like a Mac OS X
application should. The trade-off, of course, is Unison has bugs /
missing functionality that need to be addressed. But so far I've seen
plenty indication that Panic is open to suggestions and willing to fox
problems in a timely manner. So I'm sticking with Unison.
--
JR
Sharon Fink
> On Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:24:44 -0500, Sharon Fink wrote
> (in article <sharonfDEL-7735C...@newsgroups.comcast.net>):
> As a huge fan of HW please allow me to butt in. Be sure to take all the time
> you need to fully appreciate it's abilities. Yes, $50 is a bunch but you'll
> find few who regret paying.
>
> OTOH, your needs will dictate. HW shines in binaries groups handling - the
> whole "Subscription" thing. If you're not into binaries, HW is overkill.
Thanks Tim, JR, Dudley and all. I'm not into binaries but do like the
offline capability of Hogwasher. Not finding that in Unison or MTNW. I
have Pineapple installed here as well. I forget why I became
disenchanted with it but will look at it again too.
JR: Two personal hurdles with Unison so far. They're pretty basic for
newsreaders ...perhaps you could pass this on to the developer?
1) Can't mark a post unread so that I can come back to it later.
Chasing two toddlers around during the day and sometimes I need to
return to a thread. Other people may have reasons to want to do the
same. Or maybe the Unison actuality is that I need to divorce myself
from read/unread mentality and find a different method to accomplish
this. It would be nice to have a choice though.
2) Can't mark a thread as read without downloading the first message. I
think I saw this discussed here already so will leave it at that.
2a) User configurable shortcuts would be nice: opt+cmd+M is too many
keys. Cmd M is reserved for Minimize in this app. While I'm on this
one, Cmd+R would be handier for Reply, with opt+Cmd+R the less used
"reply all."
Normally I would accept existing shortcuts "as is" but since the app is
so young, maybe they would like to rethink the logic behind the current
shortcuts and their ease of use (or lack of)? Or maybe not. It is
their app after all :)
Suggestion: One feature that I've seen in only one other newsreader and
that I loved: Being able to supress quoted material on the "read"
screen. It makes for easier reading - especially in long threads. If I
got lost mid-thread and needed to refresh my memory, the quoted text
was restored in the message screen by clicking a button.
--
Sharon F
who has not turned on spell checking yet. Sorry for any errors!
Sharon Fink
> JR: Two personal hurdles with Unison so far. They're pretty basic for
> newsreaders ...perhaps you could pass this on to the developer?
Please disregard if the previous was not appropriate or helpful.
--
Sharon F
Jolly Roger
Nope - perfectly appropriate *and* helpful. I'll definitely forward
these on to Panic for you.
I'll respond later though - a movie's coming on I want to see! : )
--
JR
Jolly Roger
> : Two personal hurdles with Unison so far. They're pretty basic for
> newsreaders ...perhaps you could pass this on to the developer?
>
> 1) Can't mark a post unread so that I can come back to it later.
> Chasing two toddlers around during the day and sometimes I need to
> return to a thread. Other people may have reasons to want to do the
> same. Or maybe the Unison actuality is that I need to divorce myself
> from read/unread mentality and find a different method to accomplish
> this. It would be nice to have a choice though.
I'm not sure why you think you can't do this. If you select a message
that is already marked read, the Message > Mark as Unread menu item in
the menu bar should become available. Another way to get to the same
command is right-click the message in question and select Mark as
Unread from the contextual menu.
Note: If you have read messages hidden you'll have to select View >
Show Read Messages to see messages that are already marked read.
> 2) Can't mark a thread as read without downloading the first message. I
> think I saw this discussed here already so will leave it at that.
I'm not sure what you are saying here either. If you right-click the
first message in the thread and select Mark Thread as Read, Unison
marks the entire thread as read. Since that message is now selected,
Unison displays the message body in the preview pane. How would you
like to see this behavior change?
> 2a) User configurable shortcuts would be nice: opt+cmd+M is too many
> keys. Cmd M is reserved for Minimize in this app.
Personally, I think I'd like to see them use shortcuts more like
Entourage and Mail. Entourage uses these:
Command Shortcut
------------------------------------------------------
Mark As Read Command-T
Mark As Unread Command-Shift-T
Mark All As Read Command-Option-T
Get More Posts Command-K
View > Unread Only Command-Shift-O
> While I'm on this one, Cmd+R would be handier for Reply, with opt+Cmd+R
> the less used "reply all."
I wonder - is it good etiquette to reply to all, or is it better to
reply just to the group you are currently reading?
> Normally I would accept existing shortcuts "as is" but since the app is
> so young, maybe they would like to rethink the logic behind the current
> shortcuts and their ease of use (or lack of)? Or maybe not. It is
> their app after all :)
Definitely. I think Panic is open to any and all suggestions. They
will, of course, have to make up their own minds whether or not to
implement suggested features. i can tell you, so far, they have been
very much willing to implement improvements I've suggested.
> Suggestion: One feature that I've seen in only one other newsreader and
> that I loved: Being able to supress quoted material on the "read"
> screen. It makes for easier reading - especially in long threads. If I
> got lost mid-thread and needed to refresh my memory, the quoted text
> was restored in the message screen by clicking a button.
Google Groups does this too, but it's not very reliable, due to the way
plain text gets mangled in posts from time to time.
--
JR
Sharon Fink
> Nope - perfectly appropriate *and* helpful. I'll definitely forward
> these on to Panic for you.
>
> I'll respond later though - a movie's coming on I want to see! : )
Thanks, JR
--
Sharon F
Sharon Fink
<jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
> I'm not sure why you think you can't do this. If you select a message
> that is already marked read, the Message > Mark as Unread menu item in
> the menu bar should become available. Another way to get to the same
> command is right-click the message in question and select Mark as
> Unread from the contextual menu.
duh - thanks for that. I thought I had checked right click menu. As for
menu options, I only browsed through what was showing at the moment
-did not notice the change in menu options with a message selected/not
selected. My bad!
> I'm not sure what you are saying here either. If you right-click the
> first message in the thread and select Mark Thread as Read, Unison
> marks the entire thread as read. Since that message is now selected,
> Unison displays the message body in the preview pane. How would you
> like to see this behavior change?
There are some threads that are obvious spam. I don't want any messages
in those threads downloaded/previewed (a previewed message is a
downloaded message).
On the + side, only one message gets downloaded (would rather this was
none) and I especially like how Unison banishes the entire thread from
view (immediate screen update) if "Hide Read" is active.
--
Sharon F
Sharon Fink
> There are some threads that are obvious spam. I don't want any messages
> in those threads downloaded/previewed (a previewed message is a
> downloaded message).
This behavior probably can't be changed since Unison uses the "click on
header/download message" instead of "select header /press enter to
download" Unfortunate if that's the case but not a deal breaker.
Perhaps a right click/choose mark read (vs select/right click/mark
read) could be made to bypass the download/preview step. Not a
programmer or familiar with Unison's innards to know if that is
possible.
The more I use this application, the more I'm liking it.
--
Sharon F
Jolly Roger
> On 2007-06-14 00:21:53 -0500, Jolly Roger
> <jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> said:
>
>> I'm not sure why you think you can't do this. If you select a message
>> that is already marked read, the Message > Mark as Unread menu item in
>> the menu bar should become available. Another way to get to the same
>> command is right-click the message in question and select Mark as
>> Unread from the contextual menu.
>
> duh - thanks for that. I thought I had checked right click menu. As for
> menu options, I only browsed through what was showing at the moment
> -did not notice the change in menu options with a message selected/not
> selected. My bad!
No problem. : )
>> I'm not sure what you are saying here either. If you right-click the
>> first message in the thread and select Mark Thread as Read, Unison
>> marks the entire thread as read. Since that message is now selected,
>> Unison displays the message body in the preview pane. How would you
>> like to see this behavior change?
>
> There are some threads that are obvious spam. I don't want any messages
> in those threads downloaded/previewed (a previewed message is a
> downloaded message).
This is what Rules are for. If you see a message that is obviously SPAM
in the header list, you already know the subject and sender, so you can:
1. Open Unison Prefs > Rules.
2. Add a rule to Kill (hide) posts with that subject (or from that sender).
3. Expand the thread so all message headers are displayed in the list.
4. Select all messages in the thread.
5. Choose Message > Apply Rules.
From now on any messages that match that subject/sender are killed
(hidden in the header list).
--
JR
Sharon Fink
Jolly Roger <jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> wrote:
> I wonder - is it good etiquette to reply to all, or is it better to
> reply just to the group you are currently reading?
Well, if crossposting is excessive - I would only respond in the group
where I'm currently reading. If the list of groups is small enough, I
reply to all since I personally hate missing responses because they're
in a group that I don't read...
> Google Groups does this too, but it's not very reliable, due to the way
> plain text gets mangled in posts from time to time.
Wouldn't know. I've never used Google groups as a reading/posting tool.
I have read threads of interest (from search results) but that's as far
as it goes for me. 40tude Dialog is the Windows newsreader that does
this. I've never had a problem with it mangling posts that I've replied
to.
> Definitely. I think Panic is open to any and all suggestions. They
> will, of course, have to make up their own minds whether or not to
> implement suggested features. i can tell you, so far, they have been
> very much willing to implement improvements I've suggested.
Sorry to quote out of order.... This is good to know and a worthy
aspect. The programs I've tried so far are nice enough but not being
actively developed (MTNW and Pineapple as examples).
Sharon Fink
Jolly Roger <jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> wrote:
> This is what Rules are for. If you see a message that is obviously SPAM
> in the header list, you already know the subject and sender, so you can:
>
> 1. Open Unison Prefs > Rules.
> 2. Add a rule to Kill (hide) posts with that subject (or from that sender).
> 3. Expand the thread so all message headers are displayed in the list.
> 4. Select all messages in the thread.
> 5. Choose Message > Apply Rules.
>
> From now on any messages that match that subject/sender are killed
> (hidden in the header list).
I don't usually apply rules this way - used more for "watching" threads
than blocking - BUT I'll try it.
Thanks again!
Jolly Roger
That's interesting - you don't use rules like the majority of people
then. I'd be willing to bet most seasoned Usenet readers use rules
more to kill spam and posts from idiots than anything else. Anyhow,
try it - I think you'll find it quite useful! : )
--
JR
Sharon Fink
Jolly Roger <jolly...@R.E.M.O.V.E.pobox.com> wrote:
> That's interesting - you don't use rules like the majority of people
> then. I'd be willing to bet most seasoned Usenet readers use rules
> more to kill spam and posts from idiots than anything else. Anyhow,
> try it - I think you'll find it quite useful!
There is a reason for swimming against the current with regards to
rules: Most of my time in newsgroups is spent helping folks with Windows
problems and I focus on less seasoned users. I fear accidentally
blocking one of those people or blocking a troll or uninformed responder
that is steering one of those newbies in the wrong direction. Someone (a
lot of someones actually) looked out for me when I was new. Just trying
to pay it around.
Once the Windows desktop dies or I get sick of messing with Vista -
whichever comes first - I can leave these concerns behind. Meanwhile, I
can experiment in the Mac groups I've been reading :)
Jolly Roger
Makes sense.
If you add this criteria, your Kill rule will only operate on posts
within this news group, and you can test your kill rule to your heart's
content without fear:
[Newsgroup] [Is equal to] comp.sys.mac.system
; )
--
JR