Changes for version 1.7

Here a link to the detailled text-file (programmers notebook style)

Supported newsreaders/servers

• MyNews works now pretty properly with: Forte Free and Full Agent, Outlook Express and Xnews.
• Further incomptibility information would be very welcome!
• Better support for sharing with Hamsters & others: MyNews can now be used for dynamic DNS resolution
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Database changes

• Articles can be stored now in huge database files
  Config - Data - Use database as default storage
  If this is activated then all new groups are set to 'database storage' by default.
  Database files are DELETED if all their content is expired only if the config-data-option "Remove expired articles from harddisk" is activated.
• Complete rebuild of MyNews (extended repair) is available:
  Server - Rebuild Database
• It is possible to expire the main-message-tree (history tree) - either by default or with the special function:
  Server - Expire history
• The database and single articles are now stored with full CRLF delimiters. This is far better for most newsreaders.
• Articles which are in the database for a removed group are expiredimmediately
• The database can be scanned automatically after a computer-crash. MYNews has got a crash detection.
• There are functions for "Verify quick, intensive and everything" in the Server menu.
• Complete rebuild of the grouplist. All group-specific data is now only available in the group directory. The grouplist is ONLY a list of groupnames now. The groups have got unique code-numbers now - which stay constant forever (until the ref-file is deleted :-).

Groups changes

• All version of MyNews support now up to 1000 newsgroups.
• Finding or restoring of backup'd groups:
  Groups - Extra - Find lost groups
• Special folders: ~inbox ~missbox ~outbox (invisible in the grouplist) can be accessed by Input - Edit LoadFile, Input - Edit MissFile, Output - Edit FeedFile. It is possible to remove single items or view downloaded items.
• CTRL+F finds a groupname in the grouplist
• [N] and [S] key find the next group with unread messages
• Support of the NEWNEWS-Command - only newly created groups are delivered to a client
• Download of 'new newsgroups' is possible with: Hosts - Download - New groups
• Display of the stored newsgroups for individual hosts is possibe with: Hosts - Download - Show last grouplist
• Adding a newsgroup will always show the both dialog-boxes with all parameters and all options.
• It is possible to change/review the most importanrt group options by clicking the title bar of the grouplist. The grouplist offers 5 different views.
• All group-properties are now also available in a newly designed dialog.
• New Group Parameter: Use global filters on all groups, by default or NEVER
• New group Parameter: Use own good author file
• New group Parameter: Use own filename tree.
• New group Parameter: Use special download options (filters)
• New group Parameter: Expiry mode: Default, Special, Never

Message-List (Xover Window)

• Block-Operations: It is possible to define a block of messages (with mouse and keyboard and the SHIFT key) and perform most operations on a block instead of a single message
• Access to the reader config and the local/global filter file:
  Options - Config
• Call of an external newsreader for the actually selected message (CTRL+N)
  That reader should be defined in the Config - Helper applics. Seems to work with Outlook Express (not with Agent)
• The 'Size' column (which shows the BYTES of a message) has been moved in front of the LINES column. It has the same background color and shows also the progress in manual joining. So the SIZE column can now replace the LINES column. Sorting by SIZE is now possible
• Sorting is now much faster than ever
• Threading is now much faster than ever
• Cancelled good authors appear now with RED background.
• Own messages appear now with a YELLOW background in the author column
• The Author-column can be configured to show 'short names'
• It is possible to use the author name for threading instead of an identical subject
• It is possible to hide the 'csmg file <>' follow ups which are created by some hosts automatically.
• It is possible to reload a corrupt message with 'Act - Reload a bad message'.
  Be sure to disable the server which delivered the message as corrupt before you try again!
• Missing parts in splitted messages appear with magenta (headers incomplete) or red (bodies incomplete) background in the size/line column. It is possible to skip to the next incomplete message with the nav - incomplete function
• And additional column (flags) is available for those who have problems with the colors.
• Automatic joining for an entire group is available now: "Act - Autojoin all messages". For all groups together you can use: "Groups - Extra - AutoJoin all groups" (slow) . The last one can be also scheduled
• The refresh of the grouplist is much faster now. Most checks are now done while a new page is displayed in the Xover window (Show immediately, analyse later method).
• Indention has been reworked. THreads with a nested level of 20-30 are still properly displayed.
• Super long subject lines are now displayed at the bottom of the XOVER-Window - right above the status - with yellow background.
• The threading should now be finally correct.

Data-Window (Message Display)

• It is possible to save messages to any place on your PC (Menu: Save, CTRL+S)
• It is possible to display all headers (Menu: Raw, Alt+R)
• Line Wrapping is done also in the headers
• Line Wrapping is oriented on window size - and indicated by a '<'
• Clickable URLS: Lines which include HTTP-URLs appear with a different background. These lines can be clicked. (The first URL in a line is used).

Viewer-Window (Jpeg-Pictures)

• It is possible to save a picture to a different directory. One letter shortcuts are available.

Traffic changes

• Display of 'Summary In/Out' is now available.
• Extending the size of the window doubles or tripels the diagram size also in X.
• Display of traffic in the last hour and the last day is now available.
• No smoothing at hour+day display

Binary attachments

• The AutoDecoder is now also available for ther free version.
• The decoder removes now more illegal characters from the filenames
• It is possible to create automatically 'cmsg file <>' followup messages whenever a binary is downloaded.
  This message contains detailled info alread in the subject line, a clickable URL in the body and a CSV line for identification:
  Config - Download - Create file follow ups automatically
• The UUdecoder detects and ignores now BEGIN --- cut here --- and END --- cut here -----. This was mainly a problem in splitted multiparts.
• Joined messages are stored at: mynews\TEMP\\tempjoin.txt
  This temporary file is NOT deleted if the All Debug Display is activated. Then this summary file can be decoded with external tools.
• Decoded files are now also stored together with filesize and CRC32 in a special name-format to the filename database. This improves proper identification of "1.jpg" - the new format is: "1__$F123$Rabcdef12.jpg"

Security

• It is possible to grant access for Internet-newsreaders and give them special permisisons
• It is possible to give special permissions for other MyNews
• It is possible to give special permissions for MYNews friends

Miscelleanous

• Server closes now during repair and expire
• The 'Flags' have been extended by a 'Progress Display'. This switches off some single charcter displays (Expire)
• The Message-ID format has been changed for faster sorting and threading
• Some indicators were added and replaced.
  [U] is now [S] (sharing)
  [S] is now [T] (timer)
  [F] is now [U] (upload)
• All progress values have been changes from 'Lines' to 'kBytes'
• Multiple root-servers can be sed now simulatnously: A predefined host can be flagged as a "root server". Then it is also contacted for every Login/LOgout operation

Netiquette

• Free versions cannot download from other MyNews if a group is not shared (visible)
• Hosts are generally disabled if the access is not possible (502 answer)
• Hosts are retried if just a temporary failure happened (400 answer)
• Post - Answer respects now the 'Followup-To:' header
• It is possible to send out recommendations (Xover - Post - Recommend message)
• It is possibe to send out subject cancel messages (Xover - Post - Subject Cancel)
• MyNews does no longer overwrite headers for incoming posts: Message-ID, Path, Lines, Date, X-Newsreader are not replaced (but still instered if missing)
• Saftey for creation of new groups is now less strict. THe user is just warned twice, but the operation is not forbidden.

Versions (tiny,free,full,root, BETA)

• The beta 1.7 expires at 31.12.2001 - then no more downloads are possible.
• Free version: Just up to 10 predefined hosts

Upgrade

• Check if you want to use huge database files and set the size of the individual basefiles (recommended: 10 MB each)
  Config - Data - Use database as default storage
  Config - Data - Database File Size (recommended: 10 MB)
• Convert old NTX files to the new CRLF-Format:
  Server - Convert NTX files

Minor changes

• Repair database has got a progress display
• The Xover-Refresh shows the size of the header file while loading
• The Dialogs at LOGIN, LOGOUT, UPLOAD REQUEST show now the hostname rather than the IP.
• Folders are always hidden when a newsgroup list is sent out.
• The multi-feeder can be used without MODE command and without authentication and without group-selection
• Telnet access is possible for testing:
  SecuSetup - Allow Telnet access (Not recommended !)
• Crosspost upload: MyNews allows now feeding of crossposted messages. The first group must exist on the target server
• The 'LoadFile, MissFile and FeedFile' are now scanned at startup for done jobs. The status display is adjusted accordingly.
  Messages which have ben already downloaded already are no longer added to the actual download queue.
• Cancelled articles which are marked for downlaod appear now in blue color.
• The data-config allow to select if manually deleted headers should be expired next time. This is necessary combined with the automatic expiry of the history msg-tree.
• The size of the single newsgroups (as displayed in the grouplist) is recalculated at every expiry.
• The expiry time for the cancel-tree can be aligned (in hours) with:
  MYNEWS.INI - [server] - can_expire=168
• The maximum line length for downloaded malformatted messages has been increased to 1024 bytes.
• Cancels, Cancel-Subject, Recommendations have now 'regular' message ids. No counter are used from now on.
• Follow-Up-Quotation ignores now blank BEGIN-END combinations (as posted by some misguided people)
• The global filter file applies now also to the download mode 'headers only' and 'complete'.
• The socket-window shows now the rest of an article in bytes during download of long articles.
• Plausibility check for message-id. If a server delivers a wrong message, then this message is NOT stored !
• Plausibility check for nrewsgroup: If a server delivers a message for a different group, then an event is generated.
• Own eMail address can now be changed in the UPLOAD Config
• A specific eMail address can be entered for every single newsgroup (Options Dialog)
• Menu function for 'Move Message' added to Xover - Extra
• Very old headers (from archive groups) can now be ignored. The setting is:
  Config - Filter - Ignore headers older than ## days.
• Articles which are moved to another group are still found by clients.
• Download markers (blue lines) can be synchronized with the download files: Extra - Verify DLD-Markers
• Root servers may automatically create groups whenever someone selects it. This is helpful especially for cancel watch bots.
• Self-created Cancel-Message contain now the header of the original cancel-message (in most cases). This is helpful for identiying the source of a Usenet Cancel.
• Root Server might download all cancel-messages instead of executing them. This is nice for public cancel watch bots.
• ReadBags for Root Servers can now extract binaries from messages and store just a special link to them. This allows extremely compact archiving.
• Limiting download bandwidth works now also if 10 hosts are sending us messages
• Upload and download connection are now strictly seperated. If uploading is started then a complete new connection is created especially for uploadinf (Or autoposting or feeding).
• The SMTP -> News Gateway is now "ready for moderators".
• A 'Feed'-Section has been added to the Status Window - a feed-summary is written to the logfiles at the end.
• Feeding supports now also a 'maximum age of messages': feed*.ini: max_age=86400
• AutoPosts asks no more if you are online - if the 'automatic online detection is activated and positive.
• Folders which begin with '~' in the server directory are not scanned, repaired or used. These are special dummy names for special system folders.
• The scheduler instruction name=mailbags is able to read eMail into a special newsgroup. This allows to access mailing lists via newsgroups.
• Local LAN MyNews with own dialups can now get a 'locked' IP-Address which is not overwritten at LOGIN.
• Grouplist scrolling is now one line less.
• Incoming eMail is now stored with consecutive numbers. This allows easy copy to multiple receivers
• Incoing eMail is now checked for valid domain name.
• The name-format for the expired XOV-files has been changed. The sorting is better now.
• If sending of upstram messages fails because the feedee does not offer a newsgroup, then an event is generated and the message stays in the upload file. It is a good idea to feed to a different server then.
• Posting followups to messages in a folder does no longer result in feeding this article to Usenet. Such follow-ups might be nice notices.
• Move messages to another group or to a folder is now handles far better.
• MyNews does no longer lock the files for access. This is the first step to run a seocndary MyNews on the same database (for server farms)
• Feeding connections are now closed after feeding. THe connections are kept open if "automatic feeding" is activated in the upload config.
• The feeder and the autoposter are now sending out with full speed if the speed value is zero. Up to 1 MB/Sec might be possible.
• The Winsock-Handle-Number is no longer used in the logfiles. The internal logical socket-number (1,2,3...n) is used everywhere.
• The setting 'xmax=0' in special jobfiles resulted in downlaod of zero headers. Now ALL headers are downloaded in this case.
• The Host Shortcuts appear now in the comment column of the hosts window.
• Hints are now disabled during FullAutomatic or Scheduled operations
• Reach of maximum download time is handled better by FullAutomatic
• The guided download has got options to downlaod marked and/or missing messages
• Full Automatic can now also download marked and missing messages
• The Status-Window appears now always during MyNews Boot. There are some length operations now (verifyinfg, checking)...
• Block-Operations in XOVER show the progress in the Status Line
• Root Servers can now be configured to act 'not as a root server' (for names) but still have the full extended functions
• Full Automatic has got a lot of bugfixes.
• 'Analysing all headers' and 'Updating group' are no longer blocking operations.
• Some slow functions can now be cancelled AutoJoin, Refresh, Expire, Repair
• Root Servers can be run behind a firewall (single IP router with masquerading).
• Sharing speed can be changed 'on the fly' in the output menu.
• Amount of sharing connection can be restricted now:
  Config - Sahring - Maximum number of simultanous sharing connections.
• The BAG-Reader is now also accepting BASE files
• Overview sending (XOVER) is now done from an individual cachefile per group. This is pretty fast.