subscribe

I know this is pretty dumb but how do I find a Windowsxp ng and subscribe?

Kentype wrote:

> I know this is pretty dumb but how do I find a Windowsxp ng and subscribe?

You appear to be using a USENET client, and a commercial
USENET server.

You posted this message to alt.window7.general

The place you want to be is microsoft.public.windowsxp.general .

Now, whether that group is on your server or not, is up
to the server administrator.

*******

Years ago, Microsoft started their own hierarchy microsoft.*
And the microsoft.public.* part, implies the groups are for
public distribution, outside the Redmond campus.

At some point after that, other USENET servers carried it. And
apparenrly, no legitimate "newgroup" commands were sent, to
create hundreds of microsoft.* groups. They've been managed,
in a way, by a third party proxy.

Some time last year, Microsoft decided it wanted to go with web
forums, and it decided to shut down its own USENET server with
the microsoft.* on it. But other server operators, weren't under
any strong requirement, to pull their support for the groups.
If a legit "rmgroup" had been sent out by Microsoft, then
things might have been different, and more clear cut.

You can find microsoft.public.windowsxp.general on aioe.org
or eternal-september.org . Those are two servers that carry it.
Other server operators may choose to prune out those groups,
based on indirect information about the transition. So whether
your server carries it, only you know for sure.

In your USENET client, there should be a function to "refresh" the
thousands of newsgroups listed. Doing such a refresh, can cause
new groups to appear (ones added by the admin on the server, most
likely as a result of user requests). Or, if rmgroups or pseudo-rmgroups
are received some how, the admin can also choose to delete groups.
The purpose of automated protocols, like a properly signed "rmgroup",
is to automate group maintenance. Otherwise, the administrator has
to go through 100,000 groups by hand, and decide the fate of the
groups. Administrators like the automation, because they take another
admin at their word, that the group is no longer valid.

To give you an idea how fractured USENET is, the group you're posting
to right now, alt.windows7.general, exists on aioe.org and eternal-september.org
but is not archived by Google. So Google does not recognize this
groups as legitimate. But Google may still be archiving microsoft.*,
because they've been doing that for years (and it takes effort,
mouse clicks and such, to change their policies) :-) So if you ever
want to search this group, it isn't "well archived". You can still
find references to the group, but without any notion of complete
archival.

You can always use the Microsoft web forums... if you can stand the
presentation format. I find it nauseating. USENET is a bit more
peer level, in that nobody is screwing around with the posts, and
it's then up to the reader of a thread, to decide what constitutes
the right answer. There is no "spoon feeding" out here...

Paul

In message <j27l2v$qsk$>, Paul <>
writes:
>Kentype wrote:
>
>> I know this is pretty dumb but how do I find a Windowsxp ng and subscribe?
>
>You appear to be using a USENET client, and a commercial
>USENET server.

Yes, he seems to be using Thunderbird 3.1.11. His post seems to have
come via Highwinds, which is used by several (I think including Teranews
and Demon, among others - not sure about PlusNet or eternal-september).
>
>You posted this message to alt.window7.general
>
>The place you want to be is microsoft.public.windowsxp.general .

Or possibly m.p.wxp.configuration_manage, m.p.wxp.customise, or
m.p.wxp.newusers, the latter of which at least is still active.
>
>Now, whether that group is on your server or not, is up
>to the server administrator.

(More below.)
>
>*******
>
>Years ago, Microsoft started their own hierarchy microsoft.*
>And the microsoft.public.* part, implies the groups are for
>public distribution, outside the Redmond campus.
>
>At some point after that, other USENET servers carried it. And
>apparenrly, no legitimate "newgroup" commands were sent, to
>create hundreds of microsoft.* groups. They've been managed,
>in a way, by a third party proxy.
>
>Some time last year, Microsoft decided it wanted to go with web
>forums, and it decided to shut down its own USENET server with
>the microsoft.* on it. But other server operators, weren't under
>any strong requirement, to pull their support for the groups.

And there was some quite strong feeling that the 'groups had developed
an identity of their own and that Microsoft weren't going to kill them
off (-:.
[]
>In your USENET client, there should be a function to "refresh" the
>thousands of newsgroups listed. Doing such a refresh, can cause
>new groups to appear (ones added by the admin on the server, most
>likely as a result of user requests). Or, if rmgroups or pseudo-rmgroups
>are received some how, the admin can also choose to delete groups.

Well, in my Thunderbird (not the same version, but should be similar),
it's as follows (this is one way anyway): right-click on "newsgroups"
and select Subscribe...; this should bring up a list of newsgroups. Type
sxp into "Show items that contain", and you should see the list carried
by your server (which you'll probably have to scroll; on mine
[eternal-september], it has a Polish, an Italian, and lots of German
ones at the top). You might want to try the New Groups tab. If you don't
find it, try the Refresh button, which will refresh the list of 'groups
(note: this can take several minutes, and can stall and even fail - keep
trying [it will tell you if it fails to complete]). When you've found
the one you want, select it and click Subscribe; repeat for others. (I
find the newusers one the most useful/helpful!)
[]
>To give you an idea how fractured USENET is, the group you're posting
>to right now, alt.windows7.general, exists on aioe.org and
>eternal-september.org
>but is not archived by Google. So Google does not recognize this

(I didn't know that!)
[]
>You can always use the Microsoft web forums... if you can stand the
>presentation format. I find it nauseating. USENET is a bit more

I find web-forums much less preferable than a proper newsreader too.
(For a start, a lot of them require you to sign in in some way.)

>peer level, in that nobody is screwing around with the posts, and
>it's then up to the reader of a thread, to decide what constitutes
>the right answer. There is no "spoon feeding" out here...

No, it can get quite wild west at times - though there are some very
pleasant 'groups too (this one, from what I've seen of it, has lots of
nice helpful people in it, and I have friends on UMRA I've "known" for
many years).
>
> Paul
John
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

.... "Peter and out." ... "Kevin and out." (Link episode)

On 8/14/2011 7:40 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
> In message <j27l2v$qsk$>, Paul <> writes:
>> Kentype wrote:
>>
>>> I know this is pretty dumb but how do I find a Windowsxp ng and
>>> subscribe?
>>
>> You appear to be using a USENET client, and a commercial
>> USENET server.
>
> Yes, he seems to be using Thunderbird 3.1.11. His post seems to have
> come via Highwinds, which is used by several (I think including Teranews
> and Demon, among others - not sure about PlusNet or eternal-september).
>>
>> You posted this message to alt.window7.general
>>
>> The place you want to be is microsoft.public.windowsxp.general .
>
> Or possibly m.p.wxp.configuration_manage, m.p.wxp.customise, or
> m.p.wxp.newusers, the latter of which at least is still active.
>>
>> Now, whether that group is on your server or not, is up
>> to the server administrator.
>
> (More below.)
>>
>> *******
>>
>> Years ago, Microsoft started their own hierarchy microsoft.*
>> And the microsoft.public.* part, implies the groups are for
>> public distribution, outside the Redmond campus.
>>
>> At some point after that, other USENET servers carried it. And
>> apparenrly, no legitimate "newgroup" commands were sent, to
>> create hundreds of microsoft.* groups. They've been managed,
>> in a way, by a third party proxy.
>>
>> Some time last year, Microsoft decided it wanted to go with web
>> forums, and it decided to shut down its own USENET server with
>> the microsoft.* on it. But other server operators, weren't under
>> any strong requirement, to pull their support for the groups.
>
> And there was some quite strong feeling that the 'groups had developed
> an identity of their own and that Microsoft weren't going to kill them
> off (-:.
> []
>> In your USENET client, there should be a function to "refresh" the
>> thousands of newsgroups listed. Doing such a refresh, can cause
>> new groups to appear (ones added by the admin on the server, most
>> likely as a result of user requests). Or, if rmgroups or pseudo-rmgroups
>> are received some how, the admin can also choose to delete groups.
>
> Well, in my Thunderbird (not the same version, but should be similar),
> it's as follows (this is one way anyway): right-click on "newsgroups"
> and select Subscribe...; this should bring up a list of newsgroups. Type
> sxp into "Show items that contain", and you should see the list carried
> by your server (which you'll probably have to scroll; on mine
> [eternal-september], it has a Polish, an Italian, and lots of German
> ones at the top). You might want to try the New Groups tab. If you don't
> find it, try the Refresh button, which will refresh the list of 'groups
> (note: this can take several minutes, and can stall and even fail - keep
> trying [it will tell you if it fails to complete]). When you've found
> the one you want, select it and click Subscribe; repeat for others. (I
> find the newusers one the most useful/helpful!)
> []
>> To give you an idea how fractured USENET is, the group you're posting
>> to right now, alt.windows7.general, exists on aioe.org and
>> eternal-september.org
>> but is not archived by Google. So Google does not recognize this
>
> (I didn't know that!)
> []
>> You can always use the Microsoft web forums... if you can stand the
>> presentation format. I find it nauseating. USENET is a bit more
>
> I find web-forums much less preferable than a proper newsreader too.
> (For a start, a lot of them require you to sign in in some way.)
>
>> peer level, in that nobody is screwing around with the posts, and
>> it's then up to the reader of a thread, to decide what constitutes
>> the right answer. There is no "spoon feeding" out here...
>
> No, it can get quite wild west at times - though there are some very
> pleasant 'groups too (this one, from what I've seen of it, has lots of
> nice helpful people in it, and I have friends on UMRA I've "known" for
> many years).

I don't know how active microsoft. groups are these days but
news.eternal-september.org certainly lists such groups and it is free.


--


James Silverton, Potomac

I'm *not*

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:38:08 -0700, Kentype wrote:

> I know this is pretty dumb but how do I find a Windowsxp ng and subscribe?

alt.comp.os.windows-xp

On 8/14/2011 1:27 PM, Irwell wrote:
> On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:38:08 -0700, Kentype wrote:
>
>> I know this is pretty dumb but how do I find a Windowsxp ng and subscribe?
>
> alt.comp.os.windows-xp

Presuming you have registered at a server, there will be a menu item in
your e-mail program called something like "Manage subscriptions", as it
does in Thunderbird, with a window where you search for the news group.
Eternal-september does have the one you indicate.

--


James Silverton, Potomac

I'm *not*