WARNING! Questionable newsgroup performance

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jeff Boyce
  • Start date Start date
J

Jeff Boyce

This may already be a well-known, well-documented "feature" of newsgroups.
If so, sorry for the duplication ...

I've just learned (trial/error/re-trial/confirmation) that using a
"Subject:" in a new post that is identical to another "Subject:" that's
already been used results in my new post showing up "under" the other, as if
it were a response. For an example, see the thread in this newsgroup
entitled "Access 2007 w/VBA".

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Access MVP

--
Disclaimer: This author may have received products and services mentioned
in this post. Mention and/or description of a product or service herein
does not constitute endorsement thereof.

Any code or pseudocode included in this post is offered "as is", with no
guarantee as to suitability.

You can thank the FTC of the USA for making this disclaimer
possible/necessary.
 
I've just learned (trial/error/re-trial/confirmation) that using a
"Subject:" in a new post that is identical to another "Subject:" that's
already been used results in my new post showing up "under" the other, as if
it were a response. For an example, see the thread in this newsgroup
entitled "Access 2007 w/VBA".
Click to expand...

This is a longstanding misfeature with Outlook Express (and some other
newsreaders). Agent will do this once in a blue moon (perhaps because of a
malformed message ID???).
 
This is a longstanding misfeature with Outlook Express (and some
other newsreaders). Agent will do this once in a blue moon
(perhaps because of a malformed message ID???).
Click to expand...

No proper newsreader threads on anything but the references line.
But there are a number of programs masquerading as news readers (I'm
looking at *you*, Outlook Express) that have a tendency to mangle or
drop the references header, which makes their posts fall out of
proper threading.

One should not use such defective software.

I believe that any combo mail/news reader should be avoided, since
I've never seen one that was anything more than a mail client with
the bare minimum of features bolted on to make it seem marginally
capable of functioning as a news reader.

Now we're getting RSS/Atom feeds added into these same POS
applications (and I don't mean point of sale with that acronym),
which is yet another complete error.

I despair over the idiocy of software designers. However, today, I
did perceive a ray of light. While rebuilding a client PC that had
been destroyed by who knows what so that it's Windows installation
could not be repaired so that its networking functionality could be
restored, I installed a Netgear WiFi adaptor, and the installer gave
me the choice of using the Windows wireless configuration manager or
installing its custom software! I have made a practice of trying out
the bundled software (mostly because there isn't any choice offered,
but also because the documentation and support assume that you're
using it), but in every case, I have ended up switching to using the
built-in Windows management software, and in every case, performance
and reliability have improved dramatically.

It was nice to see that Netgear understands this, and knows they
can't do better than Microsoft.

And, yes, the adaptor worked like a champ, initializing quickly
after boot and holding up under the onslaught of downloading
required to do over 100 Windows Updates, and 250MBs of QuickBooks
updates.
 
"references" and"reply-to" are not required fields for NTTP,
and "newsreaders" are allowed to group or format messages
in any way that they like.

As are "forums".

It is odd that OE includes "references" when sending, then
?ignores? it when receiving, but it does the same thing to
ordinary mail messages - they get grouped by subject as
well, which can be pretty useless if you save mail or
re-use subject headers.

(david)
 
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