Egremont wrote:

Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they just
go dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few weeks?.


USENET doesn't have such a concept, so yes you can reply to a thread
as far in the future as you like.

An entire group can be read-only or read-write or moderated read-write, but
that's as fine grained as it gets.

I did try to find out but failed, so sorry if the answer was under my nose
and I missed it.

Egremont.

Cheers

Tim

Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they just go
dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few weeks?.

I did try to find out but failed, so sorry if the answer was under my nose
and I missed it.

Egremont.

In article ,
"Egremont" writes:
Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they just go

This is a Usenet newsgroup.

dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few weeks?.

They typically expire from the server and cease to be available.
Just how long that takes will vary from one server to another.
All articles are read-only, in that you can't modify them. That
doesn't stop you replying to them though. You can reply to old
posts if your newsreader software lets you, but once the post is
more than a week old, fewer and fewer people will have direct
access to it, so they won't be able to easily see what you're
replying to. It would very rarely be worth replying after a
month.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Egremont wrote:
Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they just go
dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few weeks?.

I did try to find out but failed, so sorry if the answer was under my nose
and I missed it.

You can no longer do so in Google but depending on what newsserver, you
might in others. But why would you want to?

On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 23:07:28 GMT, "Egremont"
wrote:

Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they just go
dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few weeks?.

I did try to find out but failed, so sorry if the answer was under my nose
and I missed it.

Egremont.

You can do what you like but won't be thanked for it. Usenet is
essentially a live thing with an exchange of ideas given at that time.

It would be like someone telling a good joke and ringing a month later
with the punch line.

Egremont wrote:
Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they just go
dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few weeks?.

On Usenet all posts are "read only" with the partial exception that the
original poster may be able to cancel a post; but not all servers will
honour that anyway. All posts are "old" too, in the sense that it's
possible for the reader's software to be set so that deleted posts are
not seen again. Hence the need to post a reasonable context whenever you
reply to a posting. As others have said, the server you use will expire
posts after a period so they are no longer accessible to you -- you may
be able to access another server (eg Google) to find old threads.

If there are indeed old threads you think worthy of reviving by all
means try it: but (a) post all the relevant material from the message yo
are replying to and (b) be prepared to be told we have already done this
one to death.


I did try to find out but failed, so sorry if the answer was under my nose
and I missed it.

Subscribe to the newsgroup news.newusers.questions for information like
this.

Douglas de Lacey

"Egremont" wrote in
:

Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they
just go dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few
weeks?.

I think it's better to start a new thread.

If you're replying to help someone you're too late.

If you want to thank people, or report on an outcome, posts get buried so
deep so quick, even if they're still "live" no-one is likely to see your
reply unless your newsreader, like mine, selects it and dings!

mike

Tim S wrote:
Egremont wrote:

Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they just
go dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few weeks?.


USENET doesn't have such a concept, so yes you can reply to a thread
as far in the future as you like.


On the contrary, Usenet SERVERS routinely expire old material. 2 weeks
on average You can still respond to the thread,but the original content
is junked forever.

Except on google, which keeps everything everybody said and regretted
forever..
Another reason to change identities now and again..imagine running for
PM and someone picks up one of your old Usenet postings where you
lambast Drivel for being a total ****ing ******, a politically correct
**** with about as much idea of science as the pope has of gay sex...



An entire group can be read-only or read-write or moderated read-write, but
that's as fine grained as it gets.

An entire group can have articles expired and deleted after a variable
number of days depending on the server administrator's whim, and his
available disk space.

I did try to find out but failed, so sorry if the answer was under my nose
and I missed it.

Egremont.

Cheers

Tim

The message
from Owain contains these words:

If you are using a newsserver and downloading the posts to your
newsreader, you can reply to posts as old as you like.

Particularly since Google don't respect x=no-archive.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Egremont wrote:
Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they just go
dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few weeks?.

I did try to find out but failed, so sorry if the answer was under my nose
and I missed it.

Egremont.


i only ever reply to posts when on the way home from pub, mind you thats
the only time they talk to me so why should i talk at any other time to
them!


lol

It's a few months since I tried to do this, but I *think* I recall (don't
quote me) that, after I'd downloaded months of messages overnight, OE sent
my attempted reply back with a rejection that read something like 'message
not found'. And I think Google groups shadowed out the 'Reply' button for
topics a few weeks old [which are now presumably read-only rather than
effectively read + append]. Anyway, I have the impression this just won't
work - has anyone actually been successful with it?.

To state the obvious, many old posts actually get read by people doing
Google searches, and there are some occasions when information can helpfully
be added retrospectively either to correct or update. However I wouldn't
want to re-open IMM vs Andy Hall on Heatbanks, for example.

Anyway, all in all I think I'll give up with this.

Egremont.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Usenet SERVERS routinely expire old material. 2 weeks
on average

Plusnet's servers have this group going back to last November, now
they've ditched all binaries they claim they will increase retention,
can't say I often go back that far (that's what dejagoogle is for)

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Tim S wrote:
Egremont wrote:

Is it possible to reply to old posts in this conference, or do they just
go dead [become read-only] at the 'server' end after a few weeks?.


USENET doesn't have such a concept, so yes you can reply to a thread
as far in the future as you like.


On the contrary, Usenet SERVERS routinely expire old material. 2 weeks
on average You can still respond to the thread,but the original content
is junked forever.

Not disagreeing, but I should clarify what I meant. The USENET "system"
really doesn't have such a concept. Of course servers do expire articles at
random intervals. But in principle, any message with a References: header
that references an article known to the client software should thread
correctly, however late it is posted. Even if the client has no current
knowledge any of the References: message ids, the message is still a valid
reply and will be passed on by nntp servers (Because they don't really
care). Clients (including google, which is *effectively* [1] an NNTP client
as part of a web-nntp gateway) may choose not to handle such cases, but
that's their problem.

[1] I know google is not likely to talk to an NNTP server whenever a
groups.google page is generated, more likely a database is being fed of the
NNTP feed, hence the work "effectively".

Except on google, which keeps everything everybody said and regretted
forever..
Another reason to change identities now and again..imagine running for
PM and someone picks up one of your old Usenet postings where you
lambast Drivel for being a total ****ing ******, a politically correct
**** with about as much idea of science as the pope has of gay sex...


It is a bit of a double edged sword. groups.google is so useful - but the
nature of USENET means that some content is better off gone forever. At
least we know now - pity the poor souls who thought their flames had died
until google restored 80's material from ancient backup tapes.

I've said lots of things (not just on USENET) that would bugger me if I went
for PM. Best strategy is to pre-empt the media and declare it to the world
I think. "Vote for me - BTW I liked to participate in flame wars on the
internet where I called various people *******. And I told an Irish joke in
the pub once." Heh - might even get more votes that way for appearing
honest?

Cheers

Tim

Egremont wrote:
It's a few months since I tried to do this, but I *think* I recall (don't
quote me) that, after I'd downloaded months of messages overnight, OE sent
my attempted reply back with a rejection that read something like 'message
not found'.

Indexes of titles and msg-ids care kept longer than message bodies. That
is so the server can reject duplicate messages wandering in having been
roud the world twice..literally.

The way usenet works, is that servers exchange messages with each other
on a totally chaotic =network basis, based on simply who you can get to
peer with you.

In the days of UUCP and modems, this gave you the best chance of
actually getting all the news to everyone.

However,in order to prevent bandwidth flooding, the communications is of
teh form,

I have message ID X do you want it?

Now to prevent you re-acquiring a message you have just junked, the
tables of message IDs and the titles also usually are held for a much
longer time - maybe a month or two.

When you try and download news, you may well get headers corresponding
to messages the server no longer has.

It SHOULD still accept replies to them though.

Tim S wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Except on google, which keeps everything everybody said and regretted
forever..
Another reason to change identities now and again..imagine running for
PM and someone picks up one of your old Usenet postings where you
lambast Drivel for being a total ****ing ******, a politically correct
**** with about as much idea of science as the pope has of gay sex...


It is a bit of a double edged sword. groups.google is so useful - but the
nature of USENET means that some content is better off gone forever. At
least we know now - pity the poor souls who thought their flames had died
until google restored 80's material from ancient backup tapes.

I've said lots of things (not just on USENET) that would bugger me if I went
for PM. Best strategy is to pre-empt the media and declare it to the world
I think. "Vote for me - BTW I liked to participate in flame wars on the
internet where I called various people *******. And I told an Irish joke in
the pub once." Heh - might even get more votes that way for appearing
honest?


I don't think the veggie lobby wold ever forgive me for posting a
'practical guide to cannibalism' on alt.vegetarian..;-)

Cheers

Tim

In article ,
Owain wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Tim S wrote:
... Heh - might even get more votes that way for appearing
honest?

When did being honest ever do a politician any favours?

I don't think the veggie lobby wold ever forgive me for posting a
'practical guide to cannibalism' on alt.vegetarian..;-)

That one doesn't seem to appear on Google.

Try alt.animals.ethics.vegetarian
Presumably cannibalism is OK as long as you don't regard your own species to
be an animal ... ;-)

--
John Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822
Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com
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