Introduction to the Tin newsreader Paul H Kramer pkramer@unlinfo.unl.edu University Nebraska Lincoln Abstract A gentle introduction to the basic command set of the tin newsreader. 1.0 Contents ------------ 1.1 Introduction 1.2 To start Tin 1.3 To quit Tin 1.4 To work in Tin 1.5 'Group selection level': screen layout 1.5.1 'Group selection level' screen: title 1.5.2 'Group selection level' screen: selection bar 1.5.3 'Group selection level' screen: newsgroup lines 1.5.4 'Group selection level' screen: command menu 1.6 'Group selection level': moving the selection bar 1.7 'Group selection level': searching for a newsgroup 1.8 'Group selection level': display all known newsgroups 1.9 'Group selection level': add (subscribe) newsgroups 1.10 'Group selection level': drop (unsubscribe) newsgroups 1.11 'Group selection level': reorder the newsgroups 1.12 'Group selection level': selecting a newsgroup 1.13 'Group level': screen layout 1.13.1 'Group level' screen: title 1.13.2 'Group level' screen: selection bar 1.13.3 'Group level' screen: article lines 1.13.4 'Group level' screen: command menu 1.14 'Group level': moving the selection bar 1.15 'Group level': selecting an article 1.16 'Article level': screen layout 1.16.1 'Article level' screen: header 1.16.2 'Article level' screen: body of article 1.16.3 'Group level' screen: command menu 1.17 'Article level': reading the selected article 1.18 'Article level': mail the article to someone 1.19 'Article level': print the article 1.20 'Article level': reply to the author of the article directly 1.21 'Article level': save the article as a file on your account 1.22 'Article level': write and post a reply to the article 1.23 'Article level': write and post your own article 1.1 Introduction ---------------- Electronic News provides you the means to read articles found in the USENET newsgroups, a specific kind of bulletin board service available on the Internet. Each newsgroup contains articles written about a particular topic. The number of groups now number over 4000 when a site takes all available groups. In using tin, it is important to note how the newsgroups are organized and named. The newsgroups are organized in a hierarchical fashion by topic; some are designed for very specific readership and others for much broader appeal. This hierarchy is then reflected in the naming scheme for the newsgroups. For example, newsgroups beginning with the word 'rec.' are about recreational topics. Other top-level words that you will find in newsgroups names are (this list is not complete): bit.listserv. conferences originating as BITNET mailing lists (e.g. bit.listserv.pacs-l). clari. newsgroups from UPI (e.g. clari.sports.baseball). comp. Computer-related technical groups (e.g. comp.sys.mac.digest). sci. Scientific discussions (e.g. sci.meterology). soc. Discussions about societies, cultures, related issues (e.g. soc.culture.indian). 1.2 To start Tin ---------------- +-------+ +-------+ +-------+ +----------+ | | | | | | | | Press | | | | | | and then the | | key | t | | i | | n | | Return | +-------+ +-------+ +-------+ +----------+ Press this key sequence to start the newsreader from the command line. Note: The key may be called on some keyboards. 1.3 To quit Tin --------------- +-------+ | | | | Press the key. | q | +-------+ This keystroke exits you from the program when the current operation level is 'Group selection level'. +-------+ | | | | Press the key. | Q | +-------+ This keystroke exits you from the program at any operation level. 1.4 To work in Tin ------------------ When you work in E)lectronic News, you are using a computer program called 'tin'. This program responds to commands initiated with keystrokes. For example, the key is assigned to the help function in 'tin'. By pressing this key, the program writes a list of commands on the screen. The key to working in this program efficiently is recognizing the three separate hierarchical levels of operation: Group selection level | +------- Group level | +------- Article level At the 'Group selection level', the program shows a list of newsgroups. From this list, you select a newsgroup that has articles that you would like to read. Other actions that you might take at this level are: * add (subscribe) newsgroups to the list, * display (yank) all known newsgroups into the list, * drop (unsubscribe) newsgroups from the list, * reorder (move) the newsgroups' positons in the list, or * write and post your own article to a newsgroup. At the 'Group level', the program shows a list of unread articles in the chosen newsgroup. From this list, you choose an article that you would like to read. Other actions that you might take at this level are: * mail an article to someone, * print an article to a printer, * save an article into a file on your account, or * write and post your own article. At the 'Article level', the program displays the text of the article that you selected. Other actions that you might take at this level are: * mail the article to someone, * print the article to a printer, * reply to the author of the article directly, * save the article into a file on your account, * write and post a reply to the article, or * write and post your own article. 1.5 'Group selection level': screen layout ------------------------------------------ When you enter the `tin 'program, you should view a screen like the following: Group Selection (2067) h=help 1 ads.config 2 175 alt.artcom Artistic Community, a 3 153 alt.bbs Computer BBS systems 4 71 alt.bbs.ads Ads for various compu 5 1416 alt.bbs.internet BBS systems accessibl 6 359 alt.bbs.lists Postings of regional 7 21 alt.bbs.lists.d Discussion about regi 8 44 alt.bbs.waffle The Waffle UUCP BBS. 9 2206 alt.cd-rom Discussions of optica 10 1549 alt.censorship Discussion about rest 11 41 alt.cobol Relationship between 12 1922 alt.config Alternative subnet di 13 378 alt.cosuard Council of Sysops & U 14 3993 alt.folklore.computers Stories & anecdotes a 15 2 alt.fractals Fractals in math, gra 16 232 alt.graphics.pixutils Discussion of pixmap =set current to n, TAB=next unread, /=search pattern, c)atchup, g)oto, j=line down, k=line up, h)elp, m)ove, q)uit, r=toggle all/unread, s)ubscribe, S)ub pattern, u)nsubscribe, U)nsub pattern, y)ank in/out 1.5.1 'Group selection level' screen: title ........................................... Group Selection (2067) h=help This line shows the number of newsgroups available. 1.5.2 'Group selection level' screen: selection bar ................................................... 1 ads.config 2 175 alt.artcom Artistic Community, a The highlighted line is called a selection bar and it is used to indicate the current newsgroup. 1.5.3 'Group selection level' screen: newsgroup lines ..................................................... 2 175 alt.artcom Artistic Community, a 3 153 alt.bbs Computer BBS systems 4 71 alt.bbs.ads Ads for various compu This is the main feature of the 'Group selection level'. There are four fields per line: Selection number (e.g. 3) Number of unread articles (e.g. 153) Newsgroup name (e.g. alt.bbs) Description (e.g. Computer BBS systems) The selection number gives each newsgroup in the list a unique identifier. You may input this identifer to move the selection bar. The number of unread articles refers to the number of articles that you have not read in the particular newsgroup. If you find no number in this field, the newsgroup has no articles for you to read. Each newsgroup name is composed of words that reflect the topic covered or the provider of the articles. For example, you can find articles from the Washington Post in a newsgroup named 'americast.wpost'. The last field provides a description of what you might find discussed in the newsgroup. 1.5.4 'Group selection level' screen: command menu .................................................. =set current to n, TAB=next unread, /=search pattern, c)atchup, g)oto, j=line down, k=line up, h)elp, m)ove, q)uit, r=toggle all/unread, s)ubscribe, S)ub pattern, u)nsubscribe, U)nsub pattern, y)ank in/out This three-line menu shows the commands available to you at this level. Each command label in the menu has two parts: the key that you press and a one- or two-word description of the action the program takes. The label sets the key off with either a parenthesis or an equal sign. Examples on how to read the labels follow: Example 1: +-------+ | | the s)ubscribe means press the | | key | s | +-------+ Example 2: +-------+ +-------+ | | | | the S)ub pattern means | | and | | to make an S | Shift | | s | +-------+ +-------+ Example 3: +-------+ | | the /=search pattern means press the | | key | / | +-------+ Example 4: +-------+ | | the =set current to n means input | | a number such as 1, 2, 3 ... | 1 | +-------+ Remember that if the label in the menu shows the key as capitalized, you must make the keystroke in upper-case. Note: This menu does not show all of the commands understood by 'tin' at this level. To see the the full list, use the h=help command. +-------+ | | Press the | | key. | h | +-------+ Note: If you know enough of the commands at this level, make a capital to drop the menu from the display. A second capital restores it. +-------+ +-------+ | | | | | | and | | to make an H | Shift | | h | +-------+ +-------+ 1.6 'Group selection level': moving the selection bar ----------------------------------------------------- 1 ads.config 2 175 alt.artcom Artistic Community, a Moving the selection bar lets you scan the list of newsgroups found on the 'Group selection level' screen. With the following keystrokes you can move the selection bar to the: Beginning of list: +-------+ | | Press the | | key | 1 | +-------+ End of list: +-------+ +-------+ | | | | Press | | and | | together to make an $ | Shift | | 4 | +-------+ +-------+ Page Up: +-------+ | | Press the | | key or | b | +-------+ +---------+ +-------+ | | | | Press | | and | | together | Control | | u | +---------+ +-------+ Page Down: +--------------------------------+ | | Press the | | bar or | space | +--------------------------------+ +---------+ +-------+ | | | | Press | | and | | together | Control | | d | +---------+ +-------+ Line Up: +-------+ | ^ | Press the | | | key (up arrow) | | | +-------+ Line Down: +-------+ | | | Press the | | | key (down arrow) | V | +-------+ 1.7 'Group selection level': searching for a newsgroup ------------------------------------------------------ A second way to scan the newsgroup list is to initiate a search based on a word or string of characters in the newsgroup name. Forward search: 1. Press the slash key: +-------+ | | | | | / | +-------+ 2. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Search forwards [previous-string]> 3. Enter a word or a string of characters that you think will be found in the name of the newsgroup: Search forwards [previous-string]> clari.ne Once you press the key, the search preceeds in a forward direction toward the end of the list. Note: To repeat the search with the same input, make two keystrokes: the slash key and then the key-no input is required. Backward search: 1. Press the question-mark key: +-------+ +-------+ | | | ? | | | and | | | Shift | | / | +-------+ +-------+ 2. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Search backwords [previous-string]> 3. Enter a word or a string of characters that you think will be found in the name of the newsgroup. Search backwords [previous-string]> wpost Once you press the key, the search preceeds in a backward direction toward the top of the list. Note: To repeat the search with the same input, make two keystrokes: the question-mark key and then the key-no input is required. 1.8 'Group selection level': display all known newsgroups --------------------------------------------------------- It is possible that you may not have all of the newsgroups in your list. The first time you select E)electronic News, the program yanks in all of the newsgroups found in the CRC subscriptions file ( a subset of all of the newsgroups). If you want all of the newsgroups from the CRC 'active' file, follow these steps: 1. Note the number of newsgroups listed in the title: Group Selection (????) h=help 2. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | y | +-------+ Note: Subsequent keystrokes toggle the source file for this list: the '.tinrc' file on your account or the CRC 'active' file. 1.9 'Group selection level': add (subscribe) newsgroups ------------------------------------------------------- Initially, the program subscribes you to a subset of all known newsgroups. To add more newsgroups to your list, follow these steps: 1. Note the number of newsgroups listed in the title: Group Selection (????) h=help 2. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | y | +-------+ 3. Read the expanded list of newsgroups. 4. Move the selection bar onto a newsgroup that you want added to your list (it should be marked as unsubscribed): 345 comp.binaries.os2 Binaries for use unde u 346 - bionet.agroforestry Discussion of Agrofor u 347 - bionet.general General BIOSCI discus 5. Press the key: +-------+ | | | | | s | +-------+ Note: The keystroke removes 'u' from in front of the selection number. Thus, a space in that field indicates a subscribed newsgroup. A record of what newsgroups you are subscribed to is kept in a file called '.tinrc'. 1.10 'Group selection level': drop (unsubscribe) newsgroups ----------------------------------------------------------- Each time you select E)lectronic News, the program displays the newsgroups that you are subscribed to. To drop newsgroups from this list, you must set the 'unsubscribe' attribute for each newsgroup you do not want. The steps are as follows: 1. Move the selection bar onto the newsgroup that you want dropped from your list (it should be marked as subscribed): 345 comp.binaries.os2 Binaries for use unde 346 - bionet.agroforestry Discussion of Agrofor 347 - bionet.general General BIOSCI discus 2. Make sure it is maked as subscribed: 347 - bionet.general General BIOSCI discus 3. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | u | +-------+ Note: The keystroke adds a 'u' to in front of the selection number. This change is actually made when you quit the program and is recoded in your '.tinrc' file. The keystroke yanks the unsubscribed newsgroups back into your list. 1.11 'Group selection level': reorder the newsgroups ---------------------------------------------------- The program for E)lectronic News alows you to define the order of newsgroups appear in your list. The steps are as follows: 1. Move the selection bar onto the newsgroup that you want reordered: 346 - bionet.agroforestry Discussion of Agrofor 347 - bionet.general General BIOSCI discus 2. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | m | +-------+ 3. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Position bionet.general in group list (1,2,..,$) [347]> 4. Input the newsgroup's new position in the list: Position bionet.general in group list (1,2,..,$) [347]> Note: After input, the program moves the newsgroup to its new position and drops all unsubscribed newsgroups from the list. The keystroke yanks the unsubscribed newsgroups back into your list. 1.12 'Group selection level': selecting a newsgroup --------------------------------------------------- Selecting a newsgroup is the main task that you carry out at this level. The steps to do this are straightforward: 1. Move the selection bar to newsgroup you want to read (ie, clari.feature.mike_royko): 1153 - comp.databases.theory 1154 - rec.music.marketplace 1155 - rec.music.info 1156 - comp.sys.next.advocacy 1157 - comp.sys.next.hardware 1158 - comp.sys.next.software 1159 - comp.sys.next.marketplace 1160 - comp.society.privacy 1161 - rec.sport.paintball 1162 - clari.feature.dave_barry 1163 - clari.feature.mike_royko like this: 1153 - comp.databases.theory 1154 - rec.music.marketplace 1155 - rec.music.info 1156 - comp.sys.next.advocacy 1157 - comp.sys.next.hardware 1158 - comp.sys.next.software 1159 - comp.sys.next.marketplace 1160 - comp.society.privacy 1161 - rec.sport.paintball 1162 - clari.feature.dave_barry 1163 - clari.feature.mike_royko 2. Press the key. +-----------+ | | | | | Return | +-----------+ Note: This action places you in the next operational level: 'Group level'. Another way to select a newsgroup and display its articles is to input the newsgroup's numeric identifer: 1. Type the identifer of the newsgroup (e.g. 67): Select group> 67 2. Press the key. +-----------+ | | | | | Return | +-----------+ Note: This action places you in the next operational level: 'Group level'. 1.13 'Group level': screen layout --------------------------------- After you select a newsgroup, you should view a screen like the following: clari.feature.mike_royko (10T 10A 0K 0H R) h=help 1 + This fast-food diet may cost $7 millio Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 2 + Americans deserve lawyer in every pot Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 3 + Holiday music ban is a classic lesson Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 4 + Aspin defenseless against whisperers Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 5 + Columnist, friend, card-carrying celeb Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 6 + What do we have a right to know? Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 7 + Humiliated Jackson can join the crowd Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 8 + Mary and Joe, Chicago style Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 9 + How to ease that hangover Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 10 + A stiff lesson Mike Royko (clarinews@cla =set current to n, TAB=next unread, /=search pattern, ^K)ill/select, a)uthor search, c)atchup, j=line down, k=line up, K=mark read, l)ist thread, |=pipe, m)ail, o=print, q)uit, r=toggle all/unread, s)ave, t)ag, w=post *** End of Articles *** 1.13.1 'Group level' screen: title .................................. clari.feature.mike_royko (10T 10A 0K 0H R) h=help The line for the title shows the following: Newsgroup name (e.g. clari.feature.mike_royko) Number of articles per thread (e.g. 10T) Number of articles overall (e.g. 10A) Number of killed articles (e.g. 0K) Number of auto selected articles (e.g. 0H) Show only unread article (e.g. R) Note: A 'thread' refers to a particular conversation. The number of threads refer to the number of different conversations taking place in the newsgroup. Usually, there is one article per thread. If the number of articles is greater than the number of threads, it means there is one or more people writing about a particular line of conversation. In other words, a person wrote about something and others are replying to it. 1.13.2 'Group level' screen: selection bar .......................................... 1 + This fast-food diet may cost $7 millio Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 2 + Americans deserve lawyer in every pot Mike Royko (clarinews@cla The highlighted line is called a selection bar and it is used to indicate the current article. 1.13.3 'Group level' screen: article lines .......................................... 8 + Mary and Joe, Chicago style Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 9 + How to ease that hangover Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 10 + A stiff lesson Mike Royko (clarinews@cla The article lines are the main component of the 'Group level' screen. In each line you should at most, find four fields: Selection number (e.g. 8) Unread/Read attribute (e.g. '+' or space) Article's subject (e.g. Mary and Joe, Chi ...) Author's e-mail address (e.g. Mike Royko (clarinews@cla)) The selection number gives each article in the list a unique identifier. You may input this identifer to move the selection bar. The unread/read attribute indicates whether you have yet read the article. Once you have selected an article to read, the '+' is replaced with a space in that field upon return. The third field displays the subject of the article. This subject is supplied by the person who wrote the article. The last field is the e-mail address of the person who posted the article. Note: If the article-line reports a number between the second and third fields, it means there is a number of articles on that thread of conversation-not just one. 1.13.4 'Group level' screen: command menu ......................................... =set current to n, TAB=next unread, /=search pattern, ^K)ill/select, a)uthor search, c)atchup, j=line down, k=line up, K=mark read, l)ist thread, |=pipe, m)ail, o=print, q)uit, r=toggle all/unread, s)ave, t)ag, w=post This three-line menu shows the commands available to you at this level. Each command label in the menu has two parts: the key that you press and a one- or two-word description of the action the program takes. The label sets the key off with either a parenthesis or an equal sign. Remember that if the label in the menu shows the key as capitalized, you must make the keystroke in upper-case. Note: This menu does not show all of the commands understood by 'tin' at this level. To see the the full list, use the h=help command. +-------+ | | Press the | | key. | h | +-------+ Note: If you know enough of the commands at this level, make a capital to drop the menu from the display. A second capital restores it. +-------+ +-------+ | | | | | | and | | to make an H | Shift | | h | +-------+ +-------+ 1.14 'Group level': moving the selection bar -------------------------------------------- 1 + This fast-food diet may cost $7 millio Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 2 + Americans deserve lawyer in every pot Mike Royko (clarinews@cla Moving the selection bar lets you scan the list of articles found for the selected newsgroup. With the following keystrokes you can move the selection bar to the: Beginning of list: +-------+ | | Press the | | key | 1 | +-------+ End of list: +-------+ +-------+ | | | | Press | | and | | together to make an $ | Shift | | 4 | +-------+ +-------+ Page Up: +-------+ | | Press the | | key or | b | +-------+ +---------+ +-------+ | | | | Press | | and | | together | Control | | u | +---------+ +-------+ Page Down: +--------------------------------+ | | Press the | | bar or | space | +--------------------------------+ +---------+ +-------+ | | | | Press | | and | | together | Control | | d | +---------+ +-------+ Line Up: +-------+ | ^ | Press the | | | key (up arrow) | | | +-------+ Line Down: +-------+ | | | Press the | | | key (down arrow) | V | +-------+ 1.15 'Group level': selecting an article ---------------------------------------- Selecting an article is the main action taken at this level. The steps to do this are straightforward: 1. Move the selection bar to the article you want to read (eg. Mary and Joe, Chicago style): 1 + This fast-food diet may cost $7 millio Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 2 + Americans deserve lawyer in every pot Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 3 + Holiday music ban is a classic lesson Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 4 + Aspin defenseless against whisperers Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 5 + Columnist, friend, card-carrying celeb Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 6 + What do we have a right to know? Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 7 + Humiliated Jackson can join the crowd Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 8 + Mary and Joe, Chicago style Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 9 + How to ease that hangover Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 10 + A stiff lesson Mike Royko (clarinews@cla like this: 1 + This fast-food diet may cost $7 millio Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 2 + Americans deserve lawyer in every pot Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 3 + Holiday music ban is a classic lesson Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 4 + Aspin defenseless against whisperers Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 5 + Columnist, friend, card-carrying celeb Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 6 + What do we have a right to know? Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 7 + Humiliated Jackson can join the crowd Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 8 + Mary and Joe, Chicago style Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 9 + How to ease that hangover Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 10 + A stiff lesson Mike Royko (clarinews@cla 2. Press the key. +-----------+ | | | | | Return | +-----------+ Note: This action places you in the next operational level: 'Article level'. Another way to select an article is to type the article's numeric identifer: 1. Type the identifer of the article (eg. 6): Select group> 6 Note: You do not have to press a key to show this prompt the digits that you type produce it. 2. Press the key. +-----------+ | | | | | Return | +-----------+ Note: This action places you in the next operational level: 'Article level'. 1.16 'Article level': screen layout ----------------------------------- After you select an article, you should view a screen like the following: Thu, 30 Dec 1993 15:16:34 clari.feature.mike_royko Thread 8 of 10 Lines 105 Mary and Joe, Chicago style No responses clarinews@clarinet.com Mike Royko at A Happy Company (This Christmas column originally appeared in 1967 and has been reprinted many times since.) Mary and Joe were flat broke when they got off the bus in Chicago. They didn't know anybody and she was expecting a baby. They went to a cheap hotel. But the clerk jerked his thumb at the door when they couldn't show a day's rent in advance. They walked the streets until they saw a police station. The desk sergeant said they couldn't sleep in a cell, but he told them how to get to a welfare office. A man there said they couldn't get regular assistance because they hadn't been Illinois residents long enough. But he gave them the address of the emergency welfare office on the West Side. It was a two-mile walk up Madison Street. Someone gave =set current to n, TAB=next unread, /=search pattern, ^K)ill/select, a)uthor search, B)ody search, c)atchup, f)ollowup, K=mark read, |=pipe, m)ail, o=print, q)uit, r)eply mail, s)ave, t)ag, w=post --More--(20%) [1190/5859] 1.16.1 'Article level' screen: header ..................................... Thu, 30 Dec 1993 15:16:34 clari.feature.mike_royko Thread 8 of 10 Lines 105 Mary and Joe, Chicago style No responses clarinews@clarinet.com Mike Royko On the first three lines of the article is the header which reports the following attributes about the article: Date posted (e.g. Thu, 30 Dec 1993 15:16:34) Newsgroup name (e.g. clari.feature.mike_royko) Article number (e.g. 8 of 10) Number of lines (e.g. 105) Subject (e.g. Mary and Joe, Chicago style) Number of respones in thread (e.g. No responses) Author (e.g. clarinews@clarinet.com) Organization (e.g. A Happy Company) If the article's length is two or more pages, the header at the top of each screen shows: Thread 8 of 10 (page 2): Mary and Joe, Chicago style Article number (e.g. 8 of 10) Page number (e.g. 2) Subject (e.g. Mary and Joe, Chicago style) 1.16.2 'Article level' screen: body of article .............................................. (This Christmas column originally appeared in 1967 and has been reprinted many times since.) Mary and Joe were flat broke when they got off the bus in Chicago. They didn't know anybody and she was expecting a baby. They went to a cheap hotel. But the clerk jerked his thumb at the door when they couldn't show a day's rent in advance. They walked the streets until they saw a police station. The desk sergeant said they couldn't sleep in a cell, but he told them how to get to a welfare office. A man there said they couldn't get regular assistance because they hadn't been Illinois residents long enough. But he gave them the address of the emergency welfare office on the West Side. It was a two-mile walk up Madison Street. Someone gave This is simply the text of the article. 1.16.3 'Group level' screen: command menu ......................................... =set current to n, TAB=next unread, /=search pattern, ^K)ill/select, a)uthor search, B)ody search, c)atchup, f)ollowup, K=mark read, |=pipe, m)ail, o=print, q)uit, r)eply mail, s)ave, t)ag, w=post This three-line menu shows the commands available to you at this level. Each command label in the menu has two parts: the key that you press and a one- or two-word description of the action the program takes. The label sets the key off with either a parenthesis or an equal sign. Examples on how to read the labels follow: Example 1: +-------+ | | the o=print means press the | | key | o | +-------+ Example 2: +-------+ +-------+ | | | | the B)ody search means | | and | b | to make an B | Shift | | | +-------+ +-------+ Remember that if the label in the menu shows the key as capitalized, you must make the keystroke in upper-case. Note: This menu does not show all of the commands understood by 'tin' at this level. To see the the full list, use the h=help command. +-------+ | | Press the | | key. | h | +-------+ Note: If you know enough of the commands at this level, make a capital to drop the menu from the display. A second capital restores it. +-------+ +-------+ | | | | | | and | | to make an H | Shift | | h | +-------+ +-------+ 1.17 'Article level': reading the selected article -------------------------------------------------- To read a selected article, use the following keystrokes: Next Page: +--------------------------------+ | | Press the | | bar | space | +--------------------------------+ Previous Page: +-------+ | | Press the | | key | b | +-------+ First Page: +-------+ | | Press the | | key | g | +-------+ Last Page: +-------+ +-------+ | | | | Press | | and | | together to make an G | Shift | | g | +-------+ +-------+ Text searching: 1. Press the slash key: +-------+ | | | | | / | +-------+ 2. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Search forwards [previous-string]> 3. Type the word or the string of characters that you are searching for: Search forwards [previous-string]> kramer Press the key. If there is a match, the article is turned to that page. Otherwise, a message indicating no match is reported. Quit: +-------+ | | Press the | | key | q | +-------+ This keystroke returns you to the previous operation level. 1.18 'Article level': mail the article to someone ------------------------------------------------- If you would like someone to receive the article that you are currently reading via e-mail, you need to follow these steps: 1. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | m | +-------+ 2. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Mail a)rticle, t)hread, h)ot, p)attern, T)agged articles, q)uit: t 3. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | a | +-------+ This indicates that an article is to be mailed. 4. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Mail article(s) to [previous-address> 5. Enter the e-mail address of the person to receive the article: Mail article(s) to [previous-address> pkramer@unl.edu Note: You may mail the article to one person at a time. 6. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: q)uit, e)dit, s)end [subject]: s 7. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | s | +-------+ This confirms your intention to mail the current article. The other keystrokes allow you to change your mind about mailing it or allow you to make changes to the article. 1.19 'Article level': print the article --------------------------------------- If you would like to print the article that you are currently reading, you need to follow these steps: 1. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | o | +-------+ 2. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Print a)rticle, t)hread, h)ot, p)attern, T)agged articles, q)uit: a 3. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | a | +-------+ 1.20 'Article level': reply to the author of the article directly ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you would like to write to the author of the article that you are reading, you need to follow these steps: 1. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | r | +-------+ 2. Using the text editor invoked for you, write your reply. When finished, make the keystroke or enter the command that closes the editor. 3. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: q)uit, e)dit, s)end: s 4. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | s | +-------+ This confirms your intention to mail your reply. The other keystrokes allow you to change your mind about mailing it or allow you to make further changes to the reply. 1.21 'Article level': save the article as a file on your account ---------------------------------------------------------------- If you would like to save the article that you are currently reading, you need to follow these steps: 1. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | s | +-------+ 2. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Save a)rticle, t)hread, h)ot, p)attern, T)agged articles, q)uit: a 3. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | a | +-------+ 4. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Save filename []> 5. Enter the name that you want used as the filename: Save filename []> file.pkramer 6. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: Process n)one, s)har, u)ud, l)ist zoo, e)xt zoo, L)ist zip, E)xt zip, q)uit: n 7. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | n | +-------+ This keystroke selects a null extraction process for the saving of the file. The other choices, if selected, apply the following extraction processes: s s)har unsharing u u)ud uudecoding l l)ist zoo list files within 'zoo' archive e e)xt zoo extract files within 'zoo' archive L l)ist zip list files within 'zip' archive E E)xt zip extract files within 'zip' archive 1.22 'Article level': write and post a reply to the article ----------------------------------------------------------- If you would like to write and post a reply to the article that you are currently reading, you need to follow these steps: 1. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | f | +-------+ 2. Using the text editor invoked for you, write your reply. When finished, make the keystroke or enter the command that closes the editor. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: q)uit, e)dit, p)ost: p 3. Press the

key. +-------+ | | | | | p | +-------+ This confirms your intention to post your followup. 1.23 'Article level': write and post your own article ----------------------------------------------------- If you would like to write and post your own article to the current newsgroup, you need to follow these steps: 1. Press the key. +-------+ | | | | | w | +-------+ 2. Using the text editor invoked for you, write your article. When finished, make the keystroke or enter the command that closes the editor. 3. Look for the prompt it produces at the bottom of the screen: q)uit, e)dit, p)ost: p 4. Press the

key. +-------+ | | | | | p | +-------+ This confirms your intention to your post.