Program: Groups (version 0.14)
Short:   Usenet newsgroups selection

Files:   groups014.spk       Spark'd archive of the program
         groups014.txt       A copy of this message

Demon:   Please could you put these in /pub/acorn/utils to replace the
         existing files "groups008.spk" and "groups008.txt". Thanks.

Hensa:   This is an update to package d116. Thanks.


Description
-----------

!Groups makes it easier to add and remove Usenet newsgroups from your news
feed. It provides a window with two subwindows - a source window displaying
a newsgroups list, or new groups, and a feed window displaying the groups you
are currently receiving. Newsgroups are added by simply dragging them across.


Requirements
------------

 * RISC OS 3.10 or greater
 * Newsbase version 0.54 or greater
 * A transport system (e.g. ka9q or uucp)

The latest public version of Newsbase can be found in:
  ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/archimedes/developers/


Features
--------

 * Display of a full newsgroups file.
 * Display of new groups created since you last checked.
 * Newsgroup beginning-of-name and wildcard searches.
 * Easy to add groups from any source, simply drag it across.
 * Can drag group names to other applications (incl. WWW browsers)
 * Merging of new groups into your main list.


Changes from 0.08 (last public release) to 0.14
-----------------------------------------------

Features added:

 * "Merge new groups when catching up" - when you catch up on the new groups,
   you can automatically merge them into your main file and re-sort it.
 * A sub-menu off the main menu to display the main eight hierarchies.
 * Double click on a group to send it to a WWW browser.
 * You can scroll up and down the main list using cursor keys if the caret is
   in the find window.
 * Detailed interactive help added, along with an icon to load !Help.

Features improved:

 * OK/Cancel icons now slab when you press the associated key.
 * You can now list any number of new groups.
 * You can now do wildcard searches on any number of groups.
 * Wildcard searching has been sped up. Now takes under half a second
   regardless of the number it finds.
 * The "Question from Groups" window now accepts keypresses (Y and N).
 * The "Message from Groups" window is now transient (ESCAPE to remove it).
 * Loading is slightly more multi-tasking, and it now gives a better
   indication of what it's doing.
 * WimpSlot has been reduced from 96k to 64k. Note that almost all of the
   lists are now in dynamic areas - on the Risc PC this will appear as the
   "Dynamite" area, and on older machines it uses the sprite pool.
 * No longer redraws windows that aren't open - much less flicker when loading.
 * New group information is filtered before being added.
 * "Catch up" icon is now greyed if there is no newgroup information, and is
   deleted completely if you're not viewing the new group window.

Bugs fixed:

 * "No newgroup information available" error from Newsbase ignored.
 * Out-of-memory errors should no longer crash the computer :-)
 * Cause of "Input focus window not found" located and fixed.
 * Bug which stopped searches without "*" on the end has been found and fixed.
   e.g. you can now search for "*.test" "*.announce" etc.
 * "Bad anchor passed to Dynamite" errors fixed (I think).
 * Other minor problems fixed.


Future improvements
-------------------

 * "Add all" - add all groups in "Search results".
 * Selection of multiple source/feed groups.
 * Grabbing a newsgroup list from a NNTP server using Freenet or Acorn TCP/IP.


Installation
------------

I suggest you keep !Groups inside !Newsbase.AutoBoot, unless you are likely
to want to run it on its own, in which case you can put it in your main
Internet directory.

Newsbase will automatically run Groups when you choose the "New Groups..."
option from its main menu, provided it has been seen previously by the filer.

If you are upgrading from a previous version of Groups, simply copy the new
version on top. Your configuration will be kept.


Distribution
------------

You may copy this program freely, so long as:

 * You do not charge for it in any way.
 * You distribute it intact, with all original files present and unmodified.
   (this means you must delete your "Config" file before redistribution)
 * You understand that the copyright remains with the author.

|> /+\ \| | |>

-- 
David Croft.         david@runge1.demon.co.uk
Reigate, Surrey.