Re: [Pan-users] Posting Binaries

[Wolf J . Flywheel]

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On Wednesday 13 November 2002 13:12, Charles Kerr wrote:

        I'll contribute my 2¢, since it was requested.  :)

> If the pan-users list wants to collectively work out how such a GUI
> should work, then attachment work will move forward more quickly.
> The questions are, how to do these things:
>
>    * casual posting (the current dialog could do this)
>    * multipart posting (the current dialog could do this)

        If the current framework would support it, then I'd say go ahead and 
implement it.  At least for posting of small files, one at a time, 
certainly it would be appropriate.

>    * sets of single or multiparts
>    * reposts of single or multiple articles

        I believe (from my experience, anyway) that use of external tools might 
be the best way to do this.  For instance, newspost can do multipart 
binaries in at least two different encodings.  I'm not sure about segment 
reposts, but I think so.  Also, once Pan's development settles down to a 
less frantic pace, this would allow whatever the *next* wonderful 
encoding method might be, without major changes to Pan, and while still 
presenting the same user interface.  For instance, if in 2005 zEnc comes 
along, Pan's UI might not need to change at all, if newspost's options 
supported it.

>    * Is sfv support necessary?  Should it be integrated into Pan?

        Not *necessary*, IMO, but "nice to have".  SFV tells about how many 
files have been posted in one set, what their names are, and gives a bit 
of info on how to verify them -- at least that's what I get from reading 
SFVs.  Many Windows users post SFVs, and they could be a useful indicator 
to Pan as to whether a binary posting is found complete.  (Because the 
file format is standardized, it can easily be parsed and verified.)

>    * Is par support necessary?  Should it be integrated into Pan?

        Those of us who frequent video binary groups will probably answer that 
it *is* necessary to support.  However, *integration* is not required -- 
"par" already exists and does a fine job of verifying, recovering, and 
creating PAR sets.  Pan could simply interface with it, since it provides 
output that would enable graphical progress bars and such.
        I think it would be great if Pan worked closely with par -- for 
instance 
I can imagine selecting "Chobits 42" in the newsgroup headers, and having 
Pan download the absolute minimum number of segments necessary to 
reconstruct the set.  (All Pxx files, plus [N - P] where N is number of 
file segments, and P is number of Pxx.)  It's what I do now... would be 
easy to automate!  :)  

        In short, I would not mind Pan depending (optionally) on "newspost" and 
"par", just as it currently depends on "pspell" or whatever.

- -- 
// Carl Hudkins :: ICQ 5723399 :: PGP 50238D9E
//
// "I do not take a single newspaper, nor read one a month;
//  and I feel myself infinitely the happier for it."
//                                       --Thomas Jefferson
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