[Pan-users] Re: Can't subscribe

[Duncan]

"R. Georgeson" <address@hidden> posted
address@hidden, excerpted below, on  Mon, 16 Jul
2007 23:13:27 +0100:

> I'm sure it's me being useless but I can't subscribe to any groups -
> nothing happens when I press 'Refresh group list' or indeed when I press
> 'Subscribe'. This is on Debian Etch (Pan 0.119) on this new machine.
> 
> Actually I find I can't now subscribe to any new groups on the old
> machine (Debian Sarge, Pan 0.11.2), 'Subscribe' is greyed out, though it
> is still collecting the ones I subscribed to ages ago so it obviously
> worked in the past.
> 
> Got any pointers to where I should be looking?

As Walt said, 0.119 is an out of date beta, with a number of significant 
bugs fixed since then.  You probably want something newer.

As for 0.11.x, that's still GNOME 1 based, WAY WAY back in the dark ages! 
=8^)

However, if it's occurring on both of them, with entirely different code 
bases (even written in different languages, 0.90 was the intro of the C++ 
rewrite, before that it was C, and the libraries they are based on are 
entirely different as well, tho there's possibly some little old code 
remaining), there's a **VERY** **STRONG** likelihood it's not pan at all, 
but the server you are subscribed to.  If they are still pulling posts, 
that's working, but from all indications, they aren't providing a group 
list to update any more.

If your provider is like many, they'll only support OE and maybe 
Thunderbird or some such on MSWormOS, and possibly <some news app> on 
OSX.  If it's possible, I'd suggest checking with whatever it is they 
support, just to be sure, but I'm guessing there's something wrong with 
their GROUPS command (I believe it is).  It's also possible their listing 
of commands simply no longer includes the GROUPS (or whatever it is) 
command.

If you can't do that or as alternative server or network troubleshooting, 
there's really nothing better than a manual telnet session.  Telnet to 
that server on the appropriate port (normally nntp/119, NOT the standard 
telnet port), and you should get a connection banner.  Enter USER and 
your username, and go from there.  HELP should get you a list of 
commands.  HELP <command> should get you help on the specific command.  
And/or google RFC 3977, which is the formal protocol definition, 
including the various commands and what they do, then use them.  However, 
usually liberal use of the HELP command gives you enough to troubleshoot 
the problem.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman