From: dudleybrooks@gmail.com   
      
   On 8/10/24 6:26 PM, Jeff Barnett wrote:   
   > On 8/10/2024 5:58 PM, Dudley Brooks wrote:   
   >> On 8/10/24 4:56 PM, Dudley Brooks wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> On 8/10/24 4:37 PM, Dudley Brooks wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> On 8/10/24 4:32 PM, Jeff Barnett wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> On 8/10/2024 4:40 PM, Dudley Brooks wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>>> On 8/10/24 2:50 PM, Jeff Barnett wrote:   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> On 8/10/2024 2:21 PM, Dudley Brooks wrote:   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> I clicked on a message here and got a "Not Found" error.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> I then clicked on "Delete All Expired Messages" ... and the   
   >>>>>>>> entire ng contents disappeared except for the single post "LLM   
   >>>>>>>> and Prolog, a Marriage in Heaven? (Re: 42 is the answer)" !!!   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Is this true???  Is there really nothing in this ng???  Or is   
   >>>>>>>> this some bug in Thunderbird.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Someone please post and let me know that No, everything really   
   >>>>>>>> is still here.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Then I can try to figure out the TB bug or switch to a   
   >>>>>>>> different ng reader.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> TB works fine with this newsgroup. This forum is one that only   
   >>>>>>> sees posts when there is something to say. Almost all of the   
   >>>>>>> traffic consists of descriptions of symbolic systems' tests and   
   >>>>>>> statistics that compare these systems. There is also some   
   >>>>>>> discussions of what is tested and how as well as system   
   >>>>>>> idiosyncrasies that may cause anomalous results.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Running tests is labor intensive and there are time gaps between   
   >>>>>>> these runs to think about how to grow the test suite. In   
   >>>>>>> addition, there is no point in running and reporting unless   
   >>>>>>> either some systems have released newer versions or the testing   
   >>>>>>> itself has been updated.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Every once in a while, one of the testers either releases new   
   >>>>>>> results and/ or asks for comments then an appropriate   
   >>>>>>> conversation will follow. Occasionally an interloper such as you   
   >>>>>>> or I will pop in and there is a little flurry of messages.   
   >>>>>>> Otherwise, this forum is here for a dedicated group of people   
   >>>>>>> who are interested and knowledgeable in symbolic mathematics   
   >>>>>>> when they have something to say.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> That's fine.  That's why I'm interested in the ng.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> But my question was not about what the ng is FOR, or how often   
   >>>>>> anyone posts.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> It was about whether there are ANY MESSAGES AT ALL in the ng!   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> My experience was this:   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Every time this ng shows that it has a new posting, I open the ng.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> I always see the new posting ... and I always see the large   
   >>>>>> number of old postings.  (I don't remember offhand what the   
   >>>>>> number is.)   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> I click on TB's "Show unread" so that I can focus on whatever is   
   >>>>>> new.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> For each new post (and yes, in this ng that is never very many) I   
   >>>>>> either read it or click it Unread.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> I then click on Show All ... and there, once again, are the large   
   >>>>>> number of old, and formerly new but now old, postings.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Today I did exactly that ... except ...   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> After clicking on Show All, I saw an old one which seemed   
   >>>>>> interesting, so I clicked on it to read it ...   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> ... and it gave an Expired message.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> So I clicked on TB's Delete All Expired Messages ...   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> ... and EVERYTHING DISAPPEARED, except for the one single message   
   >>>>>> which I saw above!  The entire message list pane was blank except   
   >>>>>> for that one message!   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> I thought maybe I had clicked on Show Unread again, but I had   
   >>>>>> not. It was still on Show All ... and All was only a single message!   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> So I ask you.  When you look at this ng right now, how many   
   >>>>>> messages are you seeing?   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Because I'm only seeing three messages IN THE ENTIRE NG: The one   
   >>>>>> I mention above, my question, and your answer. NOTHING ELSE!   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> I see your two messages, a prior one from me, and a fourth from   
   >>>>> "Mild Shock". You DO know that TB has retention settings for news   
   >>>>> groups and news group servers? Those settings can effect what you   
   >>>>> are able to see and when to delete msg copies on your machine.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> Just recall the point I tried to make above: message traffic to   
   >>>>> this group occurs at sort of random times and it occurs in spurts.   
   >>>>> What YOU will see and what YOU will retain depends on when you   
   >>>>> look and the retention policies you have imposed.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Ah!  That makes sense.  I didn't know about TB's retention settings   
   >>>> -- I never knowingly made any setting.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> I'll check it out.  Thanks!   
   >>>   
   >>> *All* my accounts -- email, ng's, etc -- are already set to Do Not   
   >>> Delete Anything.   
   >>>   
   >>> However, I now see that practically every ng I am subscribed to has   
   >>> mostly expired messages.   
   >>>   
   >>> So I guess it must be the policy at news.eternal-september.org, my   
   >>> ng source.   
   >>   
   >> I accidentally hit Send too early, before asking recommendations for   
   >> a news server, if any, with a longer retention policy.   
   >>   
   >> For $$ reasons at the moment (please don't ask) it has to be a free   
   >> service ... which I guess severely limits my choices.  Oh, well ...   
   >   
   > I'm using the same news server as you.   
      
   I just now started using news.solani.org and I once again see everything   
   ... Well, I don't know if it's EVERYTHING -- I'm sure there must be very   
   old stuff that expired -- but I see 177 messages, anyway   
      
   -- Dudley Brooks, Artistic Director   
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