v04i078: A bilge pump for the ALT hierarchy

[Paul Vixie]

Posting-number: Volume 4, Issue 78
Submitted-by: "Paul Vixie" <vix at ubvax.UB.Com>
Archive-name: alt-clean

Though I'm no longer a contractor, I still maintain NetNews for Ubvax as a
service to the sites they feed news to (i.e., I don't get paid for this).

Alt is a sewer and this is my way of dealing with it.  Have fun, everybody.

#! /bin/sh
##  This is a shell archive.  Remove anything before this line, then unpack
##  it by saving it into a file and typing "sh file".  To overwrite existing
##  files, type "sh file -c".  You can also feed this as standard input via
##  unshar, or by typing "sh <file".  If this archive is complete, you will
##  see the following message at the end:
#		"End of shell archive."
# Contents:  README-sys.m4 Makefile sys.m4
# Wrapped by vix at ubvax.ub.com on Sat Sep  3 13:40:35 1988
PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/ucb ; export PATH
if test -f README-sys.m4 -a "${1}" != "-c" ; then 
  echo shar: Will not over-write existing file \"README-sys.m4\"
else
echo shar: Extracting \"README-sys.m4\" \(3894 characters\)
sed "s/^X//" >README-sys.m4 <<'END_OF_README-sys.m4'
XPaul Vixie
X3-Sept-88
Xsys.m4
X
XRATIONALE
X
XAs of a few months ago, the "alt" hierarchy has become the dung heap of
XUsenet.  Because there are no rules on group creation, "trash" groups
Xare added and deleted constantly.
X
XMy usual policy in Usenet site administration is to carry all the groups
XI can get my hands on, even if I only read a very small fraction of them.
XI.e., the fact that many "alt" groups are not interesting to me is not
Xmy reason for calling them "trash".
X
XIn the main categories of Usenet (comp, news, misc, talk, and so on), I
Xhave been able to safely carry all groups in the various hierarchies since
Xthe "trash" contingent was kept to a minimum.  I run my B News software
Xwith the option that automatically accepts incoming "newgroup" control
Xmessages.
X
XAlt, however, cannot be so "trusted".  I have no reason to expect that a
Xnew "alt" group will be anything but trash, and my /usr/lib/news/sys file
Xhas become very messy as a result: rather than allowing all of "alt" and
Xthen disallowing the groups I do not favor, as in
X
X	site:alt,!alt.weemba,!alt.california,...:
X
X...I have taken to disallowing all of alt and then allowing the groups I
X_do_ favor, as in:
X
X	site:alt,!alt.all,alt.gourmand,alt.individualism,...:
X
XPutting these restrictions on my own "sys" line is of limited effectiveness,
Xsince the articles seem to land in "junk" and in fact are sometimes sent on
Xto my neighbors.  Putting these restrictions on every neighbor's sys line
Xmakes a disasterous mess of my "sys" file.  Asking my neighbors to only
Xforward the groups I approve of is a big pain for them and for me.
X
XEnter "sys.m4".  M4 is a macro preprocessor, somewhat more general than the
XC preprocessor although more arcane in its directives.  What I've done is to
Xdefine my feelings about the "alt" hierarchy and then include them in every
Xline of my "sys.m4" file.  When M4 processes the sys.m4 file and creates the
X"sys" file, the list of approved groups appears everywhere, in all its
Xglorious ugliness.  But this doesn't get in my face, since I don't ever
Xedit the "sys" file - I edit "sys.m4" and rerun M4.
X
XINSTALLATION
X
XIf you aren't familiar with M4, go read the man page.  If you can find the
Xpaper on M4 in your "supplementary documents", read that too.  You will not
Xneed to be an M4 wizard, but you will have to understand what it is and what
Xit does.
X
XThis package consists of these files:
X
X	README-sys.m4	you're reading it
X	Makefile	runs M4 on "sys.m4", creates "sys".
X	sys.m4		my sys.m4 file, you can use it as a prototype
X
XInstallation is simple but _not_ automatic.  First you should check to
Xsee that these file names aren't already in use in your /usr/lib/news;
Xif they are, you'll have to be creative and good luck.  If not, move
Xthe files into /usr/lib/news.  Make a backup copy of your "sys" file,
Xcalled "sys.backup" or "sys.save" or whatever you call such things.
XThen edit "sys.m4" and examine carefully until you understand what's
Xgoing on.  Delete all the inapplicable stuff, append your "sys.save"
Xfile, and edit the result until you are using the new features of M4.
X
XNote that the next step will destroy your "sys" file, which is why we
Xbacked it up above.  If you misunderstood the details of "M4" or of
Xmy use of its features, you will have to recover your "sys" file from
Xthe backup.
X
XSo with that in mind, get to /usr/lib/news and say "make sys".  Examine
Xthe resultant "sys" file to see if it's what you wanted.  If not, go
Xback and edit "sys.m4" and try again.  Repeat until you get what you
Xwant or until you have to give up and restore your old "sys" file.
X
XCONCLUSION
X
XI hope C News and News 3.0 make this easier to do.  I think "inews" has
Xto read and parse the whole "sys" file for every article you receive in
XB News 2.11, so this hack slows things down a lot.  But if I can pump
Xbilge out of my system at the expense of some extra CPU cycles, it's
Xworth it.
END_OF_README-sys.m4
if test 3894 -ne `wc -c <README-sys.m4`; then
    echo shar: \"README-sys.m4\" unpacked with wrong size!
fi
# end of overwriting check
fi
if test -f Makefile -a "${1}" != "-c" ; then 
  echo shar: Will not over-write existing file \"Makefile\"
else
echo shar: Extracting \"Makefile\" \(191 characters\)
sed "s/^X//" >Makefile <<'END_OF_Makefile'
X# Makefile for /usr/lib/news/sys, created from sys.m4
X# vix 03sep88 [written]
X
XSYS=	sys
X
Xall:;	@-echo "make what? try 'make sys' if that's what you mean."
X
X$(SYS):	sys.m4
X	m4 sys.m4 > $(SYS)
END_OF_Makefile
if test 191 -ne `wc -c <Makefile`; then
    echo shar: \"Makefile\" unpacked with wrong size!
fi
# end of overwriting check
fi
if test -f sys.m4 -a "${1}" != "-c" ; then 
  echo shar: Will not over-write existing file \"sys.m4\"
else
echo shar: Extracting \"sys.m4\" \(2692 characters\)
sed "s/^X//" >sys.m4 <<'END_OF_sys.m4'
X# the source for this is /usr/lib/news/sys.m4.  Do not edit this file, edit
X# the M4 version and then while in /usr/lib/news say "make sys".  Note that
X# in order for this text to appear in the "sys" file, you will see it when
X# you edit the "sys.m4" file as well.		Paul Vixie, 3-Sept-88
X#
X# Notes for M4 novices: strings are quoted `like this', and quotes are
X# very much needed around the arguments to `define', see man page for
X# details.  The `dnl' is also helpful.  Putting a single newsgroup on
X# the last line of the `ALT' define makes the output look nicer, you'll see.
X
Xundefine(`unix')dnl
Xdefine(`ALT',`alt,!alt.all,alt.config,alt.test,\
X	alt.gourmand,alt.sources,alt.sources.amiga,\
X	alt.hypertext,alt.aquaria,\
X	alt.individualism,alt.recovery,\
X	alt.sex,alt.drugs,alt.rock-n-roll,\
X	alt.sca,alt.emusic,alt.cult-movies,\
X	alt.cyberpunk')dnl
X
X#
X# localhost
X#
Xubvax:world,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,talk,na,ba,ca,usa,su,to,ub,\
X	ALT,biz,pubnet,inet,bionet,unix-pc,usrgroup,gnu::
Xmaps:world,comp.mail.maps:F:/usr/spool/uucpmap/comp.mail.maps/Batch
X#
X# partial feeds to decrease propagation delay
X#
Xuunet:world,ALT,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,talk,inet,gnu,ba,ca,to.uunet:L1F:
Xcae780:world,ALT,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,talk,inet,ba,ca,to.cae780:L1F:
Xweitek:world,ALT,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,talk,inet,ba,ca,to.weitek:L1F:
Xlll-winken:biz,pubnet,usrgroup,bionet,unix-pc,inet,ALT,gnu,\
X	world,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,talk,na,ba,ca,usa,to.lll-winken:L2F:
Xamdahl:ba,ca,gnu,ALT,to.amdahl:F:
X#
X# full feeds
Xvsi1/ames:inet,ALT,world,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,talk,na,ba,ca,usa,gnu,\
X	to.vsi1,bionet,unix-pc,usrgroup,biz:F:
Xardent:inet,ALT,world,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,na,ba,ca,usa,gnu,\
X	to.ardent,bionet,unix-pc,usrgroup:F:
Xmrspoc:inet,ALT,world,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,talk,na,ba,ca,usa,gnu,\
X	to.mrspoc,bionet,unix-pc,usrgroup,biz:F:
Xpyramid/ames:ALT,world,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,talk,na,ba,ca,usa,su,to.pyramid:IF:
Xames/vsi1:inet,world,comp,news,sci,rec,misc,soc,talk,na,ba,ca,usa,su,gnu,\
X	alt,!alt.all,alt.config,alt.test,alt.sources,alt.gourmand,\
X	to.ames,bionet,unix-pc,usrgroup:F:
X#
X# dalek is Seth Bradley's machine in Sunnyvale
X#
Xdalek:ba,ca,na,usa,world,news,ALT,misc,rec,!rec.music,!rec.aviation,\
X!rec.ham-radio,sci.electronics,sci.math,sci.med,sci.physics,news,comp.dcom,\
Xcomp.mail,comp.org,comp.periphs,comp.sources,comp.sys.atari.8bit,comp.doc,\
Xcomp.sys.dec,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.binaries.ibm,comp.newprod,talk.origins,\
Xcomp.lang,comp.text,comp.unix,to.dalek:F:/usr/spool/batch/dalek
X#
X# vixie is Paul's home machine
X#
Xvixie:world,na,ba,ca,!ba.all,!ca.all,alt,!alt.all,alt.sex,\
X	comp.windows.x,alt.individualism,talk.politics.theory,all.philosophy:F:
X#
END_OF_sys.m4
if test 2692 -ne `wc -c <sys.m4`; then
    echo shar: \"sys.m4\" unpacked with wrong size!
fi
# end of overwriting check
fi
echo shar: End of shell archive.
exit 0
-- 
Paul Vixie
Consultant        Work: 408-562-7798    vix at ub.com    vix%ubvax at uunet.uu.net
Ungermann-Bass    Home: 415-647-7023    {amdahl,ptsfa,pyramid,uunet}!ubvax!vix
Santa Clara, CA              <<I do not speak for Ungermann-Bass>>