For reference, in the future you can find illustrations of Newsbin at FAQ 2 Part H
NOTE: Almost all of these settings are *not* necessary. The ones that are mandatoy have red numbering, which are number 10 and 11. All the others are there to help you reduce spam and give you more control.
You can also find a condensed version of the author's Official SBNews FAQ which gives a more technical description of the features.
1) First go to Configure -> Preferences.
2) Under the "Logging" at the far left, check everything except for "Mime Headers".
This will make SBNews inform you of all activities (very useful info when something goes wrong).
Of course, if you don't want SBNews to be keeping logs, you can disable this option. It's up to you.
3) On the bottom left, I suggest that under "Fname Case Conversion" you choose to convert filenames to lower case.
This serves to make your files consistent in filename.
Obviously this is optional and doesn't really affect performance.
4)Under "Disconnect/Reconnect", you should check "No-Data" and "Lockout XRef".
No-data tells SBNews to stop downloading a message if it seems like there isn't any file attached.
The other options can be very useful as well. However, don't check them until you learn what they do.
5) Under "Miscellaneous", I strongly suggest checking the "Preload XRef hdrs".
This tells SBNews to load all the XRef headers beforehand.
This adds to the initial download time.
However, in the long run it saves time by helping SBNews skip spam without having to start downloading it first.
Feel free to check the other options at your own discretion.
6) Under "Minimum message lines", I suggest 150.
This makes SBNews skip any messages that are less than 150 lines long.
150 lines of message can roughly hold a 8 kilobyte file.
So, this will eliminate posts that either have no file attatched or contain little files (like .htm files or other junk).
When you get the hang of SBNews, adjust this setting as you feel appropriate.
For example, when downloading multi-part files, you might in a few occasions want to reduce or disable this feature.
Times when you would want to disable this feature are described later in more detail.
7) Set the "Maximum XRef Limit" to 2 or 3.
This will eliminate a lot of spam. Adjust this setting as you feel appropriate.
8) Optional: Go to Configure -> Dupe Checker -> Dupe Subject Checker.
Choose to reject duplicate files and choose to "consider from" and "consider lines".
The Dupe Subject Checker tells SBNews not to download messages that have the same subject as messages SBNews has already seen.
This will prevent SBNews from downloading the same message twice.
Unfortunately, if two posters use the exact same subject, this feature will tell SBNews to skip the second poster's messages.
This will also work incorrectly if a single poster for some reason uses the exact same subject for all their posts.
For this reason, I don't recommend this option unless you know what you're doing.
However, this feature is often useful if you regularly use more than one news server, so that SBNews won't download the same message twice from two different posters.
This is a feature that Newsbin uses by default.
9) Optional: Go to Configure -> Dupe Checker -> Dupe File Checker.
Choose to reject duplicate files and choose to "consider from" and "consider lines".
Also choose to save the dupe file.
The Dupe File Checker tells SBNews not to download messages that appear to contain files that SBNews has already seen or already exist in your download directory.
This will prevent SBNews from downloading the same file twice.
Unfortunately, if two completely different files happen to have the same filename by coincidence, SBNews will skip the second file.
This will also work incorrectly if the same file was posted twice at two different levels of quality, which is not uncommon.
For this reason, I don't recommend this option unless you know what you're doing.
However, this feature is often useful if you regularly use more than one news server, so that SBNews won't download the same message twice from two different posters.
This is a feature that Newsbin uses by default.
10) Go to Configure -> Download Path.
Specify the directory you want SBNews to download its file to.
Remember this directory. ;)
11) Last and most importantly, enter in your news server.
Configure -> Host name.
For a list of free servers, try the What's new section.
Note that with option 8 and option 9, if you choose to save the dupe file, SBNews will keep track of what messages you've seen by storing that information on a file. So, keep this in mind if you don't want your wife to see a list of your online Playboy collection... ;)
A typical session
Note: You don't have to understand a word this section says to use newsgroups. This is only for the more advanced users in the long run.
If you entered in a valid Host name and have chosen a newsgroup, this is what should appear in the top left window:
« This will only happen if you entered a valid host.
"Posting ok" means this server allows you to post
89006 = first message 89407 = last message...
« This will only happen if your server has the group.
SBNews is asking for a list of subjects
SBNews is asking for a list of authors (subject)
SBNews is asking for a list of dates (date)
SBNews is asking for a list of lines (lines)
SBNews is asking for a list of crosspost headers (xref)
« This is the actual number of posts in the group
SBnews is now getting this post
« This is the subject title of the message.
« This is the person who sent the message.
« This is the nickname of the person.
decoding file z:/download/coso00.jpg
news.name.co.jp = whatever news server you enter (news.altopia.com, news.valuu.net, etc...)
Blah blah = A short message indicating the software the news server that you are contacting is using.
Message Pointers
1) This explanation of message pointers is relatively important and will save trouble in the long run.
SBNews uses message pointers to determine which posts it has seen inbetween sessions.
The message pointer is a lot like a page number. It tells SBNews where it left off and where it should start reading again.
For example, SBNews might write down that you've seen all of the posts up to post #50000. In this example, the current pointer = 50000. Next time you start SBNews, it will request the headers for posts starting at #50001 up to the most recent post.
2) If you look at the log window on the top left of the screen, it will mention the pointer number to the post that is curently being downloaded.
This information can help you reference posts using the headers menu (the bottom log window will often also provide pointer numbers).
Note that many messages are skipped because they have no file attatched. So, don't be surprised if SBNews goes from #50001 to #50002 but then skip to #50004.
3) SBNews sometimes skips around as well.
For example, it might download #50001, then #50004, and then #50002.
This is because SBNews tries to download all posts from a particular thread if possible.
In this context, a "thread" is usually a series of posts by one person.
So, if one person makes many posts, SBNews will skip around to get their posts.
Also, if SBNews gets one part of a multi-part file, it will normally jump to the next part and repeat if necessary until the file is either completed or the next part is missing.
4) The message pointer's correspondance to posts will vary from server to server.
In other words, one server might refer to a post as #31188, while another might refer to the same exact post as #5123.
This is like how the hardback version of a book might have different page numbering than a paperback version.
For this reason, SBNews might get confused if you change servers without resetting the pointers to 0. This is the leading cause of the problem where SBNews disconnects without downloading anything.
Headers Menu
The best feature of SBNews is the headers menu. If you have to pay for your connection by the minute/hour, this option will be especially valuable to you.
What information the headers tell you
1) Headers basically serve as a summary of all the posts in a newsgroup.
The headers list each post by subject, pointer #, number of lines, poster's nickname, as well as a few other pieces of information.
More precisely, this information is referred to as: subject, lines, message number/pointer, from address, and xref (optional).
Further information is also provided in headers, so the previous list was just a sample.
The most effective form of spam filtering usually uses header information to reject spam or unwanted posts before SBNews even gets there. That's why the Headers menu can potentially eliminate all spam.
Opening the headers menu
2) To get to the header menu, first have SBNews connect to a newsgroup and download the headers.
You must first wait until SBNews has downloaded all the header information; trying to open the headers menu beforehand will result in an empty menu.
Once it has, you might want to click on the newsgroup you want to make sure that you have it highlighted (many people including myself forget to do this at first).
Then click on the button labeled "headers".
If there are a lot of headers, it might take a few seconds for SBNews to bring you to the menu.
Eventually, a summary should appear showing all the posts in the newsgroup.
It's usually obvious which posts are spam. Here is the first actual example I found: "I am Sui - I want to show you my p***y." That is spam. Spam wastes time. Spam is bad.
Telling SBNews to ignore messages you don't want
3) There are several ways you can tell SBNews to ignore a message using the Headers menu:
If it is just a single post you want to ignore, click on it and hit "reject".
If it is several posts in a row, highlight them all (using the SHIFT button) and hit "reject".
If there are several posts all made by the same person, you can hit "reject author" and SBNews will reject all posts made by the person under that name.
Note that "reject author" is temporary, because if you close SBNews and open it again, any further posts will not be rejected (until you specify otherwise).
If you want the rejection to be permanent, you can use "lockout" instead.
Important tip on highlighting multiple items at a time
4) Be sure you know how to highlight multiple items in Windows.
Some people apparently aren't aware that you can highlight multiple items in Windows, so if you don't know, try this out.
a) First, click on the first file/header/item you want to select.
b) Press and hold down SHIFT.
c) Click on the last item to select.
d) Let go of SHIFT.
This method works in Windows 3.1 or 95 for the vast majority of applications.
It's very important and time saving.
For example, if you wanted to delete 1000 files in a row, you can quickly select them all by using the SHIFT button. It shudders to make me think of the alternative (shudder). ;)
This technique also applies to almost all Windows programs that handle files, including Windows Explorer or ACDSee. It also works for word processing, allowing you to highlight text, even without using a mouse at all.
The above steps are only one way to do this; see the Windows FAQ for several other ways that I prefer (including one that uses only the keyboard)
5) Aside from using the SHIFT key, SBNews also supports the use of the CTRL key.
This allows you to click and highlight item 1 and 3 but not 2 (so that you can skip around).
You can even using the SHIFT and CTRL buttons simultaneously or in alternation.
Some people who previously did not know this thought they had to manually reject everything one by one. ;)
What the lines value means
6) The lines value in the header will give you an indication of how large an attachment can/might be.
Each line in a post allows for about 45 bytes of decoded data.
For example, a message that is 2048 lines long can hold at most a 90 kilobyte file.
A 150 line message can hold a 6.6 kb file, which is why I suggest setting minimum lines to between 100-150.
As you might expect, if you see a post that has 10 lines, it is probably just a text message and not a file post.
Important: There are certain times you may want to disable this features, such as when recieving multi-part files.
Statistics Menu
Latency
1) The latency display that you can reach through Statistics -> Latency is often very useful.
It will give you an idea of how fast you are currently downloading, how fast you are downloading overall (as an average), your latency with the server, and a few other pieces of information.
This menu can be very useful for diagnosing how efficiently SBNews is working with the current news server
Finding similar newsgroups
2) After downloading a lot of files, try out the Statistics -> Similar newsgroups menu.
This will provide a listing of groups cross-referenced with the one you're currently receiving.
Note that if you've been rejecting a lot of crossposts (through the Xref option), this list might not be very diverse, because SBNews generates this list by looking at what similar groups the same message has been posted to.
Recieved Files menu
3) Try out the Recieved Files menu as well.
From there, you'll see statistics on how many files from each group you have downloaded in the current session, as well as a list of all of the files you have downloaded.
You can even click on any given file you don't like and use the lockout button on it to prevent further files from that same poster.
The other Statistics displays also provide further information, so feel free to fool around with the displays to see what they provide.
Other tips
1) To see which pics were downloaded most recently, view the download directory sorted by date modified.
The most recent ones will be on the bottom in this case.
While SBNews is running, you can use a program like ACDSee to check out the latest downloads.
This can help you weed out series that you don't want before you download the whole series.
This is explained in more detail in Part B.
2) Using the headers menu, posts are by default sorted by pointer # (which is basically in chronological order).
As mentioned before, you are not restricted to sorting the list in that order.
If you click on the bar labeled subject, the menu will now sort everything by subject in alphabetical order.
Click on the bar again and it will now list everything in reverse alphabetical order.
The same applies to the other buttons.
3) The main disadvantage with SBNews is that you can only load one news server at a time.
One fix that I use is to add multiple copies of the same newsgroups to it, one copy for each server I use.
Note that you can promote or demot a newsgroup entry by using CTRL+Up or CTRL+Down to move that newsgroup up or down the list.
4) The reason why SBNews doesn't support multiple servers is because SBNews is designed for people who spend $$$ (and register programs), and people who pay $$$ to register usually also pay for servers (which tend carry nearly every post). Such people will only need one server to get everything. Newsbin, needless to say, doesn't get many legitimate registrations.
5) When you want to disconnect and then reconnect to SBNews, you will usually have to click on the disconnect button and then on the connect button. Clicking on the connect button alone will often not reconnect you properly.
6) There are four general ways to lockout a poster.
a) Lock them out manually (through the Lockout Menu).
b) Use one of the two buttons under the preview windows.
c) Use the headers menu.
d) Use the Recieved Files from the Latency menu.
Preview Windows
1) One option that SBNews has is a pair of preview windows (which you can also turn off).
Using these windows, SBNews can display the current image being downloaded as a preview, as well as display the previous image downloaded.
This is different from Newsbin, which only displays the filename of files being downloaded.
2) Now under each preview image, there will be two butttons: kill and lockout.
I don't often use either of these buttons, and usually turn the preview option off.
However, if you're just starting out, it's a good idea to use the preview and the two buttons to give you a feel for which messages are spam and which aren't.
After a while, you'll be able to tell just by looking at the subject header, without having to view the preview.
Note: SBNews also has a built-in viewer (aside from the preview viewers), in case you do not like using ACDSee.
3) The Kill button rejects the current file being downloaded.
If you see an image in a preview screen that you do not want, press this button.
SBNews will then stop downloading that image and delete it from your hard drive.
If you want to stop downloading something that is not on a preview screen (like an mpg for example), you will have to use the disconnect button and then reconnect (and delete the file manually).
Personally, I prefer to use the headers so that I can reject the post before SBNews ever gets there.
If you want to disconnect right after a download finishes instead of stopping in the middle of a download, go to File --> Graceful Disconnect.
I do not use the Kill button anymore, but it can be useful in the beginning.
4) The lockout button is to reject all posts from a particular poster.
This button adds the poster, host, etc... to your killfile.
You can edit your killfile list using Configure --> Lockout.
Suppose you lockout a person by their e-mail address.
The next time SBNews encounters this poster's e-mail address, it will skip the post associated with it.
If the poster changes the listed e-mail address in this situation, the lockout won't work.
So, you can always try locking out by author's name, by posting host, etc...
You can undo a lockout by editing your killfile list. Otherwise, lockouts are permanent.
5) When SBNews ignores a message because of your killfile, it will notify you in the "Transfer Status" window.
This way, you can check to see if the message really was spam.
SBNews will give you a one-line summary of the post being ignored in the "Log" Window.
After some practice, you should be able to tell which posts are spam and which are not by just that one line of information the vast majority of the time.
6) If SBNews ignores a post that is not spam, you should first adjust your killfile.
If you want to go back and retrieve that ignored post, you have to turn back your message pointer and use the header menu to "Toggle Seen" so that SBNews can go back and download the file.
I am always hesitant to add someone to my killfile for this reason and others (instead, I rely on manually selecting headers).
Remember that if you're not careful, your killfile might eliminate legitimate posts.
For example, if you lockout any subject that contains the word "free", this might make some legitimate posts ineligible (though probably not many).
7) Creating a Killfile.
The most common way to add to your killfile is to use the lockout command when you see a spam image being downloaded.
I also suggest initially making a killfile yourself of words that automatically disqualify message.
For example, when I use the newsgroup alt.binaries.pictures.bluebird, I ask Newsbot to kill the following words often used by spammers: horny, naughty, phone, bondage, and a few others (including the obvious obscenities)
Advanced Header Menu Tips
If you are an experienced user of SBNews, this section contains all the information you should know to maximize your efficiency. I assume you've already read the section on headers and know how to operate the basics of the headers menu.
1) Review of some important basics.
To recap, the headers includes: subject, lines, message number/pointer, from address, xref (optional), and other related information.
SBnews also mentions whether or not you have read the message (Seen/Unseen) as well as whether or not it has been instructed to reject the message (Reject/Accept).
The header menu displays all the header information listed above except for the xref, which is optional.
Remember to use the multiple post highlight. To do so, click on the first message you want to highlight. Press and hold down the SHIFT button. THen click on the last message. Everything inbetween will now be highlighted as well.
2) Suggestion on how to reject through the headers menu.
I suggest you reject everything except for the posts that you think you may want. Note the wording.
If a you're not sure whether or not an individual post might be something you want, it probably isn't.
Only allow SBNews to download things you're not sure of if you don't mind.
However, if you have to pay by the hour, you might want to follow this rule more strictly.
3) Usually the posts you want are series of posts (like file001, file002, file003). Miscellaneous and solitary posts are rarely worthwhile, since if they are any good, someone else will post them again in the full series.
4) Japanese Posts use special characters.
Japanese posts will often appear as weird text characters.
In the subject of a Japanese post, you might notice that it typically starts with "ISO..." (which is used to identify the language's character set).
Japanese posts don't tend to be spam for various reasons.
5) "Scout ahead" using ACDSee to save downloading time.
While you're downloading from news, open up ACDSee.
Go to the download directory and sort everything by date modified.
You will now see everything in the order downloaded, and the most recent downloads will be at the bottom (or the top if you choose reverse order). I suggest regular order with newest at bottom for several reasons.
As SBNews gets some new files, look around at the new files, and if you see a series of posts you don't like, you can use the headers menu to reject the rest of the series to save download time.
If you don't like the poster's posts in general, you can reject the author as long as you're sure there's nothing that you want from that author for the rest of the session.
Unless someone is spamming and uses the same address consistently, I do not suggest the trouble of using lockout. Also, if someone is posting something legitimate that you just don't happen to like, you might want to give them the benefit of the doubt at least once and see if they post anything you like next time.
6) Remember, the headers menu is very useful.
I've already mentioned the headers before, but the headers menu is arguably the most important feature in SBNews.
There is a whole lot more about using this menu than might be obvious, so hopefully you can learn all the concepts by experience.
7) Problem: Using multiple servers with SBNews
Sometimes I use multiple servers with SBNews.
For example, suppose that when I want one newsgroup, I use a particular server, and when I want all the other newsgroups, I switch over to a second server.
A problem arises because any two servers will assign different numbers to the same exact post.
So, if SBNews starts to automatically download from a newsgroup through the wrong server, it will get confused because the numbers do not match up.
This will result in one of two general cases:
a) SBNews will skip some or all of the most recent posts
b) SBNews will download some or all of the posts that you have already downloaded (that have not yet expired on the server).
8) Solutions.
One way to solve this is to look at the subject lines of the posts to figure out where you should tell SBNews to start downloading.
Once you do, look at the pointer number for that file and then change your pointer settings for the appropriate group.
SBNews will apply the changes once it's free (it won't if it's busy).
Another solution is to use the dupe file checker and the dupe subject checker. These work like Newsbin's feature and will tell SBNews to skip posts it's already seen as well as new posts that contain repeated material.
Another solution is to make multiple copies of each newsgroup in the newsgroup list. Then, use each copy for each new server you use.
Problem: Resuming a session correctly
Suppose there is a server with posts #5001 to #6000 and you decide that in this session you will download 500 posts and take a break afterwards. The following is what you hope will happen:
You start downloading #5001, #5002, etc...until you get to #5499 and then #5500. When you restart SBNews, SBNews will start at post #5501 and continue on and you will be happy. =)
Unfortunately, this is what sometimes happens:
You migth start downloading #5001, #5002, etc...but for one of various reasons, SBNews starts to download out of order, perhaps downloading posts 5400-5500 before it downloads 5300-5400.
Suppose you stop SBNews in this situation at post #5450.
SBNews will have missed 5300-5400, and so when you close SBNews, it will say to itslef "Alright, next time I start up, I'll start at post #5300 because I didn't get to it this time."
This means that SBNews will download posts 5400-5450 a second time. Be careful. ;)
One way to solve this is just to notice that you've already downloaded #5400-5450 and then use the headers menu to reject those posts (using the SHIFT button as described).
