! [This help file was written by Bill Thompson, <thomson@umbc1.umd.edu>
!   Edit the file to match your local configuration]

1 NEWS

 NEWS is an electronic bulletin board utility. It offers users a means to
 read information on topics of interest to the user,  as well as post
 information or questions about specific topics. NEWS is configured into a
 larger network of systems, with links into the USENET NEWS network, so
 this system is a component of a global bulletin board spanning thousands
 of systems. 

 NEWS is invoked by the user by simply typing  NEWS  at the  DCL prompt.
 The user  interface  is based around a simple menu system. See
 Basic_Commands for help in getting started with NEWS. 


2 Basic_Commands

 There are a number of basic concepts and commands which the user should
 understand before using NEWS.  In the context of the NEWS utility, a topic
 is referred to as a NEWSGROUP. 

 On first entering NEWS, the user is presented with a screen showing the
 topics (or NEWSGROUPS) which are currently available. 

 To read the titles of the notes which have been sent to NEWS for a given
 NEWSGROUP, position the cursor next to the NEWSGROUP and type a RETURN.
 The screen will then display a directory of all current items held in the
 selected newsgroup. 

 To read the text of a note with has been sent to NEWS, position the
 cursor next to the item and type another RETURN.  Once the item has been
 displayed, typing another RETURN will display in a sequential fashion
 each of the notes received under the NEWSGROUP or typing the command
 "DIR/NEWS" will again display the list of all NEWSGROUPs. Exiting
 completely from NEWS is accomplished by typing a Control-Z or by typing
 the command "EXIT". 

 Other commands which the user should understand are: 

    Command          Meaning
   =============  ================================================
    HELP           The command which provides information on the various
                       functions available in NEWS.
    POST           The command used to send notes to NEWS.
    REPLY          The command used to provide a private response to
                       a question POSTED by another NEWS user. This
                       sends MAIL to the originator of the note. The REPLY
                       will not appear anywhere in NEWS.
    FOLLOWUP       The command used to provide a public response to a
                       question POSTed by another NEWS user.


 Additional HELP on these functions is available in this HELP topic 

2 FOLLOWUP

 FOLLOWUP is used to post a public reply to a NEWS item. 

 The command, which must be given with the cursor indicating the original
 note being replied to, is "FOLLOWUP".  The system will startup a text
 editor and copy the text of the original note into the buffer.  The user
 may then delete any portions of the original note which is unneeded for
 the reply.  The user adds the comments to be made and then exits from the
 text editor. NEWS then prompts for the title of the reply using "Re: the
 original topic" as the default topic. (The user may change the title of
 the note if desired.) The system then prompts for the NEWSGROUP to which
 the reply should be POSTed using the current NEWSGROUP as the default.
 (The user may add other NEWSGROUPS if needed or change the NEWSGROUP.) 

2 HELP

 This command opens the utility information file for NEWS to allow the
 user to learn the various capabilities of NEWS and the syntax for each of
 the valid commands and their qualifiers. 

2 POST

 POST is used to post news items into the local NEWS database. 

 The command is "POST".  The system then prompts for the NEWSGROUP to
 which the reply should be POSTed using the current NEWSGROUP as the
 default. (The user may add other NEWSGROUPS if needed or change the
 NEWSGROUP.) The system will startup a text editor to allow the user to
 build the note to be POSTed.  The user created the note and then exits
 from the text editor. NEWS then prompts for the subject line for the
 note. 

 If the note to be posted is already in a text file, the user should use
 the command "POST filename.ext /NOEDIT" instead of merely "POST".   The
 system will still prompt the user for the NEWSGROUP and title prior to
 POSTing the note. 

2 REPLY

 REPLY posts a MAIL reply directly to the sender of a news item. This is
 used to respond directly to the poster of an item without the item
 appearing on the net. 

 The command, which must be given with the cursor indicating the original
 note being replied to, is "REPLY".  The system then prompts for the
 subject to be used with the mail message using "Re: the original topic"
 as the default topic.  (The user may change the title of the note if
 desired.)   The system then prompts for the addressee to which the mail
 is to be sent using the originator of the original note as the default.
 (The user may add other addressees if needed.) 

 NEWS will invoke a text editor and copy the text of the original note
 into the buffer.  The user may then delete any portions of the original
 note which is unneeded for the reply.  The user adds the comments to be
 made and then exits from the text editor. Exiting from the text editor
 with "QUIT" (as distinct from a normal "EXIT") will cause the mail to NOT
 be sent to the user, and the REPLY operation is cancelled. 

 On a normal exit from the editor the item is posted via VMS Mail to the
 sender. 

2 Topics

 As topics expand and newer, more  specific  sub-topics evolve, more
 newsgroups  - areas within NEWS dedicated to specific topics of interest
 -  can  easily  be  added.   Your local NEWS manager has setup a number
 of newsgroups on your local node, some of which are specific to your node
 or organisation, and some of which are connected to regional, national or
 global NEWS networks. For more detailed listings of the catagories of
 newsgroups supported on this node, your local NEWS manager will have
 probably supplied a list of which newsgroups are carried on this system,
 and where the newsgroups are fed to. 
