Last time I tried it there were all sorts of font and whitespace
issues. That was 4-5 years ago using WiNE.

I need to dump this MS bullshit and get back to a real OS where I
can see, know, and can control what's going on.

I feel I can at least trust Dialog as it has a strict set of files
and no registry hooks or mechanisms that interacts with other
parts of the OS.

Does it run decently on any *nix?

-sw

Am 27.10.2023 um 16:54:27 Uhr schrieb Sqwertz:

> Last time I tried it there were all sorts of font and whitespace
> issues. That was 4-5 years ago using WiNE.

Why don't try it again?
Were the MS fonts installed on your Linux?

> I need to dump this MS bullshit and get back to a real OS where I
> can see, know, and can control what's going on.

Why don't you use a Linux newsreader, Claws Mail, Thunderbird,
Betterbird etc. exist.

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 11:08:48 +0200, Marco Moock wrote:

> Am 27.10.2023 um 16:54:27 Uhr schrieb Sqwertz:
>
>> Last time I tried it there were all sorts of font and whitespace
>> issues. That was 4-5 years ago using WiNE.
>
> Why don't try it again?
> Were the MS fonts installed on your Linux?
>
>> I need to dump this MS bullshit and get back to a real OS where I
>> can see, know, and can control what's going on.
>
> Why don't you use a Linux newsreader, Claws Mail, Thunderbird,
> Betterbird etc. exist.

Because I don't like them? Oh, I'm sorry - let me restate that:
Because I don't like them.

-sw

On Fri, 27th Oct 2023 16:54:27 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> Last time I tried it there were all sorts of font and whitespace
> issues. That was 4-5 years ago using WiNE.

WINE had several improvements for font handling (better font linking and
glyph replacement) over the last couple of years. That's especially true
for WINE v8 released this summer.

In past, it was recommended to have a font with a huge level of character
completeness selected as main reading font for 40tude Dialog with WINE.
(This can be regarded a bit more relaxed, nowadays, IMHO.) The Freefont
and Stixfonts packages are good selections:

https://www.gnu.org/software/freefont
https://www.stixfonts.org

Both are often already pre-installed with Linux. A good pointer, how fonts
can be installed for WINE (if not already available) is here:

https://devicetests.com/install-fonts-wine

In past, WINE was sometimes compiled with restricted Unicode support on
some Linux systems. Switching to another WINE version and compiling it
with standard settings (= normal installation process) usually helped.
The same held true with any other problems. Nowadays, the likelihood for
such needs is (in my experience) greatly diminished, though.

If you install 40tude Dialog with WINE, please keep in mind, that all
path references that are used inside Dialog (Scripts and the like) need
to be Windows-style:

use: C:\Portabel\40tude_Dialog
not: /home/$Benutzer/.wine/drive_c/Portabel/40tude_Dialog

And (as with Windows) you need to use a TLS proxy for connecting 40tude
Dialog to servers using current encryption methods:

https://www.stunnel.org

HTH.
Bernd

On Fri, 27 Oct 2023 16:54:27 -0500, Sqwertz <sqwertzme@gmail.compost>
wrote in <1tvt2mj6zzvzj.dlg@sqwertz.com>:

> Last time I tried it there were all sorts of font and whitespace issues.
> That was 4-5 years ago using WiNE.
>
> I need to dump this MS bullshit and get back to a real OS where I can
> see, know, and can control what's going on.
>
> I feel I can at least trust Dialog as it has a strict set of files and
> no registry hooks or mechanisms that interacts with other parts of the
> OS.
>
> Does it run decently on any *nix?

https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=2005

...but where can I download a malware-free copy to try it?

I'd like to try to run it as a "non-Steam game" on Steam,
and try running it with proton. That way, all the
font business should(?) be taken care of.

--
-v

vallor wrote:

> ...but where can I download a malware-free copy to try it?

The last versions of 40Tude Dialog have been archived on this French web
page:

<http://www.gratilog.net/xoops/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?cid=105&lid=284>

Two versions are available: the last official version and an unofficial
update (2.0.15.84) which works well.

--
Denis

Serveurs de news et passerelles web : <http://usenet-fr.yakakwatik.org>
Lecteurs de news : <http://usenet-fr.yakakwatik.org/lecteurs-de-news.html>

On Thu, 2nd Nov 2023 16:28:54 -0000 (UTC), vallor wrote:

[40tude Dialog]
> ...but where can I download a malware-free copy to try it?

The German FAQ for 40tude Dialog has much information and also hosts the
Downloads of the latest setup package and the last official update (.41).
Update to .84 is /not/ recommended, because it is an inofficial leak of
an alpha state development version. (Although it works well enough in most
scenarios...)

https://www.barghahn-online.de/4td_faq

The automatic English translation should be sufficiently readable:
https://www-barghahn--online-de.translate.goog/4td_faq/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp

The Download section also contains checksums to verify external downloads.

Be sure to read the FAQ sections on Installation and Security. Because of
the long time span the program has been abandoned by the author, there are
several quirks to be considered.

Bernd

Bernd Rose <b.rose.tmpbox@arcor.de> wrote:

> On Thu, 2nd Nov 2023 16:28:54 -0000 (UTC), vallor wrote:
>
> [40tude Dialog]
>> ...but where can I download a malware-free copy to try it?
>
> The German FAQ for 40tude Dialog has much information and also hosts the
> Downloads of the latest setup package and the last official update (.41).
> Update to .84 is /not/ recommended, because it is an inofficial leak of
> an alpha state development version. (Although it works well enough in most
> scenarios...)
>
> https://www.barghahn-online.de/4td_faq
>
> The automatic English translation should be sufficiently readable:
> https://www-barghahn--online-de.translate.goog/4td_faq/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp
>
> The Download section also contains checksums to verify external downloads.
>
> Be sure to read the FAQ sections on Installation and Security. Because of
> the long time span the program has been abandoned by the author, there are
> several quirks to be considered.
>
> Bernd

I only recall (but not the ill effects) trying .84, encountering
problems that were not trivial, and reverting back to .41, so I'd
suggest staying with .41.

In addition, after Windows 7 (I think) added folder protection for
C:\Program Files [x86], Dialog will encounter problems writing to its
message database files. Instead install Dialog under a different
folder. I created C:\Programs for where I want or need to have programs
installed that don't work well with Microsoft's folder protections.

On Thu, 2 Nov 2023 18:24:25 +0100, Bernd Rose wrote:

> On Thu, 2nd Nov 2023 16:28:54 -0000 (UTC), vallor wrote:
>
> [40tude Dialog]
>> ...but where can I download a malware-free copy to try it?
>
> The German FAQ for 40tude Dialog has much information and also hosts the
> Downloads of the latest setup package and the last official update (.41).
> Update to .84 is /not/ recommended, because it is an inofficial leak of
> an alpha state development version. (Although it works well enough in most
> scenarios...)
>
> https://www.barghahn-online.de/4td_faq
>
> The automatic English translation should be sufficiently readable:
> https://www-barghahn--online-de.translate.goog/4td_faq/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp
>
> The Download section also contains checksums to verify external downloads.
>
> Be sure to read the FAQ sections on Installation and Security. Because of
> the long time span the program has been abandoned by the author, there are
> several quirks to be considered.
>
> Bernd

Thank you very much. Read the FAQ with interest. I have this set up on
Linux now.

The way to increase the initial font sizes for the WINE system windows is
with winecfg > graphics > resolution, which appears to be similar to a DPI
unit, but seems to err on the small side. I set it to 300 so I could see
the fonts on my 4K monitor. I installed and ran dialog from wineconsole,
which ran fine. I did have to set the fonts within the application, which
would have been difficult with the tiny system fonts it was using before.

Anyway, I also tried running it with Steam. By default, it automagically
picked up that it should run it with wine.

I notice the help browser doesn't pull up pages, and WINE reports
that I'm missing gecko. I think that's all part of setting up a WINE
installation on Linux, so will defer to discussion in another newsgroup,
if one could be suggested. :)

(Sent with dialog).

--
-v

On Thu, 2nd Nov 2023 12:45:36 -0700, vallor wrote:

[Setup 40tude Dialog on high-res monitors]
> I did have to set the fonts within the application, which would have been
> difficult with the tiny system fonts it was using before.

You can always manually adjust settings.ini in the main 40tude Dialog
directory. (While Dialog is /not/ running!)

Bernd

On Thu, 2 Nov 2023 12:45:36 -0700, vallor wrote:

> On Thu, 2 Nov 2023 18:24:25 +0100, Bernd Rose wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 2nd Nov 2023 16:28:54 -0000 (UTC), vallor wrote:
>>
>> [40tude Dialog]
>>> ...but where can I download a malware-free copy to try it?
>>
>> The German FAQ for 40tude Dialog has much information and also hosts the
>> Downloads of the latest setup package and the last official update (.41).
>> Update to .84 is /not/ recommended, because it is an inofficial leak of
>> an alpha state development version. (Although it works well enough in most
>> scenarios...)
>>
>> https://www.barghahn-online.de/4td_faq
>>
>> The automatic English translation should be sufficiently readable:
>> https://www-barghahn--online-de.translate.goog/4td_faq/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp
>>
>> The Download section also contains checksums to verify external downloads.
>>
>> Be sure to read the FAQ sections on Installation and Security. Because of
>> the long time span the program has been abandoned by the author, there are
>> several quirks to be considered.
>>
>> Bernd
>
> Thank you very much. Read the FAQ with interest. I have this set up on
> Linux now.
>
> The way to increase the initial font sizes for the WINE system windows is
> with winecfg > graphics > resolution, which appears to be similar to a DPI
> unit, but seems to err on the small side. I set it to 300 so I could see
> the fonts on my 4K monitor. I installed and ran dialog from wineconsole,
> which ran fine. I did have to set the fonts within the application, which
> would have been difficult with the tiny system fonts it was using before.
>
> Anyway, I also tried running it with Steam. By default, it automagically
> picked up that it should run it with wine.
>
> I notice the help browser doesn't pull up pages, and WINE reports
> that I'm missing gecko. I think that's all part of setting up a WINE
> installation on Linux, so will defer to discussion in another newsgroup,
> if one could be suggested. :)

I just checked my install (2.0.15.1 b38 running in Wine on Debian) and the
help browser works fine, so it must just be something in wine config, as
you mention.

The only issue I have with 40tude is that it always says I can't post when
creating a message (says it's a read-only newsgroup), but it posts it
anyway.

On Fri, 3rd Nov 2023 06:43:23 -0700, Retro Guy wrote:

> I just checked my install (2.0.15.1 b38

The whole branch of 2.0.15.x is "Beta 38". The latter being just another
numbering scheme. No non-beta version of Dialog exists. But Dialog "beta"
versions were always more stable than quiet a few "release" versions of
other programs.

I recommend replacing your Dialog.exe subversion .1 with the one from .41,
because the latter addressed some (minor) bugs:

Direct download from the FAQ site:
https://www.barghahn-online.de/4td_faq/download/dialog_41.zip

List of fixes:
https://web.archive.org/web/20171225155350/https://dialog.datalist.org/downloads/41update.html

> The only issue I have with 40tude is that it always says I can't post when
> creating a message (says it's a read-only newsgroup), but it posts it
> anyway.

Read-only should only be set to a group, when the server relays this in
its group list. Select the/one group, that triggers above message and
click the "Settings" menu while keeping <Strg><Shift> pressed down. This
should show the new (debug) menu entry "Selected group/article info...".

Check the "Postingallowed" status setting of the group. If it is TRUE,
than the error is triggered elsewhere. If it is FALSE, OTOH, you could
test, whether updating the group list ("Online" menu) for the server in
question helps...

Bernd

Bernd Rose wrote:

> On Fri, 3rd Nov 2023 06:43:23 -0700, Retro Guy wrote:

>> I just checked my install (2.0.15.1 b38

> The whole branch of 2.0.15.x is "Beta 38". The latter being just another
> numbering scheme. No non-beta version of Dialog exists. But Dialog "beta"
> versions were always more stable than quiet a few "release" versions of
> other programs.

> I recommend replacing your Dialog.exe subversion .1 with the one from .41,
> because the latter addressed some (minor) bugs:

> Direct download from the FAQ site:
> https://www.barghahn-online.de/4td_faq/download/dialog_41.zip

I've upgraded, thanks!

> snip

>> The only issue I have with 40tude is that it always says I can't post when
>> creating a message (says it's a read-only newsgroup), but it posts it
>> anyway.

> Read-only should only be set to a group, when the server relays this in
> its group list. Select the/one group, that triggers above message and
> click the "Settings" menu while keeping <Strg><Shift> pressed down. This
> should show the new (debug) menu entry "Selected group/article info...".

> Check the "Postingallowed" status setting of the group. If it is TRUE,
> than the error is triggered elsewhere. If it is FALSE, OTOH, you could
> test, whether updating the group list ("Online" menu) for the server in
> question helps...

It shows as FALSE. Updated the group list but no change. I'll take a deeper
look to find the issue, but at least I can post :)

Thanks for your help!

--
Retro Guy

On Fri, 3rd Nov 2023 17:10:10 +0000, Retro Guy wrote:

[Group(s) with status "Postingallowed"=FALSE]
> Updated the group list but no change.

As a next step I'd set up a second connection to the same server,
using identical settings, login credentials and the like. - Just a
different (40tude Dialog internal) name, to keep both connections
apart.

See, whether the new connection leads to the same read-only status
of groups. If so, maybe contact the Usenet provider about it.

Bernd

Bernd Rose wrote:

> On Fri, 3rd Nov 2023 17:10:10 +0000, Retro Guy wrote:

> [Group(s) with status "Postingallowed"=FALSE]
>> Updated the group list but no change.

> As a next step I'd set up a second connection to the same server,
> using identical settings, login credentials and the like. - Just a
> different (40tude Dialog internal) name, to keep both connections
> apart.

Interesting, that works. As a wine user, I just assumed it was an
issue running the newsreader under wine as I get used to plenty of
those types of issues with other Windows programs on Linux.

> See, whether the new connection leads to the same read-only status
> of groups. If so, maybe contact the Usenet provider about it.

Lol, I am the Usenet provider :) I'll dig into it a bit and see what
might be the problem. I also wrote the nnrp server, so I assume the
problem is there. (Watching traffic logs, etc.)

--
Retro Guy

On Fri, 3rd Nov 2023 21:11:41 +0000, Retro Guy wrote:

[Parallel new connection with identical settings]
> Interesting, that works.

If you just wanted 40tude Dialog to work and were not interested in
debugging the causes of your problem (see below), you now could move
all articles you want to keep in all subscribed groups from the
group-folders of the old connection to the same ones of the new
connections. (It is important, that no filters or restricted views
are active on the source folders. - To avoid missing articles.)
After this being successful, the old connection could be deleted.

As it is:
>> See, whether the new connection leads to the same read-only status
>> of groups. If so, maybe contact the Usenet provider about it.
>
> Lol, I am the Usenet provider :) I'll dig into it a bit and see what
> might be the problem. I also wrote the nnrp server, so I assume the
> problem is there. (Watching traffic logs, etc.)

I don't think, you'll get much information this way. The problem, IMHO,
was caused during the first retrieval of the server group list (done
by 40tude Dialog). Out of whatever reason (maybe even a transmission
error), 40tude Dialog got the flag "Postingallowed"=FALSE set in its
database for the group(s) in question. I had expected the flag to get
changed when updating the group list. (If the server lists the group
/now/ as writeable.) But as you wrote yesterday, that wasn't the case.
This seems to be an "unwanted feature" (= bug) by 40tude Dialog, which
(because of the abandoned development) will never be rectified...

The world doesn't end because of this, though. Setting up the parallel
connection and moving archived articles over should work. Another way
to solve this, would be to edit groups.idg with a hex-editor. But that
is not recommended, if one wasn't /really/ familiar with the database
file structure of 40tude Dialog. ;-)

Bernd