PREFACE
=======
Original Author - Tim Smith (address unknown)
Maintainers - 
March 1995 - Sven Goldt (address unknown)
July 1995  - Robert A. Yetman (bobyetman@worldnet.att.net)

Current Maintainer - bobyetman@worldnet.att.net
Spanish Docs - Simon Mudd (sjmudd@redestb.es)
	       Abraham Nevado (nevado@redestb.es)

LOCATION
========
*************************************************************
IMPORTANT ***************************************************
*************************************************************
I have changed my ISP.  My new e-mail address is 
bobyetman@worldnet.att.net.  Please use that address now.

My new homepage is http://home.att.net/~bobyetman/index.html
*************************************************************

visit http://home.att.net/~bobyetman/index.html
to download the latest version or view the README file.

FTP Sites:
Site1	     = sunsite.unc.edu
Path1        = /pub/Linux/system/news/transport
File1        = suck-3.9.4.tar.gz

Site2        = tsx-11.mit.edu
Path2        = /pub/linux/sources/sbin
File2        = suck-3.9.4.tar.gz

INTRODUCTION
============
The primary use for suck is to feed a local NNTP server, without the
remote NNTP feeding you articles.  It is designed for a small, partial
news feed.  It is NOT designed to feed 10,000 groups and 3 Gigs of articles
a day.

This package contains software for copying news from an NNTP server to your
local machine, and copying replies back up to an NNTP server.  It works
with most standard NNTP servers, including INN, CNEWS, DNEWS, and typhoon.

The suck/rpost combination allows you to run your own  site, 
controlling where you get your news, and where you post outgoing articles.
Suck/rpost use only standard NNTP commands that are used by your favorite
news reader (tin, xvnews, strn) such as POST and ARTICLE.  If you can use tin
or xvnews against a NNTP site, than you can use Suck/Rpost.  

suck			Pull a small newsfeed from an NNTP server

lpost			Gives one article fetched by suck to the local server.

rpost			Posts article(s) to a remote NNTP server

testhost        	Check to see what commands your host recognizes or
			get the active or new list.

lmove 			put articles in news/group/number format.

MAJOR CHANGES FROM 3.9.3 -> 3.9.4

* suck - added code to handle inn-2.0 database routines. Be careful
editing the  Makefile to handle this.

* suck - added code to do regular expression matching on the active-ignore
file, if using the -A option.

MAILING LIST!
=============
Thanks to Motoharu Kubo (mkubo@3ware.co.jp), there is now a mailing list
for suck.  It is intended as a place to discuss problems, etc, plans, and
other issues related to suck.  Its address is "suck-ml@3ware.co.jp".

To subscribe to the mailing list, send a mail message to majordomo@3ware.co.jp
with the message text reading "subscribe suck-ml"

NOTES:
======
Suck will not work with obsolete NNTP servers that can't handle the xhdr
command.

This code assumes an ANSI-compliant compiler, it will NOT work with old
compilers (Such as Sun's) which don't accept function prototypes.  You could
try using the unprotoize program included in gcc, but then if you are going
to get that, why not just build gcc? :)

The Makefile assumes you are using GNU make, other makes may or may not work.

If your remote INN server slows drastically after 100 messages are downloaded,
and they are using INN 1.5.1 or newer, chances are they compiled INN with 
"LIKE_PULLERS" set to DONT, which causes INN to put a small sleep before each message.  
Talk to the SA for the system and see if they'll compile with "DO".  Chances
are they didn't even know this option existed.

If you don't feel like going to the trouble of running INND/CNEWS/DNEWS/Typhoon, and
you don't need a full blown NNTP daemon running, then suck, along with tin
and a few batch files, can be used to read articles.  The scripts should be
available from <http://poboxes.com/rdebath>.  I don't use these, but supposedly
they do work.

Is suck Y2K compliant?  As far as I can make it yes.   The only program that uses
dates, is testhost, and the date is sent to the remote NNTP host for the NEWGRP
command.  I don't do any date calculations.   Once servers take an 8 digit 
date (right now its YYMMDD), I'll update testhost.

HOW-TO-USE
==========
1.  run ./configure
2.  If your history file is not a flat file, or if its not at 
    /usr/lib/news/history, edit the top of the Makefile.
3.  Edit suck_config.h - lots of configurable stuff here
4.  Make it.  (make , make install)
5.  Create a sucknewsrc - which groups to download (see suck man pg).
	If you have INND/CNEWS/DNEWS/PNEWS already running, then
	just use the -A -hl localhost option, and the sucknewsrc
	will be built for you.
6.  Take a look at sample/get.news(.innxmit or .rnews)
	These scripts show the whole scheme, from sucking news to
	posting replies to your remote host.  Use .innxmit if you
	are using INND, or .rnews if you are using CNEWS.
7.  READ THE MAN PAGES

PLANS FOR NEXT VERSION.
=======================

FUTURE PLANS.
========================
I'm open to suggestions.
