Re: [Pan-users] Checking server for missing parts

[Wayne E. Nail]

On Sun, 2010-01-03 at 15:52 -0800, john wendel wrote:
> On 01/03/2010 01:14 PM, Wayne E. Nail wrote:
> > On Sun, 2010-01-03 at 13:01 -0800, john wendel wrote:
> >> Anyone know how to check a news server for missing message parts,
> >> without downloading the data? Using pan? Ideally, I'd like to feed an
> >> NZB file to something and have it tell me which parts are available and
> >> missing.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >>
> >> John
> >
> > You can search http://www.binsearch.info/ for the same .nzb contents and
> > in the results, click on 'collection' link to see what parts are
> > available. Just one example.
> >
<snip>

> I use binsearch.info, and that is part of the problem. My NSP sometimes 
> doesn't have all the message parts even when binsearch indicates that 
> the post is complete. I assume that this is because binsearch is 
> indexing a different server than the one I am using. Doesn't happen very 
> often.
> 
> I got curious about this because of the "crazy christmas lights" post. 
> Looks like my NSP is missing lots of parts, but the NZB I got from 
> binsearch looks OK. Maybe something more is going on here.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> John

Indeed.

Repeated instances of <your NSP> vs <nzb search engine> returning
different results -- particularly where <your NSP> result is a subset of
<nzb search engine> result -- indicates need for a better NSP.

Giganews and Easynews are two I can recommend, with Easynews my favorite
due to their HTTP side, which is an astonishingly useful binaries
ancillary tool complementing engines like binsearch and Pan, not to even
mention their retention, which only slightly trails Giganews's
industry-topping retention capability.

Note that Easynews has gone through some rough times during the past two
years or so, having been eaten by Highwinds, but I believe they have
demonstrated both their successful passage through Mordor, and their
intentions to Do The Right Thing. I mention this because haters tend to
have long memories inversely proportional to their short fuses, and you
may find the usual mixture of noise and juvenile rage in various fora
confirming that diagnosis.

I don't work for any NSP, or benefit from any NSP recommendation.

Your question revolved around a postulated inherent capability of Pan
which does not exist (so far as I know); I answered with what I presumed
to be obvious indications of which tools might be better suited to the
task. Having a newsreader capable of parsing .nzb files != newsreader
capable of psychic divination of available parts listed vs. any given
NSP.