VNEWS (vms) Version 1.40 is now available.  This is the result of a year of
fooling around, 6 alpha/beta releases, and testing and installing literally
hundreds of patches and bug fixes.  

As always, V1.40 is believed to be free of bugs which cause crashing
and/or burning.  

(For those of you who don't know, VNEWS is a NNTP-based news reader, for
VAX/VMS systems. VNEWS supports TGV Multinet (V2 and V3),  Wollongong
WINS/TCP (V5.2 and before), Process Software's TCPware,  CMU TEK TCP/IP,
Digital's UCX and DECnet.  It also  supports VMS versions 4 and 5.)

VNEWS 1.40 is available from finer ftp sites everywhere, and will be
posted to vmsnet.sources. 

To get VNEWS 1.40:
 
	ftp arizona.edu
	user anonymous
	cd [.software.vms.vnews]
	get readme.txt				! this file

VNEWS is stored in subdirectories:

	Source code : [.140src]    : ~ 800 blocks
	Documentation : [.docs]    : ~ 100 blocks
	Extra utilities : [.utils] : ~  10 blocks
	
	.OBJ files : [.obj]        : ~ 400 blocks
	Relevant RFCs : [.rfc]     : ~ 950 blocks
	Newuser info : [.newuser]  : ~ 920 blocks

Of these six, you only need the first two.  The rest are optional
and nice to have.
 
You will need a FORTRAN compiler, and possibly a Macro compiler,
and even a C compiler (if you run CMU).
 
As always, bug reports should come to me; fixes for detected bugs are
always appreciated.  (preferred addresses: jms@carat.arizona.edu or
jms@sovset.bitnet [same thing])
 
IF YOU INSTALL VNEWS.CLD INTO YOUR SYSTEM TABLES -- beware!  This version
has new switches which makes it incompatible with earlier
versions.  You will have to put a new VNEWS.CLD into DCLTABLES  - or -
simply delete VNEWS from your system DCLTABLES and use the foreign
command version.

Most, if not all, problems come from unusual definitions of MAIL$EDIT,
particularly from you VMS gurus there.  If you have MAIL$EDIT point
to a weird command file, make sure that you realize the VNEWS calls
MAIL$EDIT with TWO arguments - input, and output.  Also: consider simply
defining NNTP_VISUAL as CALLABLE_EDT or CALLABLE_TPU and saving yourself
the headaches.

If anyone out there is willing to update the documentation, please go
at it!  I think it needs a lot of help!   

I will be developing a VNEWS quick reference card for you to distribute
to your users.  Any suggestions on how best to distribute it?  (i.e.,
only ASCII, or perhaps Postscript?)  

Best wishes, and good luck!

Joel M Snyder, 627 E Speedway, 85705  Phone: 602.626.8680 FAX: 602.795.0900
The Mosaic Group, Dep't of MIS, the University of Arizona, Tucson
BITNET: jms@sovset  Internet: jms@carat.arizona.edu  SPAN: 47541::carat::jms   
"Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose." - Gracian