Tk threaded newsreader project

Newsgroups: comp.lang.tcl
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!news.belwue.de!news.dfn.de!darwin.sura.net!
howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!
portal.austin.ibm.com!awdprime.austin.ibm.com!madere
From: mad...@bga.com (Steve Madere)
Subject: Tk threaded newsreader project
Originator: mad...@kernel.austin.ibm.com
Message-ID: <CM5w38.13xA@austin.ibm.com>
Sender: mad...@austin.ibm.com (Steve Madere)
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 1994 22:35:32 GMT
Organization: I have none
Lines: 60



I'd like to get together with some inspired Tk hack(s) out there
and put together a really good newsreader.  I'd like to give it
away free like xrn and try to make it as portable as possible.

Why:
*  I hate the way xrn freezes up while it communicates with the NNTP server.
*  I hate the fact that I can't click on a node in the thread tree in trn and
       have it retrieve the associated article.
*  I hate using cryptic single-letter commands to read news (a' la trn)
*  I have a larger agenda :-)
*  I want to be able to add really cool automated capabilities to my
     newsreader later on. 

     - list all unread threads to which $author contributed
     - get articles whose subject lines match "saturn.gif part * of *"
          and dump them to disk then run uuxfer on them then display
          the resulting gif.
     - grab a binary file, uuxfer it and post the pieces.
  
I have some ideas about how to do a TK newsreader and what features would
be cool and easy to implement (graphical display of thread tree with
hyperlinks at the tree nodes etc).

I've done a fair amount of tcl programming (I've written
the front end of a text retrieval tool in Tk and the
back end in tcl) so I know what's easy and what's not.

I've already written routines that can retrieve news articles
in the background and build a thread tree (from article references)
in the background.  I can contribute those to the project right away.
I can also contribute a widget like the motif "sash" that allows
resizing of sub-windows within an app.

There is also a monetary incentive here.  (royalties expected to reach
around $10K / year) Contact me directly for
a description if you are seriously interested.

Yes, I did say I wanted to give the program away.  With source code.
I'm not talking shareware here.  The newsreader would be capable
of acting as a client to a for-profit service.  A percentage of receipts
from that service would go to the author(s) of the client program
that submits the transaction.

In effect, the newsreader acts as marketing/access tool for the service.
Thus the author can get paid without having to charge anybody for
the program.

I'm looking for someone who can really commit to this for a couple
of months.  I myself am putting thousands of dollars of my own money
(and alot of my time) into the project.

Please respond by email for inquiries about participating in the project.

Please post suggestions/discussions about the features that you'd like to
be included in this nifty newsreader.

Steve Madere
mad...@bga.com