yEnc
version
1.1 April 2003 -very much under construction
Installing yEnc Proxies in Outlook
The non Proxy way
with Outlook and Other Readers
The Agent "split
file" fix
Posting with PPK2 and yEnc
yEnc tools
The newest encoding system. yEnc is an 8-bit text
format built within the mime style. When we "encode" items in binhex,
yEnc, Uue,
base64, etc, we are taking one form of file (a binary in this case) and
turning it into raw text, (the encoding) for posting onto USENET. Older
methods of encoding are 7-bit, and they generally have around 30% or
more "overhead" in the text conversion than yEnc. That adds to the size
of the post in uploading, news server storage, and downloading. yEnc
only adds 1-3% of this "overhead", making it an ideal USENET
transmission method. Most usenet feeds using NNTP charge by the amount
of volume you upload / download, switching to yEnc encoding would
reduce the amount of time / bandwidth required for this. While many of
the current Newsreaders (Xnews, Gravity, MyNews) either can decode or
have add-ons to allow automatic de/encoding, the top two Newsreaders in
use - Forte FreeAgent and Outlook Express Do Not. If you
encounter a file that won't decode in freeAgent or Outlook, save the
file as a text file (strange-one.001.txt) and look at it with a text
reader like notepad. If you see:
=ybegin part=3 line=128 size=25431 name=movie.jpg
=ypart begin=10241 end=15360
in the first two lines, you'll know you've downloaded a yEnc encoded
post.
IF you flat won't switch, you'll need a tool like yEnc Proxy to allow
you to "read" the yEnc posts. Follow the instructions posted below. At this point the there are only
two drawbacks to yEnc that we can see -
1. The lack of a decoding program for Mac OS9,
and
2. The lack of implantation of the built-in
crc check ( this
only shows as a problem due to some of the more crudely written
programs using
yEnc ).
Neither of these is any reason to avoid it's use - yEnc, despite
having
to force itself on oh so many well meaning usenet admins, is a long
over
due brilliant improvement for large binary posting over usenet.
Note that the inability of Outlook to decode
yEnc was not mentioned. Well sorry, but Outlook was, is, and probably
never will be a good tool for downloading large binaries - a tin can
tied to an
old cat does as well for text messages as it does. For a few dollars by
Agent and get a quality large binary downloader, or if that's too much,
download XNews for free, then read up on how to use it here. Ok, rant
over,
Installing
yEnc Proxies in Outlook
posted by PhoneR@nger.HiHo
1) Down load the program from the link here.
2) Install the program
A. When you get to the
set up screen, push the (next)
button,
B. then (Iagree) button
C. and then the push next two (next) buttons.
D. You will then get a screen with some options, uncheck the first
two options,
E. and put a check in the last option,
by doing this, it will ensure that you will be able to view yEnc
posts after you reboot you machine.
3) Now finish installing the program by clicking on the (next)
buttons
Configuring
Outlook
Here is where you must pay attention!!!!
F. In
Outlook Express Click on tools / accounts
G. find the tab labeled "News"
H. push the third button on the right labeled servers
I. In the new window find a box titled ' Server Name'
J. WRITE THIS DOWN - twice - give a copy to your wife for safekeeping
K. remove that server name and
L. replace it with 127.0.0.1
by doing this you are now calling the yproxy
program to view your downloads.
M. Close out of the account section and start up yproxy.
N. In the news server box of yproxy put in the info you wrote down
for your news server.
O. Hit start
P. Go into outlook express
Q. Start viewing your yEnc downloads
Don't forget to press start on yproxy before you start" Outlook
Express" to view your Newsgroups
Decoding
yEnc in Outlook and Other Readers
The following example of decoding yEnc posts "off-line" is done
using the Outlook newsreader, but the steps can be easily followed
using almost any other reader capable of downloading 8 bit messages
(this excludes Newswatcher 3.2 and a few others that are strictly 7
bit).
We really didn't write much about ntx, partly in hopes that it would go
away. During the development of the yEnc compression system it was
assumed that it would be a long while before newsreaders changed to
yEnc, and so the extension "file-xxx.ntx" was created to allow encoding
of the file outside of the posting tool. Sadly, those using this system
often encode the file in yEnc, then turn around and post it using a
posting tool that will encode it again as mime or uue. What a waste.....
The only way to decode is to reverse the encode. Goto:
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/yenc32/yenc32-106.exe?download
To download the yenc Windows encoder/decoder. Install it with the
"right click" shell extension checked. Then simply go to the folder you
downloaded the ntx files to, and right click on the first one. Pick
decode and that should take care of it
The Agent
"split file" fix
One odd effect of some version of yEnc posting tools is that Agent
fails to display the posting chunks as a single file -
instead of all the sections of a part being combined into one
header, each individual xxxx line section was propagated as a
header.....20 sections
= 20 headers. As Alice in Dallas explains, the fix is quite simple; but
first
a.) make sure you've upgraded to the most recent
version,
b.) under the Groups menu,
1. select Default
Properties
2. look for check boxes
that talking about Join multipart messages
3. Make sure that it's
checked.
If the problem persists, here's Alice's tip
Here it is and it works great.
1. Look in Agent's "data" subdirectory
2. Find "Agent.INI" and open it with Notepad.
3. scroll to this area [Attachment]. It will
read:
RequireFilenameWithTag=1 (the default is 1)
4. change it to:
RequireFilenameWithTag=0
5. Save and exit Notepad
You will be fixed up after you exit and restart agent. In this
message that 0 is a Zero not a O as in O my god.
Posting
with yEnc and
PowerPost2K
Tests have been completed with 1 part binaries, two part binaries,
10 meg binaries, and a 100 meg binary.
6 files total posted each with build3, build4,
and JWc versions of PPK2.
Line size tested were 5000 (read 10,000 uue - way too big) and 3500
(read 7000 uue), creating part counts from (1/1) to (x/135).
Only JWc passed all tests. I would recommend it's use, until and
unless Juergen say No.
TL, december 2002
yEnc
Encoding / decoding software
Alex Garter's Version of PPK2
yEnc
Version (build 3)
Recieved Email from Alex Birj stating he wrote
this one. yEnc only - will show false "multipart" header information on
1 part binaries
Sven Gali's Version of PP2K build102
allows switching from/to yEnc - will show
false "multipart" header information on 1 part binaries
PPK2
version by JW version C
Allows switching from/to yEnc & UUE. Has
multiple server set up and maintenance. Repairs the above problem, but
has
shown that, when posting above 1/2 meg chunks (4250 lines) on multipart
binaries, it can produce a false encoding error message. No false
reports
have been seen when posting below 3500 lines. No pattern except on the
size
of the chunk has emerged
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