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(gnus)Global Score Files

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Global Score Files
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   Sure, other newsreaders have "global kill files".  These are usually
nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
in the user's home directory.  Bah!  Puny, weak newsreaders!

   What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files.  Score files from
all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
big, happy score file union!  Ange-score!  New and untested!

   All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
`gnus-global-score-files' variable.  One entry for each score file, or
each score file directory.  Gnus will decide by itself what score files
are applicable to which group.

   To use the score file
`/ftp@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE' and all score
files in the `/ftp@ftp.some-where:/pub/score' directory, say this:

     (setq gnus-global-score-files
           '("/ftp@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
             "/ftp@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))

Simple, eh?  Directory names must end with a `/'.  These directories
are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.  If you feel
the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can use the
`gnus-score-search-global-directories' command.

   Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
somewhat.  (That is--a lot.)

   If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
world.  Become a retro-moderator!  Participate in the retro-moderator
wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
premises!  Yay!  The net is saved!

   Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of
my head:

   * Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.

   * To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by `Message-ID'.

   * Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.

   * Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely
     be lowered out of existence.

   * Set the `mark' and `expunge' atoms to obliterate the nastiest
     articles completely.

   * Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down.  You
     should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites
     keep old articles for a long time.

   ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score
files in the future.  _Snicker_.  Yup, any day now, newsreaders like
Blue Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring.  Should we
start holding our breath yet?