Trn is a classic text-mode newsreader -- a computer program that provides the interface used to participate in usenet newsgroups (discussion forums distributed worldwide by cooperating servers) or local forums using similar standards. What sets trn apart from other newsreaders is its thread-tree-centric presentation of discussions and powerful commands to skip or select portions of the tree. As you begin reading each message, an ascii-graphic "you are here" representation of the structure of the discussion appears in the top right corner of the screen.
Trn4 has a full-screen, color, mouse-aware interface, including an option selector to control the most common configuration settings. There's a newsgroup selector and an add-group selector. Cliff Adams's strn has been integrated into trn4.
As you become accustomed to trn, you become more and more aware of how it helps improve the quality of discussions. You'll see poor replies, and think "That blunder would not have happened if they'd been using trn", because trn has been developed with this as a top priority.
If you're fortunate enough to be using a Debian system, you can install trn4 by typing "apt-get install trn4". A deb is available for Ubuntu, but you must enable the multiverse and universe repositories. There's an OpenBSD package here.
Common Commands:
, mark this article and all descendants as read
<tab> skip quoted portion of this article
n mark this article as read and display the next one
k mark all articles of the current subject as read
J mark all articles in this thread as read
{ jump to root article
- toggle display of current/previous article
s f save current article to a mailbox file called f
:s f save all selected articles to a mailbox file called f
::s f save all unselected articles to a mailbox file called f
:.s f save the current thread to a mailbox file called f
T thread autoselect/reject menu
A author+subject autoselect/reject menu
h show introductory help menu
H context-sensitive help
spacebar: "do the normal thing" (whichever item is offered first on the menu)
The arrow keys and mouse can be used to navigate the tree
At the newsgroups selector, typing
\a garden
will offer a list of groups whose name contains the substring "garden",
and you can use the selector to subscribe to one or more of these.
Here are some minimal sample files to get you started:
trnrc,
access,
macros,
newsrc
(Put them in your ~/.trn/ directory.)
Edit ~/.trn/access to specify additional servers.
Screenshots are now on a separate page.
Most of the chronic misery among folks trying to use email for group discussion comes from using the wrong tool for the job. This page tries to make clear how the interface provided by a good newsreader + a well-managed nntp server mostly solves that problem set.