Offline FlyerTalk reader?
Oct 14, 2001 | 8:45 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: MCI ** UA Silver, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,297
Offline FlyerTalk reader?
Back in the days before Usenet went to the toilet, I used to use an "offline" news reader, which let me download messages from a bunch of groups, read them while I wasn't dialed in, respond, and then the next time I dialed up it would batch my responsed back to the newsgroups.
I'd *LOVE* to see an equivalent for FlyerTalk. It would let me keep up with the boards while I'm in the air or otherwise "hijacked" at an airport by delays, etc.
Any plans in the works? Anyone else interested in something like this?
I'd *LOVE* to see an equivalent for FlyerTalk. It would let me keep up with the boards while I'm in the air or otherwise "hijacked" at an airport by delays, etc.
Any plans in the works? Anyone else interested in something like this?
Oct 17, 2001 | 4:07 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: UK/ORD
Programs: FB Plat Lifetime - BA GGL GfL - VS Gold - EK Gold - HH Diamond
Posts: 906
You could try using WebWhacker for offline reading.
[This message has been edited by Moriarty (edited 10-17-2001).]
[This message has been edited by Moriarty (edited 10-17-2001).]
Oct 17, 2001 | 4:13 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: MCI ** UA Silver, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,297
Yeah, but tools like WebWhacker only give you a read-only view. I'm looking for something that would package up the messages or forums and let me post back into them and upload my posts later, all automatically.... guess I can always dream, huh?
Oct 18, 2001 | 10:51 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Massachusetts, USA; AA 2.996MM & Plat Pro, DL 1MM, GM & Flying Colonel
Posts: 25,035
The basic problem is that FT is Web-based. Usenet newsgroups are a separate category of Internet usage that has nothing to do with the World-Wide Web - in fact, they predate it by quite a bit. They use a much simpler and more structured interface that's easier for a simple offline program to deal with. With everything that posts to FT going through Web buttons, HTML and all sorts of other stuff, some of it server-resident and whose behavior cannot (in general) be predicted in advance by an offline reader, it's hairier. Something that deals only with UBB-based bulletin boards might be possible, if there are enough of those around for someone to want to write it or if Infopop itself wants to take on the task, but it wouldn't be just a few hours' work.
Oct 19, 2001 | 10:33 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
I used to use BlueWave to read FIDOnet (etc) newsgroup postings, so I completely understand the benefits of those types of readers.
BUT, as Efrem points out, it would be a pretty involved project to whip one up. I'll take a look around UBB's tech forums and see if anyone has taken the initiative to create one, but don't hope for much
BUT, as Efrem points out, it would be a pretty involved project to whip one up. I'll take a look around UBB's tech forums and see if anyone has taken the initiative to create one, but don't hope for much
Oct 19, 2001 | 9:37 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: MCI ** UA Silver, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,297
Bluewave rocked. Just because UBB is web based shouldn't matter. The offline newsreader takes a 'snapshot' of a point in time, and allows you to send responses at a later time. Even an offline reader that didn't let you respond would be better than nothing. UBB must store the forum data on the server somehow, in order to display it. How hard would it be to package it all up and download it? :-)