Windows Newsreaders under Linux HOWTO

Daniel Quintiliani

<coredump0@mercurylink.net>

2004-02-07
Revision History                                                             
Revision 2.22            2004-02-07            Revised by: dq                
Updated to say that Xnews with a Windows 98SE configuration also works with  
Windows ME files. Thanks to Marty Hillman >mehillman@comcast.net< for        
discovering this.                                                            
Revision 2.21            2004-01-26            Revised by: dq                
Updated with more clear language as to what exactly would go wrong with older
versions of Wine under more recent Linux setups.                             
Revision 2.2             2004-01-24            Revised by: dq                
Updated to say that Wine version 20031212 might be required for more modern  
Linux setups, but there will be more bugs. Updated each newsreader with its  
respective problems under 20031212, including the fact that Dialog will not  
work with Wine versions greater than 20030813.                               
Revision 2.11            2003-12-24            Revised by: dq                
Updated to say that Xnews event sounds work properly, and updated with       
instructions to get event sounds to work properly under KDE.                 
Revision 2.1             2003-12-12            Revised by: dq                
Updated to cover Forte Free Agent as well as Xnews and Dialog. Added a Dialog
problem.                                                                     
Revision 2.02            2003-12-11            Revised by: dq                
Updated "Window sizing problems" in Xnews and added another Xnews problem.   
TODO updated with what the document will not cover.                          
Revision 2.01            2003-10-24            Revised by: dq                
Updated with another Xnews problem and another Dialog problem. TODO now      
contains other newsreaders this document will cover. Update "Erasing sections
of text" Xnews problem to say that the text is deleted but requires the      
Rewrap button to be pressed to fix it, as well as that it affects KDE also.  
Updated to say that Wine 20030813 is required, since later versions seem to  
cause problems.                                                              
Revision 2.0             2003-09-16            Revised by: dq                
Updated with new name "Windows-Newsreaders-under-Linux-HOWTO," since the     
document now discusses configuration and use of 40tude Dialog as well.       
Windows XP instructions updated for Xnews. Problems and Issues for Xnews     
updated. Acknowledgements updated. Xnews copying instructions updated for    
clarity. Xnews copying section renamed. Prerequisites updated to say that the
standard unzip program might be necessary.                                   
Revision 1.1             2003-09-07            Revised by: dq                
Updated with more Problems and Issues, including binary usage. Updated with  
more DLL files to copy and configure (when using a Windows 98SE              
configuration) for better results. Updated to say that a Windows 98SE        
configuration is preferred, since there are some problems with Windows XP    
"emulation."                                                                 
Revision 1.0             2003-09-01            Revised by: dq                
initial LDP release, some updates                                            
Revision 0.12            2003-08-31            Revised by: dq                
conversion to XML (thanks to Greg Ferguson), various updates                 
Revision 0.11            2003-08-22            Revised by: dq                
various updates                                                              


 This document describes how to set up and use several different Windows
Usenet newsreaders under the Linux operating system using the Wine
"emulator." This document was formerly known as the Xnews under Linux HOWTO.

 The latest version of this document is always available at [http://
www.geocities.com/core_dump_000/Windows-Newsreaders-under-Linux-HOWTO.xml]  
http://www.geocities.com/core_dump_000/
Windows-Newsreaders-under-Linux-HOWTO.xml

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
    1.1. Prerequisites
    1.2. Copyright and License
    1.3. Disclaimer
    1.4. TODO for this document
   
   
2. Xnews
    2.1. Setting up Xnews
    2.2. Running Xnews
    2.3. Problems and Issues
   
   
3. Dialog
    3.1. Setting up Dialog
    3.2. Running Dialog
    3.3. Problems and Issues
   
   
4. Free Agent
    4.1. Setting up Free Agent
    4.2. Running Free Agent
    4.3. Problems and Issues
   
   
5. Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

 One of the problems with Linux today is the lack of variety and choice in
newsreader software, where Windows has several newsreader programs with
better features and better stability. Under Windows, three of the most
popular newsreaders are Xnews, Dialog, and Free Agent.

 Xnews, created by Luu Tran, is a freeware newsreader for Windows, available
from the website [http://xnews.newsguy.com/] http://xnews.newsguy.com. Here
is a list of Xnews' features listed on the website:

  *   100% GNKSA 2.0 (Good Net Keeping Seal of Approval) compliant.
   
  *   Plonk file (aka bozo bin).
   
  *   Quick filter (type in a regex and only articles whose subject/author
    match it will be shown).
   
  *   Score file for advanced filtering.
   
  *   Support for multiple servers/identities.
   
  *   Subscribed groups can be organized into categories.
   
  *   Remappable keyboard.
   
  *   Binaries handling (mime, base64, uuencode, what have you).
   
  *   Optional header and article caching; plus: folders for permanent
    archival.
   
  *   more...
   

 Unfortunately, Luu Tran has decided neither to make his newsreader
open-source nor to release a Linux version. However, there is a way to get
Xnews to work under Linux, although it takes a bit of work.

 Dialog is a newsreader by 40tude. It is available at [http://www.40tude.com/
dialog/] http://www.40tude.com/dialog/. According to the website, "it
supports multiple servers and identities, has filtering/scoring support,
integrated email functionality and binary support including support for
multiparts." The newsreader is "shareware for commercial users and freeware
for private users." It works excellently under Linux.

 Free Agent is the feature-slimmed freeware version of Forte's commercial
e-mail and Usenet client Agent. It is available at [http://www.forteinc.com/
agent] http://www.forteinc.com/agent/. According to the Features section of
the website, the program has basic newsreader functions, message threading,
multi-part binaries, translations, internal multi-tasking, and URL detection.
It also has partial support for offline data storage, group properties, UI
configuration, searching, and sorting. It runs with few problems under Linux
after almost no extra configuration, except under Wine versions later than
20030813.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.1. Prerequisites

 This HOWTO assumes that:

  *  The InfoZIP utilities are installed on the Linux machine. These are
    available at [http://www.info-zip.org/pub/infozip/] InfoZIP's web site.
    The unzip program is required if the reader wants to install Xnews or
    Dialog without copying from an existing installation. This is a standard
    part of most Linux distributions, but may not be automatically installed.
   
  *  The Wine "emulator" is installed properly on the Linux machine. To
    download Wine, visit [http://www.winehq.com/] http://www.winehq.com. The
    version used at the time of this writing was 20031212. UPDATE (version
    2.01): Wine versions later than 20030813 will not work. UPDATE (version
    2.2): Wine version 20031212 may be required under more modern Linux
    setups. There are more problems with this version, and Dialog will not
    work, but older Wine versions will not "emulate" properly without it and
    will cause a crash upon trying to access NNTP servers. Try 20030813
    first, and then try version 20031212 if you have problems.
   
  *  The reader of this document has access to a Windows machine. Certain
    files are needed from the Windows operating system. Access to Windows
    98SE is preferred. This HOWTO covers Windows 98SE and Windows XP. Windows
    ME files will also work when running Xnews if a Windows 98SE
    configuration is used.
   
  *  Xnews stable version 5.04.25 is used (the beta version was not tested at
    the time of this writing). The website for Xnews is [http://
    xnews.newsguy.com/] http://xnews.newsguy.com/
   
  *  Dialog version 2.0 Beta 28 is used. The website for Dialog is [http://
    www.40tude.com/dialog/] http://www.40tude.com/dialog/ Note that Wine
    versions greater than 20030813 will not work with Dialog.
   
  *  Free Agent version 1.xx is being used. The website for Free Agent is
    [http://www.forteinc.com/agent/] http://www.forteinc.com/agent/
   

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2. Copyright and License

  This document, Windows Newsreaders under Linux HOWTO, is copyrighted (C)
2003 by Daniel Quintiliani. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or
modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
Texts. A copy of the license is available at [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/
fdl.html]   http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html.

  Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.3. Disclaimer

  No liability for the contents of this document can be accepted. Use the
concepts, examples and information at your own risk. There may be errors and
inaccuracies that could be damaging to your system, although any damage is
highly unlikely. Proceed with caution; the author(s) do not take any
responsibility.

  All copyrights are held by their by their respective owners, unless
specifically noted otherwise. Use of a term in this document should not be
regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. Naming
of particular products or brands should not be seen as endorsements.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.4. TODO for this document

  This document may eventually contain:

  *   This document may be expanded to cover other Windows newsreaders such
    as MicroPlanet Gravity.
   

  This document will not cover the following newsreaders: XanaNews (I cannot
get this to work) and newsreaders included in web browsers (Outlook Express,
Netscape/Mozilla Mail and News, etc)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Xnews

2.1. Setting up Xnews

2.1.1. Configuring Wine for Xnews

 Wine is capable of "emulating" many different versions of Windows. Wine is
not perfect, however; it runs slower than a normal Windows installation and
it is not a stable product. Certain problems occur when running Xnews; these
are discussed in the "Problems and Issues" section of the document.

 Before Xnews can run under Linux, certain files from a Windows installation
need to be copied to the Xnews root directory. Depending on which version of
Windows you have access to, there will be different files to copy and
different instructions for configuring Wine. This document currently covers a
Windows 98SE/Windows ME and a Windows XP configuration. A Windows 98SE/
Windows ME configuration is preferred, since there are some more problems
with a Windows XP configuration. Below are the instructions describing how to
configure Wine for Xnews.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.1.1.1. Windows 98SE / Windows ME

 If you have access to a Windows 98SE or Windows ME machine, you must set up
the Wine configuration file (found at $HOME/.wine/config) according to these
instructions.

 First, find the section "[Version]" in the .wine/config file, and make sure
that "win98" is the version Wine will imitate:
     [Version]                                                                                 
     ; Windows version to imitate (win95,win98,winme,nt351,nt40,win2k,winxp,win20,win30,win31) 
     "Windows" = "win98"                                                                       

 Second, update the "DllOverrides" section which will tell Wine to use
certain files from Windows rather than Wine.
     [DllOverrides]                                                          
     ; some dlls you may want to change                                      
     "shell"        = "native, builtin"                                      
     "shell32"      = "native, builtin"                                      

 Third, add an entry to the "AppDefaults" section which will also tell Wine
to use certain files from Windows rather than Wine.
    ;; sample AppDefaults entries                                            
                                                                             
    [AppDefaults\\Xnews.exe\\DllOverrides]                                   
    "commctrl.dll" = "native"                                                
    "comctl32.dll" = "native"                                                
    "riched32.dll" = "native"                                                
    "shell.dll" = "native"                                                   
    "shell32.dll" = "native"                                                 
    "comdlg32.dll" = "native"                                                
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.1.1.2. Windows XP

 If you have access to a Windows XP machine, you must set up the Wine
configuration file (found at $HOME/.wine/config) according to these
instructions.

 First, find the section "[Version]" in the .wine/config file, and make sure
that "win98" is the version Wine will imitate:
     [Version]                                                                                 
     ; Windows version to imitate (win95,win98,winme,nt351,nt40,win2k,winxp,win20,win30,win31) 
     "Windows" = "win98"                                                                       

 Second, add an entry to the "AppDefaults" section which will tell Wine to
use certain files from Windows rather than Wine.
    ;; sample AppDefaults entries                                            
                                                                             
    [AppDefaults\\Xnews.exe\\DllOverrides]                                   
    "comctl32.dll" = "native"                                                
    "riched32.dll" = "native"                                                
    "riched20.dll" = "native"                                                
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.1.2. Copying and/or Extracting Required Files

 Several DLL files must first be copied to the root Xnews directory from an
existing Windows installation.

 If Xnews lies on a Windows partition on the same machine, you must copy the
DLL files to the Xnews root directory. Xnews will be run from this directory
on the Windows partition.

 If Xnews is being run on a Linux-only machine, you must download Xnews to
your fake C drive (usually $HOME/c) and extract it into a directory there.
Open up a terminal window, navigate to your fake C drive, and type the
following commands:
     mkdir Xnews                                                             
     mv xnews.zip Xnews                                                      
     cd Xnews                                                                
     unzip xnews.zip                                                         
Alternatively, you may copy an existing Xnews folder to your fake C drive.
The root Xnews directory must include the DLL files mentioned in the
following subsections.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.1.2.1. Windows 98SE

 If you have access to a Windows 98SE machine, copy the files commctrl.dll,
comctl32.dll, riched32.dll, comdlg32.dll, shell.dll, and shell32.dll (usually
in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM) to the root Xnews directory.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.1.2.2. Windows XP

 If you have access to a Windows XP machine, copy the files comctl32.dll,
riched20.dll, and riched32.dll (usually in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32) to the root
Xnews directory.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.2. Running Xnews

 Using a terminal window, navigate to the root Xnews directory and type:
     wine Xnews.exe                                                          

 Use Xnews normally, noting the exceptions in the next section, entitled "
Problems and Issues" Note that these are problems with Wine's "emulation,"
not Xnews.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3. Problems and Issues

2.3.1. Fixed-width fonts and alt.ascii-art

 ASCII art requires fixed-width fonts to view. Clicking the fixed font button
above the message headers will simply lock the message so that the vertical
scrollbar will not work.

 The easiest way to deal with this is to go into "Special -> Setup Xnews ->
Fonts and Colors" and select a fixed font for all types of text. The default
"Fixed" will not work; use "Misc Fixed", size 12.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.2. Erasing sections of text

 Selecting sections of text with the mouse and pressing Backspace or Delete
will delete the text from the screen, but for some reason it might still look
like it's there when the message is sent or posted.

 To solve this problem, press the "Rewrap" button below the message headers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.3. Window sizing problems

 There are several problems relating to the sizing of the windows. When the
CatchUp button is clicked, the main groups list window shrinks and must be
maximized. These are mostly minor annoyances, except...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.3.1. Closing Xnews

 Depending on the window manager (Sawfish has problems with this), it may be
impossible to close the Xnews window, and there is no "Exit" option in the
main menu. To get around this, make sure that the window is sized so that the
terminal used to launch Xnews is accessible, and close that terminal. Do not
press Ctrl-C, etc as this will cause problems. Be sure to click the Save
button to save the newsrc first.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.4. Binary newsgroups

 The posting of binaries to newsgroups does not currently work. An attempted
post will lock at 1% completion and give an error message when the post is
aborted, posting only the text portion of the message. However, the combining
and decoding of binaries works with no problems at all.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.5. Text on some tabs are indented

 If Windows XP is "emulated," certain tabs will have text indented, leaving
some of it out of visibility. The solution is to use Windows 98SE files
instead of XP files. It isn't that important. UPDATED: Version 2.0 of this
document includes new instructions which solve this problem when Windows XP
files are used.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.6. No sample text in font selection dialog

 If Windows XP is "emulated," the font selection dialog will not show sample
text. According to a Wine mailing list message, there are certain
un-"emulated" functions in Windows XP "emulation." Version 1.1 of this
document was updated with new files to copy and configure when using Windows
98SE "emulation" in order to solve this problem. Until the Wine developers
implement these Windows XP functions, use a Windows 98SE configuration to get
around this issue. If a Windows 98SE computer is not available, just apply
changes and look at the main window.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.7. Web links can not be executed

 Web links can not be executed from within the Xnews message window. This is
pretty obvious as there is no integrated Web browser in Wine. However, Wine's
clipboard works with no problem. Select the link and copy and paste into an
open web browser window.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.7.1. Web link doesn't always copy

 When you try and copy a Web link to the clipboard, it may not copy. This
occurs when the link as a whole is copied rather than selected text. The
solution to this is to make sure that as you are selecting the text, the rest
of the link is not automatically selected. If this continues, select the
blank space before the link and copy with the preceding blank space.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.8. Sound does not work

 Event sounds in Xnews do not currently work. Updated instructions for this
may be included in future versions of this document.

 UPDATED (version 2.11): Event sounds work properly. If you run KDE, you
first need to turn off the aRts soundserver by going into Settings -> Control
Center -> Sounds & Multimedia -> Sound System and unchecking "Start aRts
soundserver on KDE Startup" (instructions were tested on version 3.1.3; may
be different for other versions). Note that this will disable event sounds
for KDE applications which depend on the aRts soundserver. Xnews sounds work
properly under the Gnome sound server.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.9. "Compose" message body does not automatically wrap

 In some cases, the message body of a Compose window does not automatically
wrap. Simply clicking "Rewrap Text" as this happens will fix the problem.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.3.10. XFaces are not visible

 When a Wine version greater than 20030813 is being used, the XFace is not
visible when a message is being composed or read, and the box where the XFace
would be is colored black. Ignore this, since the correct XFace is being
posted anyway. Try to use Wine version 20030813 if you can.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Dialog

3.1. Setting up Dialog

3.1.1. Configuring Wine for Dialog

 Wine is capable of "emulating" many different versions of Windows. Wine is
not perfect, however; it runs slower than a normal Windows installation and
it is not a stable product. Certain problems occur when running Dialog; these
are discussed in the "Problems and Issues" section of the document. Note that
Wine versions greater than 20030813 will not "emulate" Dialog properly.

 Before Dialog or its installer can run under Linux, certain files from a
Windows installation need to be copied to the directory containing Dialog's
installer, and after installation, Dialog's root directory. Depending on
which version of Windows the reader of this document has access to, there
will be different files to copy and different instructions for configuring
Wine. This document currently covers a Windows 98SE and a Windows XP
configuration. Below are the instructions describing how to configure Wine
for Dialog.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.1.1.1. Windows 98SE

 If you have access to a Windows 98SE machine, the Wine configuration file
(found at $HOME/.wine/config) must be set up according to these instructions.

 First, find the section "[Version]" in the .wine/config file, and make sure
that "win98" is the version Wine will imitate:
     [Version]                                                                                 
     ; Windows version to imitate (win95,win98,winme,nt351,nt40,win2k,winxp,win20,win30,win31) 
     "Windows" = "win98"                                                                       

 Next, add an entry to the "AppDefaults" section which will also tell Wine to
use certain files from Windows rather than Wine.
    ;; sample AppDefaults entries                                            
                                                                             
    [AppDefaults\\dialog.exe\\DllOverrides]                                  
    "commctrl.dll" = "native"                                                
    "comctl32.dll" = "native"                                                
    "riched32.dll" = "native"                                                
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.1.1.2. Windows XP

 If you have access to a Windows XP machine, you must set up the Wine
configuration file (found at $HOME/.wine/config) according to these
instructions.

 First, find the section "[Version]" in the .wine/config file, and make sure
that "win98" is the version Wine will imitate:
     [Version]                                                                                 
     ; Windows version to imitate (win95,win98,winme,nt351,nt40,win2k,winxp,win20,win30,win31) 
     "Windows" = "win98"                                                                       

 Second, add an entry to the "AppDefaults" section which will tell Wine to
use certain files from Windows rather than Wine.
    ;; sample AppDefaults entries                                            
                                                                             
    [AppDefaults\\dialog.exe\\DllOverrides]                                  
    "comctl32.dll" = "native"                                                
    "riched32.dll" = "native"                                                
    "riched20.dll" = "native"                                                
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.1.2. Copying and/or Installing Required Files

 Several DLL files must first be copied to the root Dialog directory from an
existing Windows installation.

 If Dialog lies on a Windows partition on the same machine, you must copy the
DLL files to the Dialog root directory. Dialog will be run from this
directory on the Windows partition.

 If Dialog is being run on a Linux-only machine, you must download Dialog to
your fake C drive (usually $HOME/c). You must then use the supplied installer
according to the instructions in the subsection below entitled "Using the
Installer." Alternatively, you may copy an existing Dialog folder to your
fake C drive. The root Dialog directory must include the DLL files mentioned
in the following subsections.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.1.2.1. Using the Installer

 To extract the archive which contains the Dialog installer, open up a
terminal window, navigate to your fake C drive (where Dialog was downloaded
to) and type:
     unzip 40td2b28.zip                                                      
The name of the file may be different depending on the version of Dialog
downloaded.

 In order for the installer to work correctly, certain DLL files from Windows
need to be copied to the directory where the installer is located. If you
have access to a Windows 98SE machine, copy the file riched32.dll to your
fake C drive. If you have access to a Windows XP machine, copy the files
riched20.dll and riched32.dll to your fake C drive.

 Finally, to install Dialog, open up a terminal window, navigate to your fake
C drive, and type:
     wine SETUP.EXE                                                          
Installation of Dialog should work fine from here. Be sure to copy the DLL
files mentioned in the rest of this section to your Dialog root directory
before running the program.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.1.2.2. Copying required files - Windows 98SE

 If you have access to a Windows 98SE machine, copy the files commctrl.dll,
comctl32.dll, and riched32.dll (usually in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\) to your root
Dialog directory.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.1.2.3. Copying required files - Windows XP

 If you have access to a Windows XP machine, copy the files comctl32.dll,
riched20.dll, and riched32.dll (usually in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ to your root
Dialog directory.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.2. Running Dialog

 Using a terminal window, navigate to the root Dialog directory and type:
     wine dialog.exe                                                         

 Use Dialog normally, noting the exceptions in the next section, entitled "
Problems and Issues" Note that these are problems with Wine's "emulation,"
not Dialog.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.3. Problems and Issues

3.3.1. Dragging the vertical scrollbar's placeholder doesn't work

 Dragging the vertical scrollbar's placeholder within the message list will
cause it to bounce back to its original position. To get around this, hold
down the mouse at the down arrow of the scrollbar, or use your mouse's wheel
if it has one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.3.2. Strange error message about fontinfo.dat

 You may occasionally get an error message about the file fontinfo.dat
needing to be rebuilt. Ignore this, as it doesn't seem to affect the program
in any way.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.3.3. Window sizing problems

 Depending on the window manager used, the window may need to be re-maximized
after switching to another window. Other sizing problems might be present as
well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.3.4. Fixed-width fonts and alt.ascii-art

 ASCII art requires fixed-width fonts to view. Only the font "Misc Fixed"
will work.

 To change the font, go into Settings - General Settings - Fonts/Colors.
Change the "Bodies (monospaced)" font to "Misc Fixed."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Free Agent

4.1. Setting up Free Agent

4.1.1. Configuring Wine for Free Agent

 Wine is capable of "emulating" many different versions of Windows. Wine is
not perfect, however; it runs slower than a normal Windows installation and
it is not a stable product. Certain problems occur when running Free Agent;
these are discussed in the "Problems and Issues" section of the document.

 Before Free Agent can be run under Linux, a certain file from a Windows
installation need to be copied to Free Agent's root directory. The
instructions are similar for both Windows 98SE and Windows XP configurations.
Below are the instructions describing how to configure Wine for Free Agent.

 First, find the section "[Version]" in the .wine/config file, and make sure
that "win98" is the version Wine will imitate:
     [Version]                                                                                 
     ; Windows version to imitate (win95,win98,winme,nt351,nt40,win2k,winxp,win20,win30,win31) 
     "Windows" = "win98"                                                                       

 Next, add an entry to the "AppDefaults" section which will also tell Wine to
use certain files from Windows rather than Wine.
    ;; sample AppDefaults entries                                            
                                                                             
    [AppDefaults\\agent.exe\\DllOverrides]                                   
    "comdlg32.dll" = "native"                                                
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.1.2. Copying and/or Installing Required Files

 Several DLL files must first be copied to the root Free Agent directory from
an existing Windows installation.

 If Free Agent lies on a Windows partition on the same machine, you must copy
the DLL files to the Free Agent root directory. Free Agent will be run from
this directory on the Windows partition.

 If Free Agent is being run on a Linux-only machine, you must download Free
Agent to your fake C drive (usually $HOME/c). You must then use the supplied
installer according to the instructions in the subsection below entitled "
Using the Installer." Alternatively, you may copy an existing Free Agent
folder to your fake C drive. The root Free Agent directory must include the
DLL files mentioned in the following subsections.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.1.2.1. Using the Installer

 To install Free Agent, simply download the installer to your fake C drive,
open up a terminal window, navigate to your fake C drive, and type:
     wine installer.exe                                                      
(where installer is the name of the installer). Installation should work fine
from here. Be sure to copy the DLL files mentioned in the rest of this
section to your Free Agent root directory before running the program.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.1.2.2. Copying required files

 The Windows DLL file comdlg32.dll needs to be copied to the Free Agent root
directory. Under Windows 98SE, the file is usually located in C:\WINDOWS\
SYSTEM\. Under Windows XP, the file is usually located in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32
\.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.2. Running Free Agent

 Using a terminal window, navigate to the root Free Agent directory and type:
     wine agent.exe                                                          

 Use Free Agent normally, noting the exceptions in the next section, entitled
"Problems and Issues" Note that these are problems with Wine's "emulation,"
not Free Agent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.3. Problems and Issues

4.3.1. Fixed-width fonts and alt.ascii-art

 ASCII art requires fixed-width fonts to view. Only the font "Misc Fixed"
will work.

 To change the font, go into Options -> Display Preferences -> Fonts ->
Fixed-Pitch Body. Make sure the font "Misc Fixed" is being used.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.3.2. Cannot post binaries

 If a Wine version greater than 20030813 is being used, an attempt to add an
attachment to a message will not open a file dialog box. Try to use Wine
version 20030813 whenever possible.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.3.3. Cannot save messages or binary attachments

 If a Wine version greater than 20030813 is being used, an attempt to save a
message or binary attachment will not open a file dialog box. Try to use Wine
version 20030813 whenever possible.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Acknowledgements

 First of all, I'd like to thank the creators of these newsreaders for
keeping Usenet alive. Hopefully they will release their products open-source.

 I'd also like to thank Vancouverite and the other people in the Gentoo forum
message who described how to run Xnews under Wine using Windows 98SE files. I
built this whole HOWTO on that information.

 I'd like to thank Greg Ferguson, Tabatha Marshall, and Mark Garboden of the
Linux Documentation Project for helping me submit my first HOWTO. Greg
Ferguson translated my first document from plain text to XML.

 Also, thanks go out to the people in news.software.readers for working with
me on this HOWTO, and to Usenet users everywhere for keeping the protocol
alive in the midst of ad-filled, license-binding, scattered Web forums.
