Acbosgd.2097
net.news.b
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!mhtsa!ihnss!cbosg!cbosgd!mark
Tue Mar  2 10:54:19 1982
expire bug
As distributed, the expire command is claimed to default
to newsgroup "all".  It turns out it defaults to the null string,
causing it to expire nothing if you don't specify a newsgroup.
The fix is:
*** newsdist/src/expire.c	Mon Mar  1 09:55:35 1982
--- news/expire.c	Tue Mar  2 10:42:48 1982
***************
*** 60,65
  		}
  		argc--; argv++;
  	}
  	now = time(0);
  	if ((actfp = fopen(ACTIVE, "r")) == NULL) {
  		fprintf("expire:  Cannot open ACTIVE file.\n");

--- 60,67 -----
  		}
  		argc--; argv++;
  	}
+ 	if (ngpat[0] == 0)
+ 		strcpy(ngpat, "all,");
  	now = time(0);
  	if ((actfp = fopen(ACTIVE, "r")) == NULL) {
  		fprintf("expire:  Cannot open ACTIVE file.\n");

Also, the install.ms comment on the -v option can be misleading.
For one thing, -v isn't documented.  (It probably should be.)
Possible values for -v are:
	0	(default - no output)
	1	list of cancelled articles and serious errors
	3	1 + list of uncancelled articles
	4	3 + reams of output about already cancelled articles.
I put in my crontab
	/usr/lib/news/expire -v > /tmp/expired
so if there is any doubt that stuff is being expired, I can look.

	Mark

-----------------------------------------------------------------
 gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen <jgoerzen@complete.org>
 of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/


This Usenet Oldnews Archive
article may be copied and distributed freely, provided:

1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles.

2. The following notice remains appended to each copy:

The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 
 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.