Meta: long-link test for your news reader

[David Nebenzahl]

A meta-post: question came up recently here about how newsreaders (the software you're using to read this post) handle long URLs, like this one:

I'm using Thunderbird which preserves long URLs without splitting them, unlike what I call "brain-damaged" news clients like Outlook Express, which splits and otherwise mangles them. This makes them useless for clicking on, requiring the reader to copy and paste the pieces back together; pain in the ass.

But this is on the sending end. The question is whether such links get split up when they're read.

If your newsreader splits this URL, could you post here and say what your newsreader is?

And what about Google Groups readers? I assume that GG preserves such links, but don't know for sure.

[Bob F]

OE 6

[Bob F]

>

Seemed to work fine.

[HeyBub]

Outlook Express is not "brain damaged," nor does it mangle links. Give your Magic 8-Ball (tm) another shake.

I use Outlook Express (6) and your posted link looks and acts as it should.

As an aside: Thunderbird is marginally better than the one with the vaguely French-sounding name. But be aware that using a non-genuine Microsoft product may give your cat warts.

If you don't have a cat, you might be okay.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 2/5/2009 1:57 PM Bob F spake thus:

Aha, so that version preserves long URLs. Interesting. Thanks.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 2/5/2009 2:18 PM HeyBub spake thus:

>

Well, as evidenced by another poster's test, I stand corrected, at least for that version. Now we know.

[Puckdropper]

David Nebenzahl wrote in news:498b5e9f$0$10541$ [e-mail]:

Works fine with Xnews, but remember there's several servers between you and I that might mangle things. For the ultimate conveince, you could use one of those URL redirection tools, and post the original URL as well. If you only use the URL redirection tool, you might as well turn on X-No-Archive, too; the result's the same.

Puckdropper

[David Nebenzahl]

On 2/5/2009 3:14 PM Puckdropper spake thus:

Since when does a *server* alter the text in a NNTP post? If there's one that does, then it's severely non-compliant; servers ain't supposed to do that.

They may do other screwy things, but they don't alter the substantial content of a message (body and headers). The one exception is Google Groups, but as we all know, that's not a proper news server anyhow.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I'm using Forte Agent. The link appears here on one long line (the other text is wrapped properly).

[Stormin Mormon]

I'm also on OE, but might be version 7. Can't remember.

I also use

when I post links through Yahoo! groups, which is famous for mangling URL.

[Stormin Mormon]

I think your news reading program needs help. It's been adding spaces.

[Oren]

The link did not wrap in my Agent:

I put the link in a text editor and it showed 167 columns, Did a word wrap in it was 45 columns Broke into three lines.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 2/5/2009 4:59 PM Stormin Mormon spake thus:

Where?

And speaking of needing help, could you *please* fix your setup so that your posts come out properly? Your mail/news client (Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.5512) is really screwing them up; it puts *everything* in the post below your reply into the sig, which means that only your reply (above) gets quoted when you reply to one of your postings.

[HeyBub]

Huh? There are extraneous spaces, but replies below the sig, I can't confirm.

His post - in its entirety - showed up on my machine as:

*** begin copy ***

I think your news reading program needs help. It's been adding spaces.

[RLM]

Pan, slrn, knode, No problems with links unless you leave off the http:// part "

" is copy and paste to browser.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 2/5/2009 8:55 PM RLM spake thus:

That latter link is also clickable in my message text. Tbird implicitly adds the "http://" part for you.

[dadiOH]

My OE 6.00.2900.5512 handles long URLs just fine.

[norminn]

The problem with links may just be a setting in the news/mail reader. I was a holdout for Netscape to the bitter end. Just got a new computer, tried and discarded Mozilla and Opera. Thunderbird works great for me. There is a setting in T'bird for wrapping text at x number of characters, using plain text.... that would break up a normal link, it seems.

Netscape had an "insert" function for links that preserved long links. I haven't paid attention to the current set-up for T'bird, whether it sends to newsgroups in plain or html. Looks like plain :o)

[George]

Yes, same thing here. Aside from being the only top poster (I think) who posts to this group which really breaks threads and readability the posts are formatted as you describe.

[HeyBub]

You are ALSO posting via Thunderbird.

Are we seeing a trend here?

How about firing up OE on your machine to see if the same phenomenon presents itself.