Sorry- OT Re Google Groups- WTF?

[brad]

Fellow Wreckers-

I apologize for burdening you with such an OT post. I could have spent a long time searching for and trying to figure this out on my own. I don't have the time and I'm hoping you'll understand and be your usual helpful selves.

I use google groups to follow this newsgroup. About half the time I go to rec.woodworking, when I click on a topic, instead of that thread coming up on my screen, at the first message in the thread, I instead see two "windows." The one on the left shows the identities of the various posters to the thread, in a list, in order. On the right panel are the thread messages themselves. Usually the message visible in the right panel is not the first message in the thread. To view the thread the way I am accustomed to and more comfortable doing, I have to: 1) scroll up the left "list" panel to the top, 2) click "no frames," 3)then, after the view reverts to the way I'm accustomed to, with the messages appearing full screen, I have to navigate to the start of the thread. What a pain!

And yet, I have NO idea why this happens only some times and not others. I haven't changed any settings (that I'm aware of), and I'm certainly not intentionally changing any setting back and forth. Yet, this seems to happen completely randomly.

Any clues for the clueless?

Eternally Grateful, Brad

[jtpr]

Brad,

Are you looking at the group in the group view? That is, just the rec.woodworking group? If you are, and you click on a thread, you will be brought to the part of the thread upon which you clicked, with the index of the thread in the left frame. Just drag that frame to the top and click on the first message before closing the frame.

Why is it you can't use a news reader?

-jtpr

©¿©¬

PS: I tried to send this via email and it got bounced.

[PC Gameplayer]

Brad:

I use Google groups, too, and I've found the "With Frames"/"Without Frames" options to be a bit flaky. Sometimes, I turn frames on to pick out a particular post in a thread...and then I have to select "Without Frames" 2-3 times before it "gets it". And you're right--you can navigate to a specific message using frames, but then when you turn frames off you go back to the beginning of the thread. I think it has to do with the way GG "rebuilds" the list of posts with vs. without frames, but that's just a guess.

I think your preferences (with/without frames, plus your login credentials) get saved in a cookie (cookies....mmmmmmmm.... (C: )...if you periodically delete your cookies (or "toss your cookies"-HAHA!), that could reset your privileges--or if you have your security level set too high, IE (assuming you're using that) may prevent cookies from being saved.

Hope this helps... Jim

[brad]

Not exactly sure what that means...

Um, well, yes. I go to google, click "groups," click "rec," and choose rec.woodworking. I have it bookmarked so I usually just go directly there. I hope I'm answering what you're asking. The only group I see is rec.woodworking.

If you are, and you click on a thread, you will be

Yes, that has been my experience on those occasions when frames are displayed. But my question is, WHY are frames displayed sometimes and not other times? Personally I find the frames a PIA and would rather not see them. I don't know how to turn them off permanently, and I don't know why they seem to appear randomly.

Just drag that frame to the top and click on

Yup, could do that. But I'd rather just not see frames to begin with. Plus, when google shows up in "frames mode," I have to close the frames each and every time I want to read a new thread. Isn't there some way to permanently turn them off?

Guess I could but I was perfectly happy with Google groups until this issue arose recently. It did everything I needed it to do, and I really just didn't have any need to learn a news reader. This worked fine. And no, I have no idea why the problem arose. I'm not aware of having changed any computer settings,downloading anything new, or any of the other issues People Who Know More About Computers Than I Do (almost everyone) always ask me in these situations.

Thanks for bearing with me....

[brad]

Aaaahhhhh, now I think you may be on to something here. I DO delete cookies from time to time. I've never thought about whether the re-appearance of frames bears any relation to having done that though. I will see if it does.

Thank you Jim!

[jtpr]

Brad,

You should really give the newsreader in Outlook Express a try. It is very intuitive and there is no delay like Google when posting. I use Google for searching and Outlook for reading/posting. There are other readers out there, but for what you are doing, Outlook Express is just fine. If you want, please feel free to contact me via mail and I'll give you my number and walk you through setting it up, I don't mind and would be happy to help.

[Tony D.]

Hey thanks. I did not know about that No Frame thing. What I always did was click to the 1st post, then I would drag the right window over torwards the left to fill the screen. But sometimes, (on more than 1 computer,) if I was not carefull and did it too fast, I would get this "run time error" and I wolld have to click OK, and that would close the new window, and the google group I was on . See I always open a thread in a new window, cause I am on dial up, and when I am done, I just close the window. Saves having to waite for the page to reload. Thanks, Tony D.

[brad]

I think I will give Outlook Express a try, as you are not the first person from whom I have heard that suggestion. I recall when I used to be on AOL, someone on this group recommended a newsreader program called "Free Agent." I downloaded it but could never get it to work properly, and for me it was like a solution in search of a problem. However, I will give Outlook Express a try.

Very kind of you to offer your help and I may take you up on it if I am as clueless this time around as I was when I tried to use Free Agent.

The people on this newsgroup are wonderful....

Thank you all.

Brad

[jtpr]

I use Agent as well (the pay version of Free Agent). This is a very powerful newsreader, but complicated. I'm a systems engineer by trade, so I enjoy figuring it out. It most definitely is overkill for an occasional user. OE is much more intuitive and will bring more enjoyment to following the group. Don't hesitate to contact me, I like helping people find a better way to use the technology.