HyperNews Features

HyperNews is a threaded conferencing system for the web. It was the first such system, though WIT soon followed. There are now many such systems, commercial and non-commercial. HyperNews was originally intended as an archive, and it works reasonably well for that purpose. HyperNews is not a good news reader, but it is difficult to make a good web-based news reader due to HTML and HTTP limitations. Hence the gateways to email and usenet.

Arbitrary depth of message threads.
HTML messages, or plain text.
Bidirectional email gateway.
Excite search engine support.
Flexible configuration:
- Form-based or command-line configuration.
- Multiple installations may share configurations or be separate.
- Configuration of display and security options.
Flexible display:
- Shows message ancestry and replies for every message.
- Outline display depth may be increased or reduced.
- Messages may be "Inlined" or "Embedded" in a continuous stream.
- Navigation buttons: Next, Previous, More, Out.
- Optional use of frames - looks like newsreader.
- Abbreviation for chained messages.
- Icons for "kind of message" indicator.
Flexible security:
- Four levels: no one, anyone, members, administrators.
- Multiple "groups", one possible for each "installation".
- Independent control for reading, writing, subscribing, etc.
- Messages may be moved or deleted, but not edited.
Limitations:
- No expiration.
- No date sorting.
- No per-user customization.
Coming soon:
- Support for file uploading and MIME attachments.
- Bidirectional Usenet gateway.

Daniel LaLiberte (liberte@ncsa.uiuc.edu)

Last modified: Fri Jun 27 12:49:58 CDT 1997