Variable: gnus-check-new-newsgroups

gnus-check-new-newsgroups is a customizable variable defined in gnus-start.el.gz.

Value

ask-server

Documentation

Non-nil means that Gnus will run gnus-find-new-newsgroups at startup.

This normally finds new newsgroups by comparing the active groups the servers have already reported with those Gnus already knows, either alive or killed.

When any of the following are true, gnus-find-new-newsgroups will instead ask the servers (primary, secondary, and archive servers) to list new groups since the last time it checked:
  1. This variable is ask-server.
  2. This variable is a list of select methods (see below).
  3. Option gnus-read-active-file(var)/gnus-read-active-file(fun) is nil or some.
  4. A prefix argument is given to gnus-find-new-newsgroups interactively.

Thus, if this variable is ask-server or a list of select methods or gnus-read-active-file(var)/gnus-read-active-file(fun) is nil or some, then the killed list is no longer necessary, so you could safely set gnus-save-killed-list to nil.

This variable can be a list of select methods which Gnus will query with the ask-server method in addition to the primary, secondary, and archive servers.

E.g.:
  (setq gnus-check-new-newsgroups
'((nntp "some.server") (nntp "other.server")))

If this variable is nil, then you have to tell Gnus explicitly to check for new newsgroups with M-x gnus-find-new-newsgroups (gnus-find-new-newsgroups).

Source Code

;; Defined in /usr/src/emacs/lisp/gnus/gnus-start.el.gz
(defcustom gnus-check-new-newsgroups 'ask-server
  "Non-nil means that Gnus will run `gnus-find-new-newsgroups' at startup.
This normally finds new newsgroups by comparing the active groups the
servers have already reported with those Gnus already knows, either alive
or killed.

When any of the following are true, `gnus-find-new-newsgroups' will instead
ask the servers (primary, secondary, and archive servers) to list new
groups since the last time it checked:
  1. This variable is `ask-server'.
  2. This variable is a list of select methods (see below).
  3. Option `gnus-read-active-file' is nil or `some'.
  4. A prefix argument is given to `gnus-find-new-newsgroups' interactively.

Thus, if this variable is `ask-server' or a list of select methods or
`gnus-read-active-file' is nil or `some', then the killed list is no
longer necessary, so you could safely set `gnus-save-killed-list' to nil.

This variable can be a list of select methods which Gnus will query with
the `ask-server' method in addition to the primary, secondary, and archive
servers.

E.g.:
  (setq gnus-check-new-newsgroups
	\\='((nntp \"some.server\") (nntp \"other.server\")))

If this variable is nil, then you have to tell Gnus explicitly to
check for new newsgroups with \\<gnus-group-mode-map>\\[gnus-find-new-newsgroups]."
  :group 'gnus-start
  :type '(choice (const :tag "no" nil)
		 (const :tag "by brute force" t)
		 (const :tag "ask servers" ask-server)
		 (repeat :menu-tag "ask additional servers"
			 :tag "ask additional servers"
			 :value ((nntp ""))
			 (sexp :format "%v"))))