am I not using the correct requires info?  So far as I can tell, I've 
followed the example code, with the proviso that they seem to mean "host" 
to replace "server".

The first warning, about iconv, applies to the net/nntp gem?
The NameError is also within the gem itself?



thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ 
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ ruby nntp.rb
/home/thufir/.rvm/rubies/ruby-1.9.3-p125/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.9.1/
rubygems/custom_require.rb:36:in `require': iconv will be deprecated in 
the future, use String#encode instead.
nntp..
host...
#<Net::NNTP:0x90d66ec>
/home/thufir/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.3-p125/gems/ruby-net-nntp-1.0.0/lib/net/
nntp.rb:30:in `logger': uninitialized class variable @@logger in Net::NNTP 
(NameError)
	from /home/thufir/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.3-p125/gems/ruby-net-
nntp-1.0.0/lib/net/nntp.rb:35:in `debug'
	from /home/thufir/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.3-p125/gems/ruby-net-
nntp-1.0.0/lib/net/nntp.rb:95:in `read_response'
	from /home/thufir/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.3-p125/gems/ruby-net-
nntp-1.0.0/lib/net/nntp.rb:73:in `connect'
	from nntp.rb:14:in `<main>'
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ 
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ cat nntp.rb
require 'rubygems'
require 'net/nntp'

puts "nntp.."

nntp = Net::NNTP.new
nntp.host = 'localhost' # also default
nntp.port = 119 # default port

puts "host..."

puts nntp

puts nntp.connect

thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ 
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ gem list --local | grep nntp
ruby-net-nntp (1.0.0)
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ 
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ gem --version
1.8.19
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ 
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ ruby --version
ruby 1.9.3p125 (2012-02-16 revision 34643) [i686-linux]
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ 
thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ rvm --version

rvm 1.10.3 by Wayne E. Seguin <wayneeseguin / gmail.com>, Michal Papis 
<mpapis / gmail.com> [https://rvm.beginrescueend.com/]

thufir@dur:~/ruby/nntp$ 



thanks,

Thufir