Go forward to The Server is Down.
Go backward to Finding the News.
Go up to Starting Up.

The First Time
==============

   If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups
should be subscribed by default.

   If the variable `gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups' is set, Gnus
will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
killed.  Your system administrator should have set this variable to
something useful.

   Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
picked groups (i.e., `*.newusers').  ("Arbitrary" is here defined as
"whatever Lars thinks you should read".)

   You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which
should help you with most common problems.

   If `gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups' is `t', Gnus will just use
the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
special.