pan ruins its own configuration in some unusual circumstances

Binary package hint: pan

Package Version: 0.132-2ubuntu2

System: Hardy Heron with kernel 2.6.24-19-generic

Here is how you can replicate the issue:
$ pan & pan &
[1] 25739
[2] 25740
$
$ killall pan
shutting down pan.
shutting down pan.
$ (data-io.cc:207:finalize_ostream) ERROR renaming from [/home/marco/.pan2/newsrc-1.tmp] to [/home/marco/.pan2/newsrc-1]: No such file or directory
(data-io.cc:209:finalize_ostream) ERROR chmodding [/home/marco/.pan2/newsrc-1]: No such file or directory

Next time you launch pan, the whole group list is lost. In rare cases, which I am unable ro replicate right now, pan ruins the news server configuration too.

As a user, I have solved the problem by launching pan through a trivial bash script and not directly:

#!/bin/bash

if ! pgrep '^pan$' >/dev/null; then
        pan &
fi

but I think that a similar check ought to be done by pan itself.