Newsreader

1. About newsgroups
2. Newsreaders (clients)

About newsgroups

Usenet newsgroups are another of the oldest Internet services. Newsgroups are easier to use than to explain; you may never fully understand how they work until you invest some time reading an active newsgroup. Basically each newsgroup is an online discussion forum; anyone can post a message, which can be seen by everyone world-wide who reads that newsgroup, and you can also post replies to other people's messages.

There's a Newsreaders.info page that generates a sorted text list of all currently known newsgroups, which you can browse/search. You could save it, but it might be better to go back to the page and get the current list.

There are a few thousand defined newsgroups, categorized in hierarchies, and devoted to various special interests, some computer related, some not. Many of the busier newsgroups have a FAQ file (Frequently Asked Questions) that's maintained by someone and posted to the group periodically.

These articles/pages/links may help:

Wikipedia: Newsgroups http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsgroups

Howstuffworks: How Newsgroups Work http://computer.howstuffworks.com/newsgroup.htm

Usenet FAQ files archive http://www.faqs.org/faqs/

You can use this site and others to consult FAQ files without having to wait for them to show up in the newsgroup.

Yahoo Directory: FAQs http://dir.yahoo.com/Reference/FAQs/

alt.buddha.short.fat.guy http://groups.google.com/group/alt.buddha.short.fat.guy

Usenet newsgroup: general discussion of existential wierdness. If you want to start with a lighthearted newsgroup to get the idea what goes on, this one used to be fun. The FAQ was a hoot, too. Most of this group name is just using the series of words to crack a joke, rather than express the subject hierarchy; there used to be one called alt.swedish.chef.bork.bork.bork.

alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent http://groups.google.com/group/alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent

Usenet newsgroup: general discussion about recumbent bicycles. A better example of how the subject hierarchy normally shows in the group names ("rec" stands for recreation).

Net newbies should be cautious about posting to newsgroups until they learn "netiquette." Reading newsgroups is perfectly safe for newbies; just learn the customs before you post. Usenet makes it possible for you to get a few million people mad at you all at once ... and they can all send you email.

top

Newsreaders

Web-based Usenet gateways are a ready and user-friendly alternative to a locally-installed newsreader client. A site called DejaNews was the first; in February 2001 it was acquired by Google. For many people Google Groups will be all the newsreader they need, and it also makes a good introduction to Usenet. You can search, subscribe to groups, read posts, and post yourself.

I used to recommend Forte's Windows newsreader program Agent in reduced-feature Free Agent mode. Unfortunately in mid-2006 Forte decided to dump Free Agent mode and make Agent 4+ pay-only. You can still download it, but it will quit working at the end of a 30-day trial period. I just found out about this in November 2007; sorry folks, I'm afraid I haven't paid much attention to Usenet for a while.

I'm trying to settle on another newsreader to recommend, hopefully free, open source if possible. Until I make more progress, here are links to some Windows newsreaders:

Xnews http://xnews.newsguy.com/

Free but not open source, and the author says he wrote it to please himself, but it looks pretty cool. You can change the fonts and colors. GNKSA 2.0 compliant.

Nomad News http://www.nomadnews.com/

A free (not open source) user-friendly newsreader you can download, for Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/XP (NT4 requires SP4).

Usenet Explorer http://www.netwu.com/ue/

Lists of newsreaders:

Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval (GNKSA) http://www.xs4all.nl/~js/gnksa/

Set of standards for well-behaved newsreaders, and list of newsreaders that pass.

Newsreaders.info http://www.newsreaders.info/

Including a page of recommended newsreaders.

Wikipedia: List of news clients (newsreaders) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_news_clients

NewsReaders.com http://www.newsreaders.com/

Not so easy a site to find things on for newbies, but has longer lists of newsreader programs than the Wikipedia page, categorized by OS.

Open Directory: Usenet clients http://www.dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Internet/Clients/Usenet/

You can also read and post in newsgroups using POP-mail clients including Mozilla Thunderbird and Outlook Express; the former is open-source freeware, the latter comes with Microsoft Windows.

MT NewsWatcher (MT = "multi-threaded") is a freeware newsreader for Macintosh. It's derived from an earlier program called NewsWatcher, by John Norstad of Northwestern University.

xrn-Linux is an X windows newsreader for Linux.

top