Posted by: "Lou Judson"
> Newsreader? I use Mac Mail for these lists... What's a Newsreader?
> Sorry for OT question, I'm not familiar with them... (I am only capable
> of using Macs, so maybe I don't need them?)
The internet contains a system of newsgroups, similar to the yahoo
groups, but built into the system from the early days. It's a
distributed system where all main nodes are servers for it. Originally
set up for discussing various aspects of computing, sharing code
fragments and so on, it's grown. Everything other than computing is in
the alt section and that's now huge.
To use this you need a newsreader. The actual messages look more or less
the same as email. There are many thousands of groups, both internet
wide and local. There is much more than X-rated photos and mp3 trading
in there. In fact only a limited number of groups are allowed to send
binaries.
The newsreader I use is MT-Newswatcher on my macs. You have to check
with your ISP for the address of their news server and set a few
settings. Then you download the list of all groups and select the ones
you want to subscribe to. And you are on your way.
The only thing about it is that it's a pretty elaborate process to add a
new group to the list. Which is why things like Yahoo got started. Even
after you get a group approved, each server has to have it added to
their list, so it may take time to appear.
Walt
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