Accessing Usenet News Groups

[GaryT]

Basil Chupin wrote:

> On 19/07/12 00:08, GaryT wrote:
>> Am I behind the times?  Or am I missing something?
>> Maybe both...  :-)

> Well... how can one put this diplomatically without sounding harsh :-) .
> The current official release of Thunderbird is 13.0.1......... :-) .

The TB publishers must release a new version more often than we change
Prime Ministers!   v13 is extraordinary.  I built this machine in about
2008 and yes, time goes fast, and yes, I don't come inside very often
these days, but from v2.0 to v13.0 in just 4 years is incredible.

My being out of touch could also be the result of my general approach to
work at the desk these days; it goes alone the lines of "If it's doing
the job, let it be...."

> (But I also like to live on the bleeding edge and am using version 
> 17.0a.1 :-) .)
> So, to say that you are behind the times is just a teeny weeny of an 
> understatement :-) .
> Nevertheless, ignoring what I have just wrote, your version of 
> Thunderbird has the ability to handle Usenet newsgroups.
> In Edit>Preferences>Account Settings>Account Actions>Add Other Accounts 
> select Newsgroups.

Yes, thanks Basil. I saw that when Liam pointed out that TB handled
Newsgroups. But, I wasn't wanting to use it and had no plan to use it;
my objective was simply to get Pan running.  Pan is similar to the Forte
Agent Newsreader which I've been using since 1993 on Windows and since
2008 on Linux running under Wine.

> Now you will have to wait while a list of some ~200,000 newsgoups gets 
> downloaded to your computer following which you will have to go and 
> select the ones you want to read :-) .

The groups I read are all close together.  Only about a dozen.

> Nothing to it really. Piece of cake.....:-)
> WARNING. Usenet newsgroups are not moderated and "anything and 
> everything goes" - its a "free for all". Some of the things stated in 
> the is equivalent to what you hear coming from the mouths of politicians 
> :-D .
> BC

Yes, they've been through some hard times alright.  I can remember when
News Groups actually carried NEWS.  But, as soon as the media (i.e.
newspaper and TV reporters) found out about the Internet and then the
general public gained access, it went downhill very quickly.

Cheers
GT