Newsreader

[<-- Wide Load -]

I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook Express
6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or should I
stick with OE6?

Thanks

 

[Tim Downie]

<-- Wide Load --> @blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?

Simple answer is to try it and see. All programs have their weaknesses and strengths. Security wise,
OE has a heap of weaknesses, but because I'm lazy and used to it, I put up with them as I find it
the most convenient news *and* e-mail program. Security wise, I just use a bit of common sense and
keep up with all the updates. Touch wood, never had a virus yet.

If there's a better (and easier) combined package out there, then I'd consider using it.

Tim

 

[Adrian Boliston]

"<-- Wide Load --> @blueyonder.co.uk>" <apsw07048<nospam> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?

I tried free agent and hated it!

 

[Teknohippy]

On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 10:55:32 +0100, "<-- Wide Load -->" <apsw07048<nospam>@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
>Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook Express
>6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or should I
>stick with OE6?
>
>Thanks
>
I'm not sure I can tell you the best, same as most, as I haven't exhaustively tested loads.

What I can do is recommend the one I use, Agent.

www.forteinc.com

They do a cut down free version that you could trial. Been using it for years so kinda stuck with it
in a rut like way. But it's stable, fast, configurable and basically great for posting and reading.

Not to hot as a warez ripper or for multiple servers, but then that's not what I use usenet for.

Cheers

--
Iain Norman | http://teknohippy.com

 

[Bob]

<-- Wide Load -->

> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?

Ditch OE6 as fast as you can and pick up something else... If you google for free news clients I'm
sure you'll get a few hits. Personally I use Mozilla for integrated browsing, mail and news. If you
don't want that you could try just going with Mozilla Thunderbird, which is their next generation
stand alone mail and new client.

Cheers,

P.S. I've also heard good things about Freeagent, although I've never used
it. YMMV.

--
bob [at] bobarnott [dot] com http://www.bobarnott.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Crash programs fail because they are based on theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a
baby in a month."
-- Wernher von Braun

 

[Paul Rudin]

>>>>> ""<-- Wide Load -->"" == " <--> writes:

> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true
> or should I stick with OE6?

emacs/gnus is the best newsreader.

Of course that's just my opinion and no doubt others will disagree.

 

[Marc]

" <-- Wide Load --> wrote:

> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?

Anything is better than OEanything.

--
Marc Stickers,decals,membership,cards, T shirts, signs etc for clubs and associations of all types.
http://www.jaceeprint.demon.co.uk/

 

[Peter Clinch]

<-- Wide Load -->
> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?

As usual, defining "best" and "better" can be an interesting game. FWIW I use Netscape or Mozilla
(more or less the same thing). I tend to avoid Outlook because it's been the biggest source of
security holes ever written rather than its functionality (though that it doesn't exist on the Sun
is another factor...).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Dave @ Stejonda]

In message <[email protected]>, Tim Downie
<[email protected]> writes
><-- Wide Load --> @blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
>> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
>> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
>> should I stick with OE6?
>
>Simple answer is to try it and see. All programs have their weaknesses and strengths. Security
>wise, OE has a heap of weaknesses, but because I'm lazy and used to it, I put up with them as I
>find it the most convenient news *and* e-mail program. Security wise, I just use a bit of common
>sense and keep up with all the updates. Touch wood, never had a virus yet.
>
>If there's a better (and easier) combined package out there, then I'd consider using it.

Free Agent (as mentioned elsewhere in this thread) doesn't contain an email client. Agent Does.

What I, and many ex-Demon users use is Turnpike. It's not free (but at GBP17.62 it's cheaper than
Agent's USD29) and it has an active user-base which you can find in demon.ip.support.turnpike

Information about Turnpike can be found at <www.turnpike.com>

--
dave @ stejonda

 

[Dene Wilby]

In article <[email protected]>, "<-- Wide Load -->"
<apsw07048<nospam>@blueyonder.co.uk> says...
> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?
>
> Thanks

I've used Microplanet Gravity for a good few years now and love it. Microplanet don't actually
develop for it anymore so the last version
(2.5) is considered Freeware. However, there is a lot of user support out there and new revisions
are relased quite frequently. Check out:

http://lightning.prohosting.com/~tbates/gravity/

For more details and downloads.

Dene

 

[Anonymous]

"<-- Wide Load --> @blueyonder.co.uk>" <apsw07048<nospam> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?

Since everybody else seems to recommend ditching OE, I feel I ought to post my disagreement.

It works for me. I don't use it as it comes (turn off HTML, change to monospaced fonts, put it in
restricted sites security zone and turn off just about everything in that zone), but provided you
take those basic precautions you'll be fine. Apparently oe-quotefix is a good thing to get, though
I've never bothered.

cheers, clive

 

[Toby Barrett]

"<-- Wide Load -->" <apsw07048<nospam>@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?

I use Xnews. Available free from http://xnews.newsguy.com/

Doesn't have loads of bells and whistles, but is fast and (I've found) reliable. It also
automatically positions your replies for bottom-posting, unlike OE.

Toby

--
Remove spamtrap to reply by mail

 

[Simon Brooke]

"<-- Wide Load -->" <apsw07048<nospam>@blueyonder.co.uk> writes:

> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?

No, don't stick to Outlook. Opinions of Outlook vary, and most are unprintable; but as a news client
it is especially unhelpful to you, because it is (probably deliberately) set up by default to do all
the things which will make you most disliked on Usenet (as, I'm afraid, you have to some extent
already found).

I'm not familiar with Windows so can't really advise you on Windows news clients. FWIW the following
news clients are frequently used on this group:

000001 968 Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 000002 316 [email protected] 000003
258 Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 000004 209 Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000
000005 170 Forte Agent 1.93/32.576 English (American) 000006 137 Xnews/5.04.25 000007 120 Microsoft
Outlook Express 6.00.2720.3000 000008 119 Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 000009 118
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; SunOS sun4u; en-US; rv:1.0.1) Gecko/20020920 Netscape/7.0 000009= 118 Forte
Free Agent 1.92/32.572 000011 106 Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 000012 82 Gnus/5.0808 (Gnus v5.8.8)
XEmacs/21.4 (Common Lisp) 000013 81 Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4927.1200 000014 74
Turnpike/6.02-U (<E$w6Io8Q5lUToUDccmysFYD4JG>) 000015 65 MicroPlanet Gravity v2.50 000016 64
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 000017 62 Forte Agent
1.9/32.560 000018 59 Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.0.6 000019 55 Forte Agent
1.91/32.564 000020 40 tin/1.4.2-20000205 ("Possession") (UNIX)(Linux/2.4.20-18.9 (i686))

As you can see a lot of other people do use Outlook. However, Agent, Free Agent, Microplanet Gravity
and Mozilla are all also used. I know people I greatly respect who use and like Microplanet Gravity
so I'd be inclined to recommend that. It is free from <URL:
http://lightning.prohosting.com/~tbates/gravity/ >

Mozilla is free from <URL: http://www.mozilla.org/ > but the download is pretty huge.

Agent and it's free version, Free Agent, is available at <URL:
http://www.forteinc.com/agent/index.php >

You can even, if you really really want, get Gnus (free) from <URL:
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs.html >, but it is famously Generally Not Used Except by
Middle-Aged Computer Scientists (which is why it suits me so well).

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Women are from Venus. Men are from Mars. Lusers are from Uranus.

 

[Mark Harwood]

Try 40tude's newsreader at:

http://www.40tude.com/dialog/

It's cool and free for private use.

Mark

On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 10:55:32 +0100, <-- Wide Load --> wrote:

> I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
> Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook
> Express 6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or
> should I stick with OE6?
>
> Thanks

 

[<-- Wide Load -]

"Toby Barrett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Doesn't have loads of bells and whistles, but is fast and (I've found) reliable. It also
> automatically positions your replies for bottom-posting, unlike OE.

Replies at bottom huh, Think I'd find that useful.!

 

[Dave @ Stejonda]

In message <[email protected]>, Tim Downie
<[email protected]> writes
>dave @ stejonda wrote:
>> In message <[email protected]>, Tim Downie
>> <[email protected]> writes
>>> If there's a better (and easier) combined package out there, then I'd consider using it.
>>
>> Free Agent (as mentioned elsewhere in this thread) doesn't contain an email client. Agent Does.
>
>But can it be configured for multiple e-mail addresses and accounts?
>
No idea about Agent - Turnpike certainly can (and more)

--
dave @ stejonda

 

[John Glover]

On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 10:55:32 +0100, "<-- Wide Load -->" <apsw07048<nospam>@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>I'm new to this newsgroup (you can probably tell) and was wondering if any of you can help me.
>Simple question, what is the best newsreader software I should use? Currently using Outlook Express
>6, but I think I seen on the Internet somewhere that Freeagent is better, is this true or should I
>stick with OE6?
>
>Thanks
>
>
>

OE6 is full of holes, your best bet may be to try Freeagent and if you get along with it upgrade to
Agent which will take care of mail. Unless your a Demon customer you cannot try turnpike free so
buying that could be a mistake. Turnpike can be fiddly and awkward to set up but once going is
pretty solid. Its support newsgroup however seems full of pedants and spends a lot of time at war
with itself.

Xnews is a very fast and very good newsreader but works online only. All in all IMO Agent is the
best out there at present, but anything has to be better that micro$oft.
--
"Remember no matter how good she looks, some other guy is sick and tired of putting up with
her ****".

To reply take "out of service". J Glover.

 

[Tim Downie]

dave @ stejonda wrote:
> In message <[email protected]>, Tim Downie
> <[email protected]> writes
>> If there's a better (and easier) combined package out there, then I'd consider using it.
>
> Free Agent (as mentioned elsewhere in this thread) doesn't contain an email client. Agent Does.

But can it be configured for multiple e-mail addresses and accounts?

Tim

 

[Teknohippy]

On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 12:32:37 +0100, "dave @ stejonda" <[email protected]> wrote:

>In message <[email protected]>, Tim Downie
><[email protected]> writes
>>dave @ stejonda wrote:
>>> In message <[email protected]>, Tim Downie <[email protected]>
>>> writes
>>>> If there's a better (and easier) combined package out there, then I'd consider using it.
>>>
>>> Free Agent (as mentioned elsewhere in this thread) doesn't contain an email client. Agent Does.
>>
>>But can it be configured for multiple e-mail addresses and accounts?
>>
>No idea about Agent - Turnpike certainly can (and more)
Agent can't do multiple emails, full blown outlook is my preffered email client.

--
Iain Norman | http://teknohippy.com

 

[Tim Downie]

teknohippy wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 12:32:37 +0100, "dave @ stejonda" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> In message <[email protected]>, Tim Downie
>> <[email protected]> writes
>>> dave @ stejonda wrote:
>>>> In message <[email protected]>, Tim Downie <[email protected]>
>>>> writes
>>>>> If there's a better (and easier) combined package out there, then I'd consider using it.
>>>>
>>>> Free Agent (as mentioned elsewhere in this thread) doesn't contain an email client. Agent Does.
>>>
>>> But can it be configured for multiple e-mail addresses and accounts?
>>>
>> No idea about Agent - Turnpike certainly can (and more)
>
> Agent can't do multiple emails,

Which to my mind, blows it clean out of the water for me.

Can you get Turnpike as time-limited "trialware" or do you have to cough up before you can even look
at it? I don't mind paying for software but I'm loath to buy anything "sight unseen".

Tim