How Do I DO This Stuff????


SharonKurland

Active Member
OK, so I'd REALLY like to get involved with Usenet...the message boards and all that binaries stuff. Mainly the binaries, cuz I can get the message boards through Google when I'm desperate.

I've downloaded XNews and it's just TOTALLY confusing so I've given up on it.

I've looked for software that's free, with good documentation, and have not gotten very far.

Can anyone out there recommend something with a basic tutorial for a newbie? Thanks!

-Sharon-
 

TTiiMM

Member
Sharon (and everyone else who is Usenet-challenged)... ;)

Don?t give up!!

I'm a huge proponent of newsgroups. How else can a person upload a file just once, and theoretically that file can then be downloaded by an unlimited number of others around the world? That?s the potential of Usenet (newsgroups)! Albeit, it is a little tricky to get started. Basically, Usenet utilities can be categorized into three areas:

Newsreader

This is first and foremost the most important aspect of using a newsgroup. A newsreader will access a newsgroup and then download all the headers (messages). For binaries, it will combine all the messages making up the file into a single message for you to download. It will also allow you to participate in the group by posting either text messages or files. Xnews is a workhorse, but totally user unfriendly. Some good primers are available online to help the struggling to get started with Xnews.

http://www.slyck.com/xnews.php?page=1
http://usenethelp.abmefaq.net/XNews_Primer.html

If Xnews seems too complicated, you might try Newsman Pro. It has a slicker interface than Xnews, and it includes a help file (yeah!!!) with a step-by-step guide in getting started. Plus, it?s free.

Binaries Poster

If you are posting just a file or two, your newsreader should do just fine. However, if you are posting a large number of files, you will appreciate using a binaries posting utility. I think Sharkpost is the easiest and use it all the time. PowerPost-A&A is more powerful, but a little more complicated.

Binaries Downloader

I personally do not use this type of program, since a good newsreader can be used to download files. This type of utility will access a group, download all the headers, and then provide a listing of all the binaries for you to download.

If you need some more help, just let me know.

Timothy
 

SharonKurland

Active Member
Timothy, I have NO idea of what you just said but you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to slowly absorb it, word by word . Thank-you SOOOOO much!

-Sharon-
 

Jeff

Member
Re:How Do I DO This Stuff???? (Haron)

Sharon,

Did you ever make the jump successfully to newsgroups? How are you enjoying them?
-Jeff
 

ArnyVee

Member
I have a question.....has anyone experienced a problem w/Outlook not allowing you to access your newsgroups?

If so, what did you do for the work around? I tried using XNews, but for some reason, I was not able to get past the authorization stage to access the newsgroups either.

Any help or where I can find some help would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 

Jeff

Member
Arny,

I would recommend using Forte Agent instead of Outlook. See the link above by Oogie Boogie.
-Jeff
 

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