Posted by Kimba W. Lion on 07/12/07 02:40

rustyzrecipies@webtv.net (Rusty Springs) wrote:

>I'm new to computers. How do I access these groups using a computer?
>With webtv we just use the Discuss search built in webtv and both webtv
>groups and computer groups show.

You need access to a news server, and newsreader software.

Most, but not all, ISPs provide a news server. Comcast, for example,
provides Giganews, which is excellent. Info on how to connect to the news
server should be provided as part of your startup package from the ISP.

If your ISP doesn't provide newsgroup access, you can get excellent service
from http://forteinc.com/apn/index.php for as little as $3 per month.

Outlook Express can be used as a newsreader, but it is absolutely terrible.
You'd be better off with proper newsreader software. My favorite newsreader
(http://forteinc.com/agent/index.php) is no longer free, and I can't
promise you'll think it's worth $30 when there are so many free newsreaders
out there. This one *looks* somewhat similar but I haven't used it:
http://tcv3.tucows.com/software_detail.html?id=209067

>But on my computer I can't find these groups. Is there a link to them?

You need info on how to connect to the news server, either from your ISP or
from a server you subscribe to.

>And last... how safe are these groups when using a computer?...ty

One reason I liked Agent was that it was completely immune to HTML or other
garbage that people might post, and so it was completely safe. Newsgroups
should contain only text, and so the newsreader should treat all posts as
text, and that way nothing harmful can happen. Links and attachments are
another matter, but standard precautions will cover those.

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