Can't access newsgroups other than Microsoft

Hi,

Sorry about cross posting, but after reading my question you'll see why it
was necessary.

Where I live, the only newsgroup which I can access is on Microsoft's
server; no other newsgroups are offered thru any ISPs (because of POLITIKAL
considerations).

I know that Google offers browser-based newsgroup review and posting, but
its interface is far from the convenience of a traditional newsreader such
as Windows Mail, Outlook Express etc.

Does anyone know of a way to get around this and access a server by a
something like Windows Mail?

Please post a reply and don't respond by email.

Thank you,

Bijan

Free and Public Usenet News Servers:
http://freenews.maxbaud.net/

Find a news server at:
http://www.newzbot.com/

Eternal September:
http://www.eternal-september.org/
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP [Mail]
Imperial Beach, CA


"Bijan" <> wrote in message
news:E05E2DD3-53A2-41EF-A9A8-...
> Hi,
>
> Sorry about cross posting, but after reading my question you'll see why
> it was necessary.
>
> Where I live, the only newsgroup which I can access is on Microsoft's
> server; no other newsgroups are offered thru any ISPs (because of
> POLITIKAL considerations).
>
> I know that Google offers browser-based newsgroup review and posting,
> but its interface is far from the convenience of a traditional
> newsreader such as Windows Mail, Outlook Express etc.
>
> Does anyone know of a way to get around this and access a server by a
> something like Windows Mail?
>
> Please post a reply and don't respond by email.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Bijan

On Fri, 5 Mar 2010 20:10:26 +0330, "Bijan" <> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Sorry about cross posting, but after reading my question you'll see why it
> was necessary.
>
> Where I live, the only newsgroup which I can access is on Microsoft's
> server; no other newsgroups are offered thru any ISPs (because of POLITIKAL
> considerations).


You don't need a news server offered by your ISP. There are lots of
other news servers available to you--some for a charge and some for
free. Here's a well-known and very good free one that I use:
news.eternal-september.org

Alternatively, do a web search, and find others to choose from.


> > I know that Google offers browser-based newsgroup review and posting, but
> its interface is far from the convenience of a traditional newsreader such
> as Windows Mail, Outlook Express etc.
>
> Does anyone know of a way to get around this and access a server by a
> something like Windows Mail?


Windows Mail, or whatever newsreader you use, is completely
irrelevant. Any newsreader can access any of the news servers (or
several of them at once).

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On 3/5/2010 8:40 AM, Bijan wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Sorry about cross posting, but after reading my question you'll see why
> it was necessary.
>
> Where I live, the only newsgroup which I can access is on Microsoft's
> server; no other newsgroups are offered thru any ISPs (because of
> POLITIKAL considerations).
>
> I know that Google offers browser-based newsgroup review and posting,
> but its interface is far from the convenience of a traditional
> newsreader such as Windows Mail, Outlook Express etc.
>
> Does anyone know of a way to get around this and access a server by a
> something like Windows Mail?
>
> Please post a reply and don't respond by email.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Bijan

I use Thunderbird to access Microsoft, OpenOffice, Mozilla, and AIOE
servers. Works just fine. Verizon, my ISP, dropped .alt groups a year or
so ago and later dropped all newsgroups.

Bill

Hi,

Thank you for all of you who took the time to reply. I hadn't used Usenet
for well over a decade!

Per instructions, I registered with eternal.September.org and set up Windows
mail. It works wonderful with the snail dial up account I have.

Thank you all,



"Billns" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> On 3/5/2010 8:40 AM, Bijan wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Sorry about cross posting, but after reading my question you'll see why
>> it was necessary.
>>
>> Where I live, the only newsgroup which I can access is on Microsoft's
>> server; no other newsgroups are offered thru any ISPs (because of
>> POLITIKAL considerations).
>>
>> I know that Google offers browser-based newsgroup review and posting,
>> but its interface is far from the convenience of a traditional
>> newsreader such as Windows Mail, Outlook Express etc.
>>
>> Does anyone know of a way to get around this and access a server by a
>> something like Windows Mail?
>>
>> Please post a reply and don't respond by email.
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>> Bijan
>
> I use Thunderbird to access Microsoft, OpenOffice, Mozilla, and AIOE
> servers. Works just fine. Verizon, my ISP, dropped .alt groups a year or
> so ago and later dropped all newsgroups.
>
> Bill

"Bijan" <> wrote in message
news:E05E2DD3-53A2-41EF-A9A8-...
> Hi,
>
> Sorry about cross posting, but after reading my question you'll see why it
> was necessary.
>
> Where I live, the only newsgroup which I can access is on Microsoft's
> server; no other newsgroups are offered thru any ISPs (because of
> POLITIKAL considerations).
>
> I know that Google offers browser-based newsgroup review and posting, but
> its interface is far from the convenience of a traditional newsreader such
> as Windows Mail, Outlook Express etc.
>
> Does anyone know of a way to get around this and access a server by a
> something like Windows Mail?
>
> Please post a reply and don't respond by email.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Bijan

Many ISPs have dropped Usenet services, and most say that it's for legal
reasons (I suppose this can be described as "political". The idea is that
the easiest way to avoid potential liability for things such as hosting a
group that somehow gets kiddie porn, is to not carry the groups at all. In
my area, the big ISPs dropped them nearly four years ago. Not that this
was much of a loss, because they'd been showing no interest in maintaining
the servers anyway.

The way around this is to find 3rd party Usenet services. You can get
quite reasonable service for about $5 - $8/ month. there are free servers,
but group count varies wildly, many do not allow posting, and performance
can be an issue.

Google "Usenet Servers" and "Free Usenet Servers".

HTH
-pk

On Sat, 6 Mar 2010 16:41:45 -0500, "Patrick Keenan" <>
wrote:


> Many ISPs have dropped Usenet services, and most say that it's for legal
> reasons (I suppose this can be described as "political". The idea is that
> the easiest way to avoid potential liability for things such as hosting a
> group that somehow gets kiddie porn, is to not carry the groups at all. In
> my area, the big ISPs dropped them nearly four years ago. Not that this
> was much of a loss, because they'd been showing no interest in maintaining
> the servers anyway.
>
> The way around this is to find 3rd party Usenet services. You can get
> quite reasonable service for about $5 - $8/ month. there are free servers,
> but group count varies wildly, many do not allow posting, and performance
> can be an issue.



Everything you say above is true, but I'll mention
news.eternal-september.org again. I find it to be excellent as well as
free. I have no performance problems with it, it allows posting, and
it has all the newsgroups that I want.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Sun, 7 Mar 2010 02:11:57 +0000, Steven L. wrote:

> "Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
> news::
>
>> On Fri, 5 Mar 2010 20:10:26 +0330, "Bijan" <> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> Sorry about cross posting, but after reading my question you'll see why it
>>> was necessary.
>>>
>>> Where I live, the only newsgroup which I can access is on Microsoft's
>>> server; no other newsgroups are offered thru any ISPs (because of POLITIKAL
>>> considerations).
>>
>>
>> You don't need a news server offered by your ISP. There are lots of
>> other news servers available to you--some for a charge and some for
>> free. Here's a well-known and very good free one that I use:
>> news.eternal-september.org
>
> Hmm, curious name.
>
> Is "September" some kind of inside joke?
>
>
>
>
> -- Steven L.

No, "Eternal September" is. Something to do with what happens every
September when new students get online.

I have forgotten the details, but I recall that I learned them a few
months ago on Google or Wikipedia.

--
Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom

On Sun, 7 Mar 2010 02:11:57 +0000, "Steven L."
<> wrote:

>
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
> news::
>
> > On Fri, 5 Mar 2010 20:10:26 +0330, "Bijan" <> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > Sorry about cross posting, but after reading my question you'll see why it
> > > was necessary.
> > >
> > > Where I live, the only newsgroup which I can access is on Microsoft's
> > > server; no other newsgroups are offered thru any ISPs (because of POLITIKAL
> > > considerations).
> >
> >
> > You don't need a news server offered by your ISP. There are lots of
> > other news servers available to you--some for a charge and some for
> > free. Here's a well-known and very good free one that I use:
> > news.eternal-september.org
>
> Hmm, curious name.
>
> Is "September" some kind of inside joke?


Beats me. I don't know why they chose that name.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Thank you for posting this thread. It dealt with a matter that concerned me.

"Bijan" <> wrote in message
news:E05E2DD3-53A2-41EF-A9A8-...
> Hi,
>
> Sorry about cross posting, but after reading my question you'll see why it
> was necessary.
>
> Where I live, the only newsgroup which I can access is on Microsoft's
> server; no other newsgroups are offered thru any ISPs (because of
> POLITIKAL considerations).
>
> I know that Google offers browser-based newsgroup review and posting, but
> its interface is far from the convenience of a traditional newsreader such
> as Windows Mail, Outlook Express etc.
>
> Does anyone know of a way to get around this and access a server by a
> something like Windows Mail?
>
> Please post a reply and don't respond by email.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Bijan