Re: <OT> What service are people using to access CSA2?

[The Wizard of Oz <wizard@emeraldcity.gov>]

On Mon, 27 Feb 2006 21:40:26 -0800, PZ wrote:

> I've been using the Google usenet service for the past year for CSA2
> access, but it seems to me that messages are not getting through.
> (Unless there were really only 2 messages posted today)
> 
> I don't need binary or file capabilities, I just want reliable access
> to Text newsgroups - particularly comp.*.  Any suggestions for
> free/cheap newservices/servers that deliver the goods.  I really don't
> need 20GB/month, I don't even think I need 2GB/month.  I'd prefer web
> based or telnet, but I'll take a POP/SMTP service if I have to.
> 
> Thanks... maybe I'll have the privlage of reading some responses.
> 
> - Paul

	My configuration is a Linux box connecting to my ISP with a couple of
different programs. BNR2 for binaries and pan for text.

	I've been lurking around the group alt.free.newsservers for a couple of
years (at the moment the group is being spammed by religious fanatics and
a couple of jerks). You may want to take a look at the group for a couple
of months. Sometimes there is a free server which allows posting. I've
found the 'readfreenews.net' servers to be decently reliable. For text
only (no posting) you can look at allnews.readfreenews.net or
news.readfreenews.net (biggulp.readfreenews.net is their binaries
machine). You can point your newsreader to that address and you are off
and running. Since it's a standard NNTP setup a standard newsreader will
do. 

	I can't tell what type of computer you are using. If you are using an
M$ PC then I concur with the US Department of Homeland Security... Get
away from M$ Outlook and OE. Use ANYTHING ELSE. I suppose the same applies
to a Mac as well. For Linux/BSD I'd suggest trying out different readers
and find which one is right for you. I chose pan because it handles <tab>s
properly. Unfortunately it assumes the user wants to indent the paragraph.
It also performs a wordwrap on long lines. Finally, it doesn't allow
insertion of funky/extended characters. Most popular *NIX newsreaders are
meant to work with a GUI.

	If you INSIST on a text only interface, a 486 running BSD or Linux (don't
enable graphic login) running pine, rn, trn, nn, or any other text based
program will do. You could use DOS or OS/2 but you'd have to find the old
programs again. Again you'd have to configure your news reader to point to
the NNTP server you chose. OTOH, you could run a pseudo server on a Mac or
*NIX PC and connect to it with an Apple//, but it looks as though it's a
bit more work than you're up to at the moment.

				Later
				Mike