Newsreader

I was using Agent before I switched my OS, and I liked it fine.

Here is a thread on a tech forum with some recommendations and comments:

and here are some available from cnet:

There are also RSS clients mixed in with the newsreaders at cnet so be aware,

I suggest running through the thread at the tech forum first. It is four pages long, but since the cnet downloads go on for 27 pages it would probably be worth a peek at the forum first. Have some ideas going in as it were.

NightMist

Good to hear from you Kim. Hope your healing is a quick as it can be. I 'know' you must miss your sewing! Barbara in SC

I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better than before :-).

If you want to use Mozilla's newsreader, it is part of Thunderbird ...

I just found out about an all-in-one Mozilla product, that also includes a newsreader, but I have never tried it... Bev in Tx

When I recently switched to a Mac laptop, I never took the time to get a newsreader working on it -- I was just reading the group via Google. After your post, I thought that I'd try using Mozilla Thunderbird and I got it working with eternal-september.org. I think that this will be nicer than viewing through Google :-).

Bev in TX

I don't read through a newsreader any longer and I don't even think twice about it anymore. I read through Google groups. I don't even remember how I did it, but I get an email at least once a day (sometimes several) with the newest posts in it....and links to the messages online. Easy! I'm on a Mac also. I have RCTQ saved on my "top sites" so I can quickly get to it and see what's new. It's really not a problem. Welcome back! KJ

So glad to have you back with us, Mika. We left the light on for you. Polly

Hi Mika, if your isp is not carrying newsgroups the usual connection thru MS Outlook Express isnt gonna work. you need to 'add' a new server in there. tools/accounts/news tab/add. i use three different servers to access the ng thru OE. one you have to register at their online site to use it, once is all it takes tho. two are free to connect with thru OE. each of these show up on the left menu in OE, under the in/out boxes, so easy to check various ones. sometimes one gets a msg thru and the other two dont or vice versa, so tis nice to have choices. :)

free ones... news.aioe.org news.albasani.net that is what goes into the space in the 'add' part for NNTP (server).

i use a bogus addy/return addy as long as the bit after the @ is totally bogus...just to be safe. :)

the 'display name' is what will show on the ng in the 'from' column. i have j* for mine.

those are the only things you need to put in when you add a new ng server. then for each server you must download the entire list of ng's they carry. usually in the tens of thousands but that doesnt take long. then use the search box to find rctq, i use the word 'quilt', subscribe to it and that will download each day when you go to read it. that is all there is to it really. let me know how that works for you. the 3rd server might not be needed but once you get some access you can go add the other one later if you like via the website...the server is eternal-september.org...but you must register on their website for the ngs to all download to your OE program. i like 3 just in case something goes awry thru cyberspace and never makes it to the ng from one, the other ones usually catch it. let me know how that works for you with my return addy nzlstar at yahoo dot com . fingers crossed, jeanne

"Mika"... Ok so I didn't mark this OT because I desperately need your help because I miss you all so very much and I'm so darn frustrated and want to get back to the group. I MISS YOU ALL. So here's the problem.

I got a new computer a few months back and it seems that Microsoft has totally revamped MS Express or whatever the mail/newreader was called. I have tried and tried to get it to work but it just won't. So I broke down and downloaded Firefox. Now I can find the newsreadr that it uses. So I need help on that. How in the neck do I get a newsreader up and working so I can get back to he cyber quilt frame with you all?????? Grrrrrrr I miss it. Google it just absolutely out of the question.

Now to catch up a bit. I hope everyone is doing ok. I think about you all everyday and hold you all in my prayers. A lot has been going on for me this summer. I found out that Grandson #7 will arrive in October, which will bring our total to 9 grandchildren. I had open- heart surgery on June 22nd to have my pulmonary valve replaced and I'm doing so much better now. I can actually walk again without getting short of breath. Granted I'm still healing and have a long way to go yet but I'm getting there. All our kids have finally left the nest and that is nice. DH and I have the house to ourselves again. I haven't been able to do any quilting this summer since my stuff is all in the basement and I don't venture down there too much just yet. But soon - real soon.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say hi to everyone and see what help I can get with the newsreader problem. You all take care and I'll pop back in later.

Hugs, Kim

yes we did leave the light on for you Mika, but some sneaky little rapscallion has either eaten all the m'n'm's or stashed the bowl away somewhere and i dont have a clue where it is now. :( j.

"Polly Esther" wrote ... So glad to have you back with us, Mika. We left the light on for you. Polly

Mika, please give Google a try. I get email reminders, but never look at them. I just keep the site on my favorites bar and when I click, I'm looking at the newest threads. And it tells me the the side if any posts have been left on threads beyond the first page. I love it. Easy to read, easy to post, easy to keep up with the threads that interest me. (Really, I read almost everything. Takes me hours some times to go through the group)

Glad to see you back, and I hope you heal soon and well. I would love advice on getting the younger generation out of the nest. Mine seem to be hanging on for dear life.

Hugs to you and hope to see you back soon, Sunny

Apparantly, windows 7 does not come with a newsreader, which is what I assume you have, because vista did as far as I can tell. I am not sure if you have thunderbird installed yet (that is the newsreader that "goes with" Firefox, firefox is a web browser, it is not a newsreader. The only way to get to RCTQ through firefox is to go to google groups, or some other similar web-based service, so you want to set up a newsreader program.

If you do not have thunderbird installed, get it here:

After you have installed thunderbird, or if you already have it installed already, here is an article on how to configure it for newsgroup access: There is certain information that you need to have: the usenet sever that you use, the username and password for that server. The easiest way to get this information is to look at the properties of the newsgroup on your old computer if you still have it. If you do not, there are several options depending on how you get to newsgroups.

If your internet service provider still gives usenet access (many are dropping it), they can tell you these settings. If you use a paid or free service that is seperate from your ISP, you can go to their home page (for example I access throug eternal-september, and their homepage is

and find those settings. For eternal-september, at least your login and password (if you have not changed it) are in the confirmation e-mail that they sent you.

One suggestion, however, in setting up the account, you will be asked for an e-mail address for replies to messages that you post. Do not use your regular e-mail address, or you will get more spam than you know what to do with. Either use a fake address, such as snipped-for-privacy@nowhere.com, or use a spam-catcher address, a real address at google or hotmail that you go to and delete once in a while, but if you do either of these things, you should perhaps tell this to the people and provide a mangled version of your real address, such as "remove NOSPAM to reply: v snipped-for-privacy@prodigy.net," I am sure you have seen people sign their usenet messages this way. The email address brian snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com, is a spam-catcher account that I use, and just delete periodically, I reely read the messages in it.

Brian Christiansen

Hello from another "computer updater"!!! I had the same problem when we changed to a new computer - I switched from Outlook Express in Windows XP to a computer using Windows-7.... couldn't find a way to r.c.t.q. once we made the final switch. Then, I came across GOOGLE! Set up a .gmail email account. Log in to gmail. At the top of the screen is a tab marked "READER" Click on that. Then I "searched" for: "rec.crafts.textiles.quilting" and got a heap of suggestions - one of which (way down the list) was via google itself. (I know there had to be an easier way, but ....) I clicked on the entry for google groups, and got to r.c.t.q.! Then I "joined" - or chose it was one of "my groups" Hey, it worked and here I am!

Hope this suggestion works for you. If you'd like, I'll "re-do" the steps I took and write it down as I go so I can give you clearer directions. ME-Judy

Glad to hear you're better, Kim!!! I'm still sending prayers your way.

I, too, use Google groups, it's worked fine for me for over 4 years. No problems.

Hand work and magazines are the ticket for now, don't over-do!

Seamonkey was the continuation of the old Mozilla suite that preceded Firefox. When they switched to Firefox being their main browser product they were going to drop development of the suite altogether, but a group of users & programmers decided to maintain it. It's been our browser of choice since then.

That being said, we use Agent for our newsreader, and an old version at that, so I can't say how good the Seamonkey mail/news client is. I only use Seamonkey's client to read subscribed RSS feeds.

JA