Sorry I have to ask this after 3 years....

[ThePaulThomas]

....but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've been reading
rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normaly do so by checking the
posts each day via the Google archives. About once a year I decide
that I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
hair out while attempting to set it up properly. No matter who I call
or email I cannot get any answers about how to set up this newsreader
thing and it isn't making the slightest bit of sense to me. Any FAQ's
I read tell me the information I need is available from the same
people that later tell me they have no idea what I'm talking about and
have never heard of anything such as I'm trying to accomplish.
Seriously. I'm beginning to suspect that I am the stupidest man that
ever lived. This is incredibly frustrating and I'm getting nowhere.
Can anyone point me in the right direction so that I can figure out
what is going on? Keeping in mind that other than checking my hotmail
account each day I am completely computer illiterate and I will need
to have someone dumb it down to about the first grade level. Thanks in
advance for your help. Oh yeah, if anyone can indeed help me please
reply to my email address as there appears to be a problem with
Googles archives and they haven't updated since the 27th. Thanks.
-Paul

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
> the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
> hair out while attempting to set it up properly. No matter who I call
> or email I cannot get any answers about how to set up this newsreader
> thing and it isn't making the slightest bit of sense to me.

It's pretty simple, but there's a piece of information you need to
know that usually gets set up automatically if you start with a major
service such as Earthlink, but which may be hard to find if you aren't
(or didn't). That's the address of a news server that you're
authorized to use. Unless you subscribe to a service such as
Supernews, it's usually something that's owned or supported by your
ISP, and will have a name that may be as simple as news.earthlink.net,
or it may be more complicated if they have several news servers.

The thing is that there's some ID checking going on when you access
the news server. They don't wany people who don't pay them a monthly
fee to mooch off their server, so there needs to be some sort of
connection there. Since you post here from a Hotmail address, we don't
know who your service provider is. You need to find a support phone
number and ask them for help in setting up your news reader so that it
will access their server, and that the server will recognize that you
are authorized to get news from that server.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
> the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
> hair out while attempting to set it up properly. No matter who I call
> or email I cannot get any answers about how to set up this newsreader
> thing and it isn't making the slightest bit of sense to me.

It's pretty simple, but there's a piece of information you need to
know that usually gets set up automatically if you start with a major
service such as Earthlink, but which may be hard to find if you aren't
(or didn't). That's the address of a news server that you're
authorized to use. Unless you subscribe to a service such as
Supernews, it's usually something that's owned or supported by your
ISP, and will have a name that may be as simple as news.earthlink.net,
or it may be more complicated if they have several news servers.

The thing is that there's some ID checking going on when you access
the news server. They don't wany people who don't pay them a monthly
fee to mooch off their server, so there needs to be some sort of
connection there. Since you post here from a Hotmail address, we don't
know who your service provider is. You need to find a support phone
number and ask them for help in setting up your news reader so that it
will access their server, and that the server will recognize that you
are authorized to get news from that server.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Arny Krueger]

ThePaulThomas wrote:

> ...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"?

You load the software, plug in the parameters, then view and navigate lists
of newservers, newsgroups, threads, and posts.

> I've been reading
> rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normally do so by checking the
> posts each day via the Google archives.

The slow way to go.

> About once a year I decide
> that I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
> the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
> hair out while attempting to set it up properly.

It helps to know what the goal of setting a newsreader is, and what it us
that you are trying to view. Google tends to protect you from all the
underlying complexity.

> No matter who I call or email I cannot get any answers about how to set
up this newsreader
> thing and it isn't making the slightest bit of sense to me.

The easiest way to set up a newsreader is to:

(1) Have an ISP that supports newsgroups
(2) Use one of the newsreaders that the ISP supports
(3) Follow the ISP's step-by-step instructions for setting up one of the
newsreaders that the ISP supports.

> Any FAQ's

See either your ISP or the organization that is going to provide you with
newsgroup service.

I suspect that one of your problems is that you haven't set up a
relationship with a newsgroup service that actively supports the use of
newsgroup readers.

> I read tell me the information I need is available from the same
> people that later tell me they have no idea what I'm talking about and
> have never heard of anything such as I'm trying to accomplish.

Your problem may be that you are trying to access a service that you haven't
properly arranged to obtain.

For me, it's simple. My primary ISP is Comcast, and they support the use of
a certain newsgroup access service which I had to sign up for. I use one of
the newsgroup readers that they support. They provided step-by-step
instructions. I followed the bouncing ball and everything worked the first
time I tried to execute their detailed instructions.

[Arny Krueger]

ThePaulThomas wrote:

> ...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"?

You load the software, plug in the parameters, then view and navigate lists
of newservers, newsgroups, threads, and posts.

> I've been reading
> rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normally do so by checking the
> posts each day via the Google archives.

The slow way to go.

> About once a year I decide
> that I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
> the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
> hair out while attempting to set it up properly.

It helps to know what the goal of setting a newsreader is, and what it us
that you are trying to view. Google tends to protect you from all the
underlying complexity.

> No matter who I call or email I cannot get any answers about how to set
up this newsreader
> thing and it isn't making the slightest bit of sense to me.

The easiest way to set up a newsreader is to:

(1) Have an ISP that supports newsgroups
(2) Use one of the newsreaders that the ISP supports
(3) Follow the ISP's step-by-step instructions for setting up one of the
newsreaders that the ISP supports.

> Any FAQ's

See either your ISP or the organization that is going to provide you with
newsgroup service.

I suspect that one of your problems is that you haven't set up a
relationship with a newsgroup service that actively supports the use of
newsgroup readers.

> I read tell me the information I need is available from the same
> people that later tell me they have no idea what I'm talking about and
> have never heard of anything such as I'm trying to accomplish.

Your problem may be that you are trying to access a service that you haven't
properly arranged to obtain.

For me, it's simple. My primary ISP is Comcast, and they support the use of
a certain newsgroup access service which I had to sign up for. I use one of
the newsgroup readers that they support. They provided step-by-step
instructions. I followed the bouncing ball and everything worked the first
time I tried to execute their detailed instructions.

[georgeh]

I know this is a bit of a chicken-egg situation, but you might
find some help in the news.xxx.xxx Usenet groups. Try googling
for your newsreader under that Usenet tree if you haven't
already done so. The problem with asking in a group like this is
that each newsreader tends to have its own UNIQUE config,
so unless you find someone here using the same newsreader,
you probably won't get a lot of detailed help.

(ThePaulThomas) writes:
>...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've been reading
>rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normaly do so by checking the
>posts each day via the Google archives. About once a year I decide
>that I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
>the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
>hair out while attempting to set it up properly. No matter who I call

[georgeh]

I know this is a bit of a chicken-egg situation, but you might
find some help in the news.xxx.xxx Usenet groups. Try googling
for your newsreader under that Usenet tree if you haven't
already done so. The problem with asking in a group like this is
that each newsreader tends to have its own UNIQUE config,
so unless you find someone here using the same newsreader,
you probably won't get a lot of detailed help.

(ThePaulThomas) writes:
>...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've been reading
>rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normaly do so by checking the
>posts each day via the Google archives. About once a year I decide
>that I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
>the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
>hair out while attempting to set it up properly. No matter who I call

[Richard Crowley]

"ThePaulThomas" wrote ...
> ...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've
> been reading rec.audio.pro for three years now and I
> normaly do so by checking the posts each day via the
> Google archives. About once a year I decide that I'm
> going to download a newsreader program like Agent
> (now for the third or fourth time in three years) and then
> I proceed to rip my hair out while attempting to set it
> up properly.

What operating system are you using?
If you are using a recent version of MS Windows, consider
using Outlook Express. While widely reviled by the rugged
individualists, it remains the most popular newsreader
around (and for good reasons, IMHO). I have also tried
other third-party newsreaders and found them all remarkably
fiddly, clunky, and non-intuitive compared to OE.

What ISP are you using?
Does your ISP have a news server?
If so, what is the name/address of it?
Note that many smaller ISPs "subcontract" their news
service to large third-party providers. For example,
my ISP contracts with Supernews (which is used by
10s of thousands of users).

[Richard Crowley]

"ThePaulThomas" wrote ...
> ...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've
> been reading rec.audio.pro for three years now and I
> normaly do so by checking the posts each day via the
> Google archives. About once a year I decide that I'm
> going to download a newsreader program like Agent
> (now for the third or fourth time in three years) and then
> I proceed to rip my hair out while attempting to set it
> up properly.

What operating system are you using?
If you are using a recent version of MS Windows, consider
using Outlook Express. While widely reviled by the rugged
individualists, it remains the most popular newsreader
around (and for good reasons, IMHO). I have also tried
other third-party newsreaders and found them all remarkably
fiddly, clunky, and non-intuitive compared to OE.

What ISP are you using?
Does your ISP have a news server?
If so, what is the name/address of it?
Note that many smaller ISPs "subcontract" their news
service to large third-party providers. For example,
my ISP contracts with Supernews (which is used by
10s of thousands of users).

[Scott Dorsey]

ThePaulThomas > wrote:
>...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've been reading
>rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normaly do so by checking the
>posts each day via the Google archives. About once a year I decide
>that I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
>the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
>hair out while attempting to set it up properly.

All you need to know is the name of your ISP's news server. If your ISP
is staffed by clueless morons (and many are), they may not be able to
give you this information until you escalate the call two or three times.

Everything else is secondary. What is your ISP? If it's isp.com, you
can try news.isp.com or nntp.isp.com as the most probable names of the
news server they provide.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Scott Dorsey]

ThePaulThomas > wrote:
>...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've been reading
>rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normaly do so by checking the
>posts each day via the Google archives. About once a year I decide
>that I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
>the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
>hair out while attempting to set it up properly.

All you need to know is the name of your ISP's news server. If your ISP
is staffed by clueless morons (and many are), they may not be able to
give you this information until you escalate the call two or three times.

Everything else is secondary. What is your ISP? If it's isp.com, you
can try news.isp.com or nntp.isp.com as the most probable names of the
news server they provide.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Chip Borton]

Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.
I also like Outlook Express , it does what I need it to do.

[Chip Borton]

Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.
I also like Outlook Express , it does what I need it to do.

[Don Pearce]

On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 09:13:28 -0600, "Chip Borton" >
wrote:

>Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
>so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
>I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.
>I also like Outlook Express , it does what I need it to do.
>
>
You mean screw up the threading so you can no longer work out who said
what - why do you need it to do that?

d
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

[Don Pearce]

On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 09:13:28 -0600, "Chip Borton" >
wrote:

>Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
>so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
>I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.
>I also like Outlook Express , it does what I need it to do.
>
>
You mean screw up the threading so you can no longer work out who said
what - why do you need it to do that?

d
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

[Chip Borton]

That was my mistake, sorry.

chip

"Don Pearce" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 09:13:28 -0600, "Chip Borton" >
> wrote:
>
> >Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
> >so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
> >I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.
> >I also like Outlook Express , it does what I need it to do.
> >
> >
> You mean screw up the threading so you can no longer work out who said
> what - why do you need it to do that?
>
> d
> Pearce Consulting
> http://www.pearce.uk.com

[Chip Borton]

That was my mistake, sorry.

chip

"Don Pearce" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 09:13:28 -0600, "Chip Borton" >
> wrote:
>
> >Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
> >so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
> >I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.
> >I also like Outlook Express , it does what I need it to do.
> >
> >
> You mean screw up the threading so you can no longer work out who said
> what - why do you need it to do that?
>
> d
> Pearce Consulting
> http://www.pearce.uk.com

[Kurt Albershardt]

Richard Crowley wrote:
>
> What operating system are you using?
> If you are using a recent version of MS Windows, consider
> using Outlook Express. While widely reviled by the rugged
> individualists

And the security conscious!



> it remains the most popular newsreader
> around (and for good reasons, IMHO). I have also tried
> other third-party newsreaders and found them all remarkably
> fiddly, clunky, and non-intuitive compared to OE.

You most likely haven't tried Mozilla Thunderbird yet. Its UI (including menu structure) is similar enough to OE that most people can be up & running in a few minutes http://mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/

Oh, and it's cross-platform too.

[Kurt Albershardt]

Richard Crowley wrote:
>
> What operating system are you using?
> If you are using a recent version of MS Windows, consider
> using Outlook Express. While widely reviled by the rugged
> individualists

And the security conscious!



> it remains the most popular newsreader
> around (and for good reasons, IMHO). I have also tried
> other third-party newsreaders and found them all remarkably
> fiddly, clunky, and non-intuitive compared to OE.

You most likely haven't tried Mozilla Thunderbird yet. Its UI (including menu structure) is similar enough to OE that most people can be up & running in a few minutes http://mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/

Oh, and it's cross-platform too.

[mwalter@(nospam)hanoverwire.com]

I just started using the Google Groups 2 Beta site. They say it's much
faster than groups.google.com

[mwalter@(nospam)hanoverwire.com]

I just started using the Google Groups 2 Beta site. They say it's much
faster than groups.google.com

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
> so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
> I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.

"Used to use" may be the operative word here. I'm sure there are still
some free news servers but once people decided that they could make
money by selling the service, they did.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
> so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
> I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.

"Used to use" may be the operative word here. I'm sure there are still
some free news servers but once people decided that they could make
money by selling the service, they did.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Chip Borton]

"Mike Rivers" > wrote in message
news:znr1086110029k@trad...
>
> In article > writes:
>
> > Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
> > so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
> > I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.
>
> "Used to use" may be the operative word here. I'm sure there are still
> some free news servers but once people decided that they could make
> money by selling the service, they did.
>
>
>
> --
> I'm really Mike Rivers )
> However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
> lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
> you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
> and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Well I found several that worked for me within couple of clicks
from a google search of "free usenet server".
Heres an example.
http://www.newsservers.net/free_news_servers/

chip borton

[Chip Borton]

"Mike Rivers" > wrote in message
news:znr1086110029k@trad...
>
> In article > writes:
>
> > Dont forget also that there are free usenet servers on the web
> > so you wouldn't have to go the ISP route.
> > I cant remember the name of the server I used to use though, sorry.
>
> "Used to use" may be the operative word here. I'm sure there are still
> some free news servers but once people decided that they could make
> money by selling the service, they did.
>
>
>
> --
> I'm really Mike Rivers )
> However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
> lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
> you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
> and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Well I found several that worked for me within couple of clicks
from a google search of "free usenet server".
Heres an example.
http://www.newsservers.net/free_news_servers/

chip borton

[Marc Wielage]

On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 00:32:52 -0700, ThePaulThomas wrote:

> ...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've been reading
> rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normaly do so by checking the
> posts each day via the Google archives.
>--------------------------------snip----------------------------------<

You can learn more about Newsreading software from this book:

THE INTERNET FOR DUMMIES
by John R. Levine, Margaret Young, & Carol Baroudi
published by John Wiley & Sons (9th edition)
ISBN #0764541730

(Don't be insulted by the title!) It's almost always better to access
messages directly from Usenet with a Newsreading program -- not on the Web
with a Web browser (like Internet Explorer), and not with an Email program
(like Outlook or Outlook Express).

You get a lot more features with programs like Free Agent (available at
www.forteinc.com) and Trumpet Newsreader (trumpet.com.au) for Windows, or
MT-Newswatcher (www.smfr.org/mtnw/) and Hogwasher (www.hogwasher.com) for the
Mac.

And for more info on Newsreading software in general, check out this FAQ:

http://newsflash.concordia.ca/public/faqs/software.html


--MFW

[Marc Wielage]

On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 00:32:52 -0700, ThePaulThomas wrote:

> ...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've been reading
> rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normaly do so by checking the
> posts each day via the Google archives.
>--------------------------------snip----------------------------------<

You can learn more about Newsreading software from this book:

THE INTERNET FOR DUMMIES
by John R. Levine, Margaret Young, & Carol Baroudi
published by John Wiley & Sons (9th edition)
ISBN #0764541730

(Don't be insulted by the title!) It's almost always better to access
messages directly from Usenet with a Newsreading program -- not on the Web
with a Web browser (like Internet Explorer), and not with an Email program
(like Outlook or Outlook Express).

You get a lot more features with programs like Free Agent (available at
www.forteinc.com) and Trumpet Newsreader (trumpet.com.au) for Windows, or
MT-Newswatcher (www.smfr.org/mtnw/) and Hogwasher (www.hogwasher.com) for the
Mac.

And for more info on Newsreading software in general, check out this FAQ:

http://newsflash.concordia.ca/public/faqs/software.html


--MFW

[ThePaulThomas]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message >...
> Your problem may be that you are trying to access a service that you haven't
> properly arranged to obtain.
>
> For me, it's simple. My primary ISP is Comcast, and they support the use of
> a certain newsgroup access service which I had to sign up for. I use one of
> the newsgroup readers that they support. They provided step-by-step
> instructions. I followed the bouncing ball and everything worked the first
> time I tried to execute their detailed instructions.

First, a big thank you to all of the poeple that have emailed me
privately as well as those that posted responses that I have read more
through the Google archives. I'm still somehwat confused about how
this process, but much less confused than yesterday. Thank you.
To answer one recurring question, my ISP is Comcast (as far as I
know). Arny, since you mentioned using Comcast can you tell me how to
subscribe to a newsgroups access service? When I called Comcast to ask
their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
they'd never heard of any such things. That's what lead to my
exasperated post last night. Thanks again evereyone! :)
-Paul

[ThePaulThomas]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message >...
> Your problem may be that you are trying to access a service that you haven't
> properly arranged to obtain.
>
> For me, it's simple. My primary ISP is Comcast, and they support the use of
> a certain newsgroup access service which I had to sign up for. I use one of
> the newsgroup readers that they support. They provided step-by-step
> instructions. I followed the bouncing ball and everything worked the first
> time I tried to execute their detailed instructions.

First, a big thank you to all of the poeple that have emailed me
privately as well as those that posted responses that I have read more
through the Google archives. I'm still somehwat confused about how
this process, but much less confused than yesterday. Thank you.
To answer one recurring question, my ISP is Comcast (as far as I
know). Arny, since you mentioned using Comcast can you tell me how to
subscribe to a newsgroups access service? When I called Comcast to ask
their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
they'd never heard of any such things. That's what lead to my
exasperated post last night. Thanks again evereyone! :)
-Paul

[John_LeBlanc]

"ThePaulThomas" > wrote in message
om...
> ...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've been reading
> rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normaly do so by checking the
> posts each day via the Google archives. About once a year I decide
> that I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
> the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
> hair out while attempting to set it up properly. No matter who I call
> or email I cannot get any answers about how to set up this newsreader
> thing and it isn't making the slightest bit of sense to me. Any FAQ's
> I read tell me the information I need is available from the same
> people that later tell me they have no idea what I'm talking about and
> have never heard of anything such as I'm trying to accomplish.

Since you use Comcast, I checked their web site and found their FAQ for members.
You get access to Giganews. Here are the two links that will likely help you the
most:

http://www.comcast.com/Support/Corp1/FAQ/Faq2_200_0.html

http://online.comcast.net/giganews/

John

[John_LeBlanc]

"ThePaulThomas" > wrote in message
om...
> ...but how in the world do I use a "newsreader"? I've been reading
> rec.audio.pro for three years now and I normaly do so by checking the
> posts each day via the Google archives. About once a year I decide
> that I'm going to download a newsreader program like Agent (now for
> the third or fourth time in three years) and then I proceed to rip my
> hair out while attempting to set it up properly. No matter who I call
> or email I cannot get any answers about how to set up this newsreader
> thing and it isn't making the slightest bit of sense to me. Any FAQ's
> I read tell me the information I need is available from the same
> people that later tell me they have no idea what I'm talking about and
> have never heard of anything such as I'm trying to accomplish.

Since you use Comcast, I checked their web site and found their FAQ for members.
You get access to Giganews. Here are the two links that will likely help you the
most:

http://www.comcast.com/Support/Corp1/FAQ/Faq2_200_0.html

http://online.comcast.net/giganews/

John

[Arny Krueger]

ThePaulThomas wrote:

Arny, since you mentioned using Comcast can you tell me how to
> subscribe to a newsgroups access service? When I called Comcast to ask
> their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
> support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
> they'd never heard of any such things. That's what lead to my
> exasperated post last night. Thanks again evereyone! :)

Start here, and let me know if you have any questions:

http://online.comcast.net/giganews/

[Arny Krueger]

ThePaulThomas wrote:

Arny, since you mentioned using Comcast can you tell me how to
> subscribe to a newsgroups access service? When I called Comcast to ask
> their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
> support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
> they'd never heard of any such things. That's what lead to my
> exasperated post last night. Thanks again evereyone! :)

Start here, and let me know if you have any questions:

http://online.comcast.net/giganews/

[Scott Dorsey]

ThePaulThomas > wrote:
> To answer one recurring question, my ISP is Comcast (as far as I
>know). Arny, since you mentioned using Comcast can you tell me how to
>subscribe to a newsgroups access service? When I called Comcast to ask
>their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
>support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
>they'd never heard of any such things. That's what lead to my
>exasperated post last night. Thanks again evereyone! :)

I have to say that Comcast probably is one of the most poorly-run ISPs that
I have dealt with. Neither their tech support crew nor their abuse crew
seem to have any clue what is going on. If it makes you feel any better,
Fletcher is also trying to figure out how to get nntp news working through
Comcast. Comcast is one of the major spam problems out there because of
the huge number of virus-infected customers they have, and they don't seem
to think forcing customers to route mail through their mail servers (like
most other ISPs do to prevent spam) is a good idea.

Neither news.comcast.net nor nntp.comcast.net is valid here. They might
be valid if you are a comcast customer, though. Comcast is not above doing
stupid DNS tricks to their customers. If you are on a pc, open up a DOS
window and try 'ping nntp.comcast.net' as well as news.comcast.net,
news.comcast.com, and nntp.comcast.com. If any of them can be pinged,
they are probably your news server.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Scott Dorsey]

ThePaulThomas > wrote:
> To answer one recurring question, my ISP is Comcast (as far as I
>know). Arny, since you mentioned using Comcast can you tell me how to
>subscribe to a newsgroups access service? When I called Comcast to ask
>their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
>support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
>they'd never heard of any such things. That's what lead to my
>exasperated post last night. Thanks again evereyone! :)

I have to say that Comcast probably is one of the most poorly-run ISPs that
I have dealt with. Neither their tech support crew nor their abuse crew
seem to have any clue what is going on. If it makes you feel any better,
Fletcher is also trying to figure out how to get nntp news working through
Comcast. Comcast is one of the major spam problems out there because of
the huge number of virus-infected customers they have, and they don't seem
to think forcing customers to route mail through their mail servers (like
most other ISPs do to prevent spam) is a good idea.

Neither news.comcast.net nor nntp.comcast.net is valid here. They might
be valid if you are a comcast customer, though. Comcast is not above doing
stupid DNS tricks to their customers. If you are on a pc, open up a DOS
window and try 'ping nntp.comcast.net' as well as news.comcast.net,
news.comcast.com, and nntp.comcast.com. If any of them can be pinged,
they are probably your news server.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Logan Shaw]

ThePaulThomas wrote:
> When I called Comcast to ask
> their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
> support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
> they'd never heard of any such things.

Then I would tell them they need to connect me with a level 2 tech
support person, or at least someone who knows what NNTP is. Usenet
news has been part of what an ISP is expected to provide since
before the web even existed, so they should have no trouble answering
your questions.

Actually, the only information you really need from them is what
the name of their NNTP server is, and whether there is anything
out of the ordinary that they have done with it (like authentication
stuff they may have added).

- Logan

[Logan Shaw]

ThePaulThomas wrote:
> When I called Comcast to ask
> their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
> support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
> they'd never heard of any such things.

Then I would tell them they need to connect me with a level 2 tech
support person, or at least someone who knows what NNTP is. Usenet
news has been part of what an ISP is expected to provide since
before the web even existed, so they should have no trouble answering
your questions.

Actually, the only information you really need from them is what
the name of their NNTP server is, and whether there is anything
out of the ordinary that they have done with it (like authentication
stuff they may have added).

- Logan

[david]

In article >, Scott Dorsey
> wrote:

> Neither news.comcast.net nor nntp.comcast.net is valid here. They might
> be valid if you are a comcast customer, though. Comcast is not above doing
> stupid DNS tricks to their customers. If you are on a pc, open up a DOS
> window and try 'ping nntp.comcast.net' as well as news.comcast.net,
> news.comcast.com, and nntp.comcast.com. If any of them can be pinged,
> they are probably your news server.
> --scott
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."



Netnews.Comcast.net is how I get rap as a Comcast customer.

I appreciate the tip posted here about
http://online.comcast.net/giganews/ for Comcast customers.






David Correia
Celebration Sound
Warren, Rhode Island


www.CelebrationSound.com

[david]

In article >, Scott Dorsey
> wrote:

> Neither news.comcast.net nor nntp.comcast.net is valid here. They might
> be valid if you are a comcast customer, though. Comcast is not above doing
> stupid DNS tricks to their customers. If you are on a pc, open up a DOS
> window and try 'ping nntp.comcast.net' as well as news.comcast.net,
> news.comcast.com, and nntp.comcast.com. If any of them can be pinged,
> they are probably your news server.
> --scott
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."



Netnews.Comcast.net is how I get rap as a Comcast customer.

I appreciate the tip posted here about
http://online.comcast.net/giganews/ for Comcast customers.






David Correia
Celebration Sound
Warren, Rhode Island


www.CelebrationSound.com

[Steve King]

"david" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Scott Dorsey
> > wrote:
>
> > Neither news.comcast.net nor nntp.comcast.net is valid here. They might
> > be valid if you are a comcast customer, though. Comcast is not above
doing
> > stupid DNS tricks to their customers. If you are on a pc, open up a DOS
> > window and try 'ping nntp.comcast.net' as well as news.comcast.net,
> > news.comcast.com, and nntp.comcast.com. If any of them can be pinged,
> > they are probably your news server.
> > --scott
> > --
> > "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
>
>
>
> Netnews.Comcast.net is how I get rap as a Comcast customer.
>
> I appreciate the tip posted here about
> http://online.comcast.net/giganews/ for Comcast customers.
>

I'm a Comcast customer. My news server address is:
news.comcast.giganews.com. No problems here. A few months ago I was
setting up a home network for a friend, a Comcast customer, and I had forgot
the server address. I called customer support. I was connected to a human
pretty fast who provided what I needed immediately. Who was it who said
that, paraphrased, 'all generalities are crap including this one'?

Steve King

[Steve King]

"david" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Scott Dorsey
> > wrote:
>
> > Neither news.comcast.net nor nntp.comcast.net is valid here. They might
> > be valid if you are a comcast customer, though. Comcast is not above
doing
> > stupid DNS tricks to their customers. If you are on a pc, open up a DOS
> > window and try 'ping nntp.comcast.net' as well as news.comcast.net,
> > news.comcast.com, and nntp.comcast.com. If any of them can be pinged,
> > they are probably your news server.
> > --scott
> > --
> > "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
>
>
>
> Netnews.Comcast.net is how I get rap as a Comcast customer.
>
> I appreciate the tip posted here about
> http://online.comcast.net/giganews/ for Comcast customers.
>

I'm a Comcast customer. My news server address is:
news.comcast.giganews.com. No problems here. A few months ago I was
setting up a home network for a friend, a Comcast customer, and I had forgot
the server address. I called customer support. I was connected to a human
pretty fast who provided what I needed immediately. Who was it who said
that, paraphrased, 'all generalities are crap including this one'?

Steve King

[Arny Krueger]

Scott Dorsey wrote:

> I have to say that Comcast probably is one of the most poorly-run
> ISPs that I have dealt with.

It's like most of their customers have much of a choice. If you want a cable
modem in my town, it's a one-option feasibility study. Since they doubled
the throttle settings on their lines, DSL drags in comparison.

[Arny Krueger]

Scott Dorsey wrote:

> I have to say that Comcast probably is one of the most poorly-run
> ISPs that I have dealt with.

It's like most of their customers have much of a choice. If you want a cable
modem in my town, it's a one-option feasibility study. Since they doubled
the throttle settings on their lines, DSL drags in comparison.

[Scott Dorsey]

Logan Shaw > wrote:
>ThePaulThomas wrote:
>> When I called Comcast to ask
>> their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
>> support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
>> they'd never heard of any such things.
>
>Then I would tell them they need to connect me with a level 2 tech
>support person, or at least someone who knows what NNTP is. Usenet
>news has been part of what an ISP is expected to provide since
>before the web even existed, so they should have no trouble answering
>your questions.

I think you underestimate just how incompetent Comcast is. I had a
"supervisor" explain to me that their cable customers were not in their
address space because it was dynamically allocated, and therefore they
could not do anything about DoS attacks on my machines being perpetrated
by their customers. No, reading that a second time won't help.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Scott Dorsey]

Logan Shaw > wrote:
>ThePaulThomas wrote:
>> When I called Comcast to ask
>> their tech support people about newsgroups and newsreaders both of the
>> support people thought I was speaking a martian language and indicated
>> they'd never heard of any such things.
>
>Then I would tell them they need to connect me with a level 2 tech
>support person, or at least someone who knows what NNTP is. Usenet
>news has been part of what an ISP is expected to provide since
>before the web even existed, so they should have no trouble answering
>your questions.

I think you underestimate just how incompetent Comcast is. I had a
"supervisor" explain to me that their cable customers were not in their
address space because it was dynamically allocated, and therefore they
could not do anything about DoS attacks on my machines being perpetrated
by their customers. No, reading that a second time won't help.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."