Newsgroup Manager for WebExplorer


Newsgroup Manager is a WebExplorer feature that gives you access to USENET newsgroups. You can subscribe to, browse, and contribute to these newsgroups using the various options that Newsgroup Manager provides.

This help describes how to configure, start, and use the Newsgroup Manager to explore the wide variety of newsgroups available online. If you are unfamiliar with newsgroups or newsgroup terms, see More about newsgroups.

Configuring the Newsgroup Manager

Newsgroup Manager is a client application that connects to a news server. The news server provides a connection to the USENET and maintains a current list of all available newsgroups. Before using the Newsgroup Manager, you need to specify the news server that Newsgroup Manager will use. To do this:

  1. Select Servers from the Configure pull-down menu. The Configure Servers window is displayed.
  2. Enter the host name or Internet Protocol (IP) address of the default news server you want to use. newsserv.ibm.com is an example of a news server name. Contact your network administrator for the appropriate news server name or address.

To send articles to be posted on a newsgroup, you also need to specify your E-mail address on the Configure Servers window. The address is displayed as part of the posted article.

Other Configuration Options

Newsgroup Manager uses the following files to keep track of newsgroup data:

Subscription File
This file (NEWS.GRP) keeps track of your newsgroup subscriptions and the articles you have seen. Each line in the file contains a newsgroup name followed by a list of article numbers. The Newsgroup Manager creates and updates this file.

Note:The Newsgroup Manager can share this file with the IBM NewsReader/2 program, which allows each program to access your current newsgroup subscription list.

Signature File
This optional text file (NEWS.SIG) contains additional information, such as a job title or organization name, that is appended to the bottom of each post or reply you send to a newsgroup. You create this file.
Configuration File
This file (NEWS.CFG) contains several settings for the Newsgroup Manager, including the number of newsgroups kept in memory (1-256) and the last time the news was read. The Newsgroup Manager creates and updates this file, but you can edit the file as well.

These configuration files are located, by default, in the TCP/IP ETC directory on your machine. However, you can change the location (path) of these files if you want to store them in a more convenient directory. To change the path for any one of the files:

  1. Select News from the Configure pull-down menu. The Configure Newsgroup Manager window is displayed.
  2. Edit the current path shown for the file, or select the Change push button next to the appropriate file to specify the new path.

Starting the Newsgroup Manager

You can start the Newsgroup Manager in two ways:

To go directly to a newsgroup from the WebExplorer main window, specify the news: protocol followed by the newsgroup's URL. For example, news:alt.fishing takes you directly to the alt.fishing newsgroup.

Using the Newsgroup Manager

The Newsgroup Manager main window displays the list of newsgroups that you currently subscribe to. From this window, you can add a newsgroup to the list, delete a newsgroup from the list, check for new articles or postings to a newsgroup, or browse the contents of a specific newsgroup.

Adding a Newsgroup

When you select Add Newsgroups, the Newsgroup Manager displays a window showing your current newsgroup subscriptions. From this window, you can:

Deleting a Newsgroup

When you select Delete Newsgroups, the Newsgroup Manager displays a window showing your current newsgroup subscriptions. You can delete all of the newsgroups in this list or select individual newsgroups to delete.

Checking for New Articles

When you select Check for new articles, the Newsgroup Manager checks the news server to see if any new articles have been added to the newsgroups in the list. The list is updated if there are any new articles.

Browsing Specific Newsgroups

The Newsgroup Manager monitors your newsgroup subscriptions and displays the number of unread articles in each newsgroup since your last session or update. When you select a specific newsgroup in the list, you can load and browse a portion of the articles available or see all articles at once. Articles are displayed from the most current to least current, and are highlighted after they are read. Replies to specific articles are indented under the main article. In addition, the number of lines in an article is shown in parentheses to the right of the article.

When you display the list of articles for a specific newsgroup, Newsgroup Manager includes the following options:

Load Earlier Articles
Displays additional articles not currently shown. These articles are less current.
Load All Articles
Displays all articles in the newsgroup.
Mark All Articles Read
Marks all articles in the newsgroup as read. This option helps you identify new articles the next time you select the newsgroup.
Mark All Articles Unread
Removes the highlighting on articles you have read.
Post to <newsgroup>
Displays a window to create and post an article to the selected newsgroup.

When you select a specific article in the list to read, additional options are provided as appropriate:

View List
Returns you to the list of newsgroup articles
Next Thread
Displays the next article in the list
Previous Thread
Displays the previous article in the list
Down Thread
Displays the next article in a "conversation". A conversation consists of an article and the replies associated with that article. This option and the Up Thread option help you follow the flow of discussion related to a specific article.
Up Thread
Displays the previous article in a conversation.
Post reply
Displays a window to create and post a reply to the article you are reading.

Note: At the top of each article is a list of all newsgroups that the article has been posted to.

More about Newsgroups

USENET (short for USERS NETWORK) is a logical network that provides access to a centralized database of world-wide news. A USENET newsgroup is a collection of articles (also called "posts" and "appends") on a certain topic or area of interest. There are newsgroups, for example, about sports, health issues, computing, and so forth. Newsgroups may or may not be moderated, and topics range from serious and scholarly to whimsical and bizarre. Articles posted to a newsgroup are seen by all subscribers to that newsgroup and anyone can post a reply.

The USENET has some broad categories of newsgroups that share a general focus. These include newsgroups with the following prefixes:

alt
Alternative newsgroups covering anything and everything
biz
Newsgroups with business related topics
comp
Newsgroups covering many aspects of computing, such as computer programming, operating systems, hardware, and so forth
misc
Miscellaneous topics which do not fall under any other category
rec
Newsgroups covering numerous types of recreation, hobbies, and interests
sci
Scientific newsgroups, dealing with both research and applied science
soc
"Socializing" newsgroups. Many different world cultures are represented here.
talk
Discussion newsgroups that host heated debates on various topics