MT-NewsWatcher is an application to access Usenet newsgroups, but what is a Usenet newsgroup?

Usenet is one of the oldest collections of electronic discussion groups. Usenet pre-dates the Internet by several years. A good article about Usenet is, is available via the world wide web site at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet.

Usenet newsgroups cover a wide range of topics. You can f ind newsgroups on topics such as cinema, photography, cooking, taxes, investing to name just a few. There are well over 10,000 newsgroups. Each newsgroup consists of a group of articles. These articles are written by anyone who wants to participate. Articles are similar to email messages.

Etiquette for Usenet newsgroups is very similar to what we have on the MLMUG email list and group discourse in general. General rules of newsgroup etiquette include: no top posting, no HTML or graphic content, and no off-topic postings. For better or worse, standards of Usenet etiquette are frequently flaunted. The majority of newsgroups are completely unmoderated. Usenet is in some ways, an electronic anarchy, but some newsgroups can be very interesting and helpful.

Anyone can subscribe to a Usenet newsgroup, although subscription carries a different connotation than it does with an email list. Subscriptions on Usenet are more like bookmarks.

In MT-NewsWatcher, you set up a groups window which is a list of newsgroups to which you have subscribed. Each newsgroup consists of a set of articles (or messages). You call up a list of messages by double-clicking on a newsgroup's name from your groups window. You can reply to articles or post your own.

Mt-NewsWatcher has very modest requirements. The network connection can occur over broadband OR standard dial-up via PPP. You also need access to a newsgroup server. Many ISPs offer free Usenet access. Check your ISP's web site for information. Those of you who use Comcast's broadband service can get free Usenet access via a Usenet hosting service called Giganews. Comcast users can find out about Usenet by looking in the newsgroups section of Comcast's FAQ file web site at www.comcast.net/help/faq/ and Verizon users can also obtain newsgroup access via Giganews. For information on Giganews, see www.giganews.com.

MT-NewsWatcher is a multi-threaded newsreader. This means that articles are organized by their subject. Although several other applications are available to read Usenet newsgroups, I prefer MT-NewsWatcher because it's freeware, it is easy to install and use, and it does a great job at managing threads.

MT-NewsWatcher maintains a record of the newsgroups you subscribe to and the articles you have not yet read. The two primary reasons I like MT-NewsWatcher are its multi-thread capability and its low sticker price (free).

Usenet is one of my favorite means of online discussions. I like Usenet because its Mac related newsgroups are active and frequently contain interesting articles on a wide range of topics. A few of my favorite newsgroups are rec.food.cooking, comp.sys.mac.apps, phl.media, phl.food, misc.consumers. and alt.vacation.las-vegas. The naming convention for newsgroups is explained at the web site I cited earlier in this article.