• XanaNews - Introduction

    From noreply@noreply@mixmin.net to news.groups on Wed Jul 31 18:52:42 2024
    From Newsgroup: news.groups


    *get the most current version of XanaNews (2017-08-22):
    https://github.com/graemeg/xananews/releases/tag/v1.21 >https://github.com/graemeg/xananews/releases/download/v1.21/xananews_32bit_v1.21.zip

    *note: the XanaNews 1.21 "Help" contents feature may appear blank, if so,
    in the "XanaNews" folder, right-click "XanaNews.chm", select "Properties"
    and next to "Security: This file came from another computer and might be
    blocked to help protect the computer", check "Unblock", click "Apply/OK"

    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Welcome to XanaNews
    Welcome to XanaNews
    XanaNews is a free, powerful, fully featured newsreader for Windows 98, >Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
    Here's what XanaNews will do for you:
    *Support for Multiple News (NNTP) Servers.
    *Multiple threaded engine. Supports three threads per news server so you
    can simultaneously download group lists, message headers and messages for multiple servers.
    *Threaded multicolumn tree message display. Display messages in thread or
    chronological order. Sort threads or messages by date, size, author or subject.
    *Displays NNTP and MIME images inline, building them up as they arrive.
    *Save images and other binary attachments.
    *Powerful message deleting feature. Delete messages that don't match your
    criteria.
    *Threads that contain messages to you are displayed highlighted.
    Intelligent resume/cancel button. When it's red you can cancel the selected operation. When it's green you can resume after network failures, and when it's grey you can't click it!
    *Batch mode. Define batches of message retrieval operations. A single batch
    can work across multiple newsgroups - even on multiple servers!
    *Both images and other binary attachments can be saved.
    *Powerful configurable message filters can be created for individual
    newsgroups, or all newsgroups on a server.
    *Decode UUE, Base64 and yEncoded messages.
    *SSL Support
    *Supports posting multiple attachments
    *Integrates with ISpell spell checker.
    XanaNews was written by Colin Wilson. Get the latest version of XanaNews
    from Colin Wilson's Delphi Website
    http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/delphi.htm (https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/delphi.htm) (https://web.archive.org/web/20080315081009fw_/http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/xananews.htm)

    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Getting Started
    Getting Started
    When you first run XanaNews the New User Setup wizard will be displayed:
    1. Type in your name and E-Mail address and click 'Next'.
    2. The next screen asks for the Server Account Name and the Server Name.
    The Server Account Name should be a friendly name that describes the
    server. The 'Server Name' should be the Internet name of the server that
    you will connect to. Contact your ISP for details. Press the 'Next' button. >3. Some servers require a user name and password before they can be accessed. >The next screen allows you to enter these. Most news servers provided by
    ISPs don't require these details. If in doubt leave the screen alone, and >press the 'Next' button again.
    4. The final New User Setup wizard screen allows you to specify a dialup >connection to use when connecting to this server. If your computer is always >connected to the Internet, leave this screen alone, otherwise select a
    dialup connection from the list provided, then press 'Next'
    Press OK to finish the New User Setup wizard. XanaNews will automatically >connect to the Internet and download the list of newsgroups available on the >server. When this download finished you will be presented with the list of >newsgroups.
    That's it! You now ready to start using XanaNews. For details see the help
    on using the workspace.

    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Online Support for XanaNews
    Online Support for XanaNews
    1. XanaNews on the World Wide Web
    You can always download the latest version of XanaNews, help file updates, >etc. at http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/delphi.htm
    2. Dedicated XanaNews Support newsgroups.
    The main XanaNews newsgroups are available on the free forums.talkto.net
    server. To access the newsgroups from XanaNews, add a new account by
    selecting 'Add New Account...' from the Account menu. Set the account's
    name to 'XanaNews Support Groups' and set the server account name to
    'forums.talkto.net.'
    3. Additional support newsgroups on Usenet
    XanaNews is often discussed in several Usenet newsgroup, including
    alt.usenet.offline-reader.xananews and news.software.readers

    XanaNews > Help > Contents > Introduction > Newsgroups, USENET and Privacy >Newsgroups, USENET and Privacy
    Here's a short article on the basics of Newsgroups. You can find much more >information on the world wide web. For instance at >http://www.usenet.org.uk/usenet-information.html
    People are often confused by newsgroups. Who owns them? Who can read them? >Who can post to them? And what on earth is USENET??
    And what about Privacy? If I read a message will anyone know? If I post a >message will I be identifiable?
    1. What are Newsgroups?
    Newsgroups are places on the Internet where people can post messages about
    particular topics that interest them. Anyone who has access to the
    newsgroup can read the message, and anyone can post a reply. The reply can
    be seen by anyone else, who can post a reply, and so on. XanaNews allows
    you to read these messages and post replies; both to the main USENET
    newsgroups and also to other Private newsgroups.
    Because anyone can read and reply to any message, they're not really like
    e-mail. And because the messages remain on the server for days or even
    weeks, they are not 'Instant' like chat rooms, either.
    2. What is USENET?
    USENET is a vast group of newsgroup servers from all over the world which
    share messages between each other. If you post a message in a newsgroup on
    one server, anyone else that has access to USENET will be able to see your
    message, and post a reply. And your reply will get shared so that it can
    be seen by anyone else.
    Thousands of Internet Service Providers, and commercial newsgroup hosting
    services share in this USENET group. So its really not 'owned' by anyone.
    3. What are Private Newsgroups?
    By contrast, Private newsgroups exist on private newsgroup servers and do
    not participate in USENET. Many technical companies provide private
    newsgroups to their customers, so that they can discuss their products
    among themselves and with representatives from the company who choose to
    join in.
    The main XanaNews support newsgroups are held on the private
    forums.talkto.net server, and it is provided free to XanaNews users.
    Microsoft host a large private news server at msnews.microsoft.com where
    Microsoft products can be discussed.
    4. What about Privacy? Can people tell which groups I read?
    Broadly speaking, no one can tell. However, your countries' law
    enforcement agencies may be able to find out by examining your computer,
    or by asking your ISP for details of messages you download.
    5. Can people tell which groups I post to?
    Of course - that's the whole point. Your message is there for all to see.
    *Messages you post contain your e-mail address. XanaNews allows you to
    type in what you like for your e-mail address, so some people disguise
    theirs in various ways - mostly to avoid spammers who often trawl USENET
    for valid e-mail addresses.
    *Many news servers automatically attach a special header to each of your
    messages containing the IP address of the computer you posted from. This
    'nntp-posting-host' header can be used to identify which ISP you use, and
    could allow hackers to connect to your computer if it has not been
    updated with Microsoft security patches.
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