I need suggestions for a Linux newsreader program.

I am currently looking for a good newsreader program for Linux to run on
SUSE 9.3 64bit. I am used to and like XNews in Windows and so far have
tried Knode and Pan on Linux (and hate both).

At the moment I am using XNews on WinXP in a VMware virtual machine.

Any suggestions?


--
Mark Heyes (New Zealand)
See my pics at www.gigatech.co.nz (last updated 5-September-05)
"The person on the other side was a young woman. Very obviously a
young woman. There was no possible way she could have been mistaken
for a young man in any language, especially Braille."
Maskerade

 

Thunderbird ?

 

I use slrn, and quite like it.

 

masochist

 

If you describe what you dislike about those apps, it will help us to guess
what you might like.


HTH

Peter

 

I use KNode, what don't you like about it?

Allistar.

 

I like Knode.

 

Hmmm, that is not so easy to answer.

Maybe I could explain a little easier what I like about XNews.

In XNews I use a single window which I can flick between the list of
groups/the headers in a group/a message - all very quickly and easily
with the enter key and the esc key.

It is also very quick and easy to tag messages or threads as read in
XNews and at the press of a key all the read messages disappear.

It is also very easy to tag binaries messages, then ask XNews to
download them all. While they are downloading you can remove posts from
the queue or add more to the queue.

I also like the way that I can assign any function at all to a key.

I know that some of the speed in using XNews comes from my familiarity
with it, but honestly there are many programs that lack a keystroke
option instead of a mouse click for many functions and that makes it
impossible to navigate the groups as fast.

I am now typing this in Thunderbird, which seems a bit better than Knode
or Pan, but not as good as XNews.

I also hated Agent/Free Agent and Gravity. Before using XNews I used to
use News Express, which was similar but not as good as XNews.

 

I find knode works fine for me. Other news readers are listed here ...
http://linuxshop.ru/linuxbegin/win-lin-soft-en/table.shtml
1) Knode.
2) Pan.
3) NewsReader.
4) Netscape / Mozilla.
5) Opera [Prop]
6) Sylpheed / Sylpheed-claws.

For a highly configurable news reader, ie lots of user defined functions
assigned to keys, with keyboard based app, you might like to look at emacs.
This app has a very long tradition, and is highly configurable by the user
- but, it is quite different and will be quite a steep learning curve.
Most distros include emacs and / or xemacs.


HTH

Peter

 

What's wrong with it?
It is simple, easy to use
Is console based so can be used anywhere
Uses whatever editor I want (vi)

 

In fact the other day I was posting in a cafe while waiting for a client.
And I have baited RB from KL a year or so ago.
Quite handy using the same client and server anywhere in the planet.

 

I use it via ssh when Im not at home, its a PITA for more than one group
vim is no hassle (its far and away my favourite text editor, with kwrite
a distant second), its the moving through posts, unmarking posts as read,
trying to find posts in deep threads, etc etc etc (mind you this has more
to do with me not knowing half the commands)

I repeat my original assertion.. you sir are a MASOCHIST!

 

If I select a bunch of posts I can’t see the option to decode binaries to a
folder.

When I look at the list of all newsgroups I can’t see how many articles are
in each to decide if they are worth subscribing to. With XNews you can get
an article count on a list of unsubscribe groups and even sort by total
posts or unread posts, then you can subscribe to the busy ones.

At this stage I might have to sort out running XNews under Wine.


--
Mark Heyes (New Zealand)
See my pics at www.gigatech.co.nz (last updated 5-September-05)
"The person on the other side was a young woman. Very obviously a
young woman. There was no possible way she could have been mistaken
for a young man in any language, especially Braille."
Maskerade

 

There's always Thunderbird.

 

Crap, he is can read the news with no sweat while you are on the point of
death.

 

Rejected. Mail programmes which read news should not do so. In my view.

 

From a quick search, it looks like that is the conclusion others have come
to.
http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Windows-Newsreaders-under-Linux-HOWTO/xnews.html
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=65884

Xnews is written in Delphi, and Borland have produced some products for
Linux. It would be nice if you could simply compile xnews for Linux, but I
guess that would already have been done if it were possible.

HTH

Peter

 

I don’t think that it is not possible, but the author has not made the code
available. Although the software is free (free as in beer) it is not free
(free as in speech).

If the author were to make the program open source then I am sure that
someone would recompile it for Linux.



--
Mark Heyes (New Zealand)
See my pics at www.gigatech.co.nz (last updated 5-September-05)
"The person on the other side was a young woman. Very obviously a
young woman. There was no possible way she could have been mistaken
for a young man in any language, especially Braille."
Maskerade

 

The more I try other newsreaders, the more I realise how much I like
XNews.

Although I mentioned the key remapping option, I don’t actually use
that. I have swapped 2 keys and left the rest at default. I really
like the way XNews works without having to do anything to customise it.

Being able to shell out to an external editor allows me to rarely screw
up my spelling.

The ‘Open Special’ option is absolutely essential for huge groups (over
100,000 posts).

The score file is brilliant. I can filter the posts so many ways with
things like getting rid of posts that are posted to more than 2 groups,
deleting posts with the header in all-caps, plonking individuals, etc.

I think that if I worked hard at describing everything I like about
XNews, I could fill 2 or 3 pages. Maybe I’ll just write a poem instead:
An ode to the beautiful XNews . . .


--
Mark Heyes (New Zealand)
See my pics at www.gigatech.co.nz (last updated 5-September-05)
"The person on the other side was a young woman. Very obviously a
young woman. There was no possible way she could have been mistaken
for a young man in any language, especially Braille."
Maskerade

 

Hi there,

I'm using boring (but functional) old Netscape 7.2. I tried Knode once
but found a few bugs. Netscape is also a little buggy, but it'll do me.
It works fine here in SuSE 9.3 Pro 64-bit...

--
Kind regards,

Chris Wilkinson, Brisbane, Australia.
Anyone wishing to email me directly can remove the obvious
spamblocker, and replace it with t p g <dot> c o m <dot> a u