Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!uunet!mttam!news
From: bryanvv@mttam.uucp (Bryan Van Vliet)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Re: Does a Mac NNTP news reader exist?
Message-ID: <1991Mar5.231123.24008@mttam.uucp>
Date: 5 Mar 91 23:11:23 GMT
References: <455@bearsan.COM> <1991Mar4.214222.25620@dartvax.dartmouth.edu>
Sender: news@mttam.uucp
Organization: San Francisco, CA
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Nntp-Posting-Host: mickey

Besides ProtoNews from Dartmouth College you should look at:

1) TheNews - The latest version I have is 1.4. It is available via anonymous 
   ftp from sumex-aim.stanford.edu and can be found in the directory comm as  
   the-news.hqx. It requires MacTCP and is shareware for $20.00. It is fast 
   but provides no easy way to display newsgroups, topics & articles at the 
   same time. It also has the 32k TextEdit limit for displaying articles 
   (you can still save longer articles.) Otherwise, it is quite useable.

   I use TheNews regularly although ProtoNews sounds interesting :-).

2) TCP/Connect II - This commercial software package from Intercon Systems
   provides not only an NNTP news reader but also a POP2/SMTP mail client,
   and VT220/VT240/3270 terminal emulation. It lists for $495.00 and was
   reviewed in the January, 1991 MacWorld. It uses MacTCP or its own SLIP
   implementation. It provides three panes to display newsgroups, topics &
   articles at the same time and also accepts RN-style commands. I believe
   it doesn't have the 32k TextEdit limit for displaying articles, although
   I am not sure.

   If you need vt220/vt240 emulation, SLIP or are enamored with commercial
   software TCP/Connect II is the way to go. Otherwise, at least consider 
   using a combination of Eudora (a really nice POP3/SMTP public domain mail
   client), TheNews, NCSA Telnet (an excellent public domain vt100 terminal 
   emulator with support for ftp), and tn3270 (a public domain 3270 terminal
   emulator) to do the same thing for a lot cheaper ($20.00 in shareware
   fees.)
 
3) NetNews Reader Stack - This is a Hypercard stack that works well (at 
   least with Hypercard 1.2.5) albeit slowly. It has the 32k TextEdit limit 
   for displaying (but not saving) articles. It requires MacTCP.

The only problem I see with the public domain NNTP packages is that MacTCP
is not available with them. Is Apple only going to make MacTCP available
from APDA or with commercial packages? If you have one commercial 
package with MacTCP can you legally use MacTCP with the public domain
NNTP packages? Why is the Communications Toolbox available on BBS systems 
(America Online for instance) and not MacTCP? Why isn't MacTCP available
from your dealer?

--
Bryan Van Vliet
bryanvv@mttam.uucp or uunet!mttam!bryanvv