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Newsgroups are special centers of activity on the internet that usually relate to a certain topic. You might think of them as directories on a computer, with each directory containing information on a topic. Within each newsgroup you will find articles concerning the topic of interest. Many newsgroups contain pictures, games, shareware, and every other types of information available on the Internet.

There is a newsgroup for everyone's interests.

What is a news server?

A news server is a computer running a NNTP (network news transport protocol) server program. This server manages the many thousands of news groups and articles. Almost all ISPs provide NNTP news server access as part of their basic service. There are also public news servers and access providers who allow access to their news servers on a subscription basis. AOL is a notable exception to this. They are one of the only major ISPs without NNTP service. Instead they use their own protocol server. Pluckit will work with their Internet connection, but users must have an outside news source. More information for AOL users

How do I get my news server address?

Most news servers are named with the standard convention of "news" plus the providers' address. For example, jalapeno.net might have a news server named news.jalapeno.net. However, some providers have a strange need to be different, and may substitute other words for "news" in the address. Examples of this are "newshost", "nntp", "netnews", etc. When you signed up for your internet service, you received information about how to set up your computer for internet access. In this information you will find your news server address. If you cannot find it, check with your provider for the proper name.

How do I decode attachments?

There are many programs available to decode attachments, however, with Pluckit, you will not need them. Pluckit automatically decodes all of the common formats such as UUENCODE, base64, etc. It will also combine multi-parts.

How many newsgroups are there?

There are over 80,000 newsgroups and the list grows daily. Most service providers do not carry all of the groups, but most good providers will have around 30,000. Some providers may only have as few as 7 or 8 thousand.

Why can't I find a certain newsgroup on my ISP's news server? 

With over 80,000 newsgroups, most ISP's do not have the resources to carry every single group. Usually they make the best choices they can and cut the rest. Also, with new groups appearing all the time, they may not have adjusted their system to receive some of the new groups.