List of news clients
Encyclopedia
There are several different types of newsreaders, depending on the type of service the user needs - whether intended primarily for discussion or for downloading files posted to the alt.binaries hierarchy. Although Usenet
originally started as a message board without any file attachment ability, many Usenet users today do not participate in NNTP discussion groups, as was common during the 1980s and 1990s before the emergence of website forums, and only use Newsgroups for downloading files such as music, movies, software and games. Therefore, their needs call for a streamlined client for quickly grabbing binary attachments, and without the extraneous clutter of text reading and posting features that file downloaders have little use for. As more recently-developed binary downloading clients have dropped header support entirely, for more experienced users the preferred way remains to download all headers in the newsgroups of their choice, when it is done regularly the process is not time consuming if the newsreader has the ability to store older headers and thus only downloads newer ones.
Free
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
originally started as a message board without any file attachment ability, many Usenet users today do not participate in NNTP discussion groups, as was common during the 1980s and 1990s before the emergence of website forums, and only use Newsgroups for downloading files such as music, movies, software and games. Therefore, their needs call for a streamlined client for quickly grabbing binary attachments, and without the extraneous clutter of text reading and posting features that file downloaders have little use for. As more recently-developed binary downloading clients have dropped header support entirely, for more experienced users the preferred way remains to download all headers in the newsgroups of their choice, when it is done regularly the process is not time consuming if the newsreader has the ability to store older headers and thus only downloads newer ones.
Types of clients
- Text newsreaders – designed primarily for reading/posting text posts; virtually unusable for downloading binary attachments (example: most email clients such as Outlook Express and Netscape).
- Traditional newsreaders – text-capable newsreaders which can also handle binary attachments, although not as efficiently as more specialized types of clients (example: Forté AgentForté AgentForté Agent is an email and Usenet news client used on the Windows operating system. Agent was conceived, designed and developed by Mark Sidell and the team at Forté Internet Software in 1994 to address the need for an online/offline newsreader which capitalized on the emerging Windows GUI framework...
and XNewsXnewsXnews is a freeware Usenet newsreader created by Luu Tran. It is written in Delphi, and it is 100% GNKSA 2.0 compliant. Some of its features were inspired by the program NewsXpress....
) - Binary grabbers/pluckers – designed specifically for easy and efficient downloading of multi-part binary post attachments; limited or nonexistent reading/posting ability. These generally offer multi-server and multi-connection support. Most now support NZBNZBNZB is an XML-based file format for retrieving posts from NNTP servers. The format was conceived by the developers of the Newzbin.com Usenet Index. NZB is effective when used with search-capable websites. These websites create NZB files out of what is needed to be downloaded...
s, and several either support or plan to support automatic Par2PAR2PAR2 may refer to:* Parchive , an error correction system for computer files* Protease Activated Receptor 2, a G-protein coupled receptor protein...
processing. (example: GrabItGrabItGrabIt is a Windows-based freeware newsreader programmed and developed by Ilan Shemes.-History:Ilan Shemes has been making GrabIt changes since the program has been introduced...
, NewsbinNewsBinNewsbin Pro is a news client used on the Windows operating system. Written in 1995 and distributed as Shareware, it was one of the first news clients dedicated to downloading binary content from Usenet...
, NewsleecherNewsLeecherNewsLeecher is a binary Usenet client for the Microsoft Windows operating system.-Uses:Although NewsLeecher is generally considered a Combination client used to read and download binary and text content from usenet newsgroups, it currently has very limited posting capabilities, and does not support...
) Some additionally support video and audio streaming. (example: BinTubeBinTubeBinTube is a binary Usenet client for the Microsoft Windows operating system.-Features:BinTube streams video, audio and images directly from Usenet...
) - NZB downloaders – a binary grabber client without header support – cannot browse groups or read/post text messages; can only load 3rd-party NZBs to download binary post attachments (Example: NZB-O-Matic, SABnzbd, Ninan). Some incorporate an interface for accessing selected NZB search websites, although it may require revision when supported website changes its format or even ceases to exist. (Example: Alt.Binz).
- Binary Posting Clients – designed specifically and exclusively for posting multi-part binary files. (example: PowerPost, Sharkpost)
- Combination client – Jack-of-all-trades that fully supports text reading/posting, as well as hassle-free multi-segment binary downloading and automatic Par2PAR2PAR2 may refer to:* Parchive , an error correction system for computer files* Protease Activated Receptor 2, a G-protein coupled receptor protein...
processing. Being the most complex and feature-rich, these also tend to be the most difficult to learn. (example: Usenet ExplorerUsenet ExplorerUsenet Explorer is a news client for the Microsoft Windows operating system . It is designed to handle binary and text Usenet posts, and is capable of handling newsgroups as large as hundred million headers...
)
Commercial software
- BinbotBinbotBinbot is a newsreader for downloading binary content from Usenet. It is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux....
- BinTubeBinTubeBinTube is a binary Usenet client for the Microsoft Windows operating system.-Features:BinTube streams video, audio and images directly from Usenet...
- Forté AgentForté AgentForté Agent is an email and Usenet news client used on the Windows operating system. Agent was conceived, designed and developed by Mark Sidell and the team at Forté Internet Software in 1994 to address the need for an online/offline newsreader which capitalized on the emerging Windows GUI framework...
- Lotus NotesLotus NotesLotus Notes is the client of a collaborative platform originally created by Lotus Development Corp. in 1989. In 1995 Lotus was acquired by IBM and became known as the Lotus Development division of IBM and is now part of the IBM Software Group...
- Netscape CommunicatorNetscape CommunicatorNetscape Communicator was an Internet suite produced by Netscape Communications Corporation. Initially released in June 1997, Netscape Communicator 4.0 was the successor to Netscape Navigator 3.x and included more groupware features intended to appeal to enterprises.- Editions :Netscape...
(superseded by Mozilla) - NewsBinNewsBinNewsbin Pro is a news client used on the Windows operating system. Written in 1995 and distributed as Shareware, it was one of the first news clients dedicated to downloading binary content from Usenet...
- NewsMan ProNewsman ProNewsMan Pro is a Usenet newsreader supporting the browsing and reading of text messages posted to Usenet newsgroups as well as full support for binary newsgroup downloading....
- NewsLeecherNewsLeecherNewsLeecher is a binary Usenet client for the Microsoft Windows operating system.-Uses:Although NewsLeecher is generally considered a Combination client used to read and download binary and text content from usenet newsgroups, it currently has very limited posting capabilities, and does not support...
- Novell GroupWiseNovell GroupWiseGroupWise is a messaging and collaborative software platform from Novell that supports email, calendaring, personal information management, instant messaging, and document management. The platform consists of the client software, which is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and the server...
- Windows MailWindows MailWindows Mail is an email and newsgroup client included in Windows Vista, that was superseded by Windows Live Mail. It is the successor to Outlook Express. Microsoft previewed Windows Mail on Channel 9 on October 10, 2005....
– replaced Outlook ExpressOutlook ExpressOutlook Express is an email and news client that is included with Internet Explorer versions 4.0 through 6.0. As such, it is also bundled with several versions of Microsoft Windows, from Windows 98 to Windows Server 2003, and is available for Windows 3.x, Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95 and Mac OS 9...
for Windows Vista – terminated by Windows 7 - Windows Live MailWindows Live MailWindows Live Mail is a free of charge email client from Microsoft's Windows Live set of products. It is intended to be a successor for Outlook Express on Windows XP and Windows Mail on Windows Vista...
– replaced Outlook Express for Windows XP; optional for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 - TurnpikeTurnpike (software)Turnpike is a British-developed software suite for Microsoft Windows, originally written by Chris Hall and Richard Clayton . The suite, which comprises a combined email and news client as well as a separate program for handling the Internet connection aspects, first appeared in 1995...
- UnisonUnison (Usenet client)Unison is a commercial Mac OS X client for Usenet, developed by Panic Software. It supports binary downloading , group browsing and segmenting and error checking utilities...
– for Mac OS X - Usenet ExplorerUsenet ExplorerUsenet Explorer is a news client for the Microsoft Windows operating system . It is designed to handle binary and text Usenet posts, and is capable of handling newsgroups as large as hundred million headers...
Freeware
- 40tude Dialog40tude Dialog40tude Dialog is a newsreader and email client for Windows, written in Delphi. It is considered donationware and is free for personal use. Commercial users are required to pay a registration fee....
- GrabItGrabItGrabIt is a Windows-based freeware newsreader programmed and developed by Ilan Shemes.-History:Ilan Shemes has been making GrabIt changes since the program has been introduced...
- IBM Web ExplorerIBM Web ExplorerIBM WebExplorer was an early web browser designed at IBM facilities in the Research Triangle Park for OS/2.-History:Presented in 1994 with OS/2 Warp , it was hailed as the best browser by Internet Magazine in their November issue and leveraged its position as the only native browser in OS/2 at that...
- Opera Mail
- XnewsXnewsXnews is a freeware Usenet newsreader created by Luu Tran. It is written in Delphi, and it is 100% GNKSA 2.0 compliant. Some of its features were inspired by the program NewsXpress....
FreeFree softwareFree software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
/open source software
- ArgoArgo (web browser)Argo was part of a project to make the Internet accessible to scholars in the Humanities at the University of Groningen. The Argo web browser was created in August 1994 by Bert Bos....
(discontinued) - ArachneArachne (web browser)Arachne is a full-screen Internet suite containing a graphical web browser, email client, and dialer. It primarily runs on DOS based operating systems, but includes builds for Linux as well, but should not be used with X...
(with aranews.apm package) (discontinued) - ArenaArena (web browser)The Arena browser was an early testbed web browser and web authoring tool for Unix. Originally authored by Dave Raggett in 1993, the browser continued its development at CERN and the World Wide Web Consortium and subsequently by Yggdrasil Computing...
(discontinued) - Beonex CommunicatorBeonex CommunicatorBeonex Communicator was an open source internet suite based on the Mozilla Application Suite by Ben Bucksch, a German Mozilla developer, which have a higher security and privacy level than other commercial products....
(discontinued) - Claws MailClaws MailClaws Mail is a free, GTK+-based, open source email and news client. It offers easy configuration and an abundance of features. It stores mail in the MH mailbox format and also the Mbox mailbox format via a plugin...
- Groundhog – for Android
- KLibidoKLibidoKLibido is a news client for the KDE desktop, developed by Alessandro Bonometti . It supports multiple servers, multiple connections, a database back-end and mass saving of multi-part attachments encoded in uuencode, yEnc and base64; images in common formats can be viewed inline. It also supports...
- KNode (may be embedded in KontactKontactKMail supports folders, filtering, viewing HTML mail, and international character sets. It can handle IMAP, IMAP IDLE, dIMAP, POP3, and local mailboxes for incoming mail. It can send mail via SMTP or sendmail...
) - MicroPlanet GravityMicroPlanet GravityMicroPlanet Gravity is a full featured Windows Usenet online/offline news client with an extensive feature list.Gravity was originally released in 1996. Numerous features were added over the years. Gravity originally started as shareware, and later as freeware. It is now open source under the BSD...
- Mozilla Mail & NewsgroupsMozilla Mail & NewsgroupsMozilla Mail & Newsgroups is an e-mail and news client that is part of the Mozilla Application Suite....
(discontinued, renamed to SeaMonkey) - Mozilla ThunderbirdMozilla ThunderbirdMozilla Thunderbird is a free, open source, cross-platform e-mail and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. The project strategy is modeled after Mozilla Firefox, a project aimed at creating a web browser...
- PanPan (newsreader)Pan is a news client for multiple operating systems, developed by Charles Kerr and others. It supports offline reading, multiple servers, multiple connections, fast article header filtering and mass saving of multi-part attachments encoded in uuencode, yEnc and base64; images in common formats can...
- SABnzbdSABnzbdSABnzbd is a multi-platform open source news client targeted at efficient retrieval of Usenet binary posts.It's written in Python and works on Windows, Mac OS X and POSIX-compliant systems. It tries to offer maximum automation in downloading and post processing.Contrary to conventional news...
- SeaMonkey Mail & NewsgroupsSeaMonkeySeaMonkey is a free and open source cross-platform Internet suite. It is the continuation of the former Mozilla Application Suite, based on the same source code...
- SpotnetSpotnetSpotnet is a protocol on top of Usenet, providing a decentralized alternative to usenet indexing websites, and the NZB format in general.-Clients:...
- SylpheedSylpheedSylpheed is an open source e-mail client and news client licensed under the GPL. It provides easy configuration and an abundance of features. It stores mail in the MH Message Handling System. Sylpheed runs on Unix-like systems such as Linux or BSD as well as on Mac OS X and Windows. It uses...
- XPNXPN (newsreader)XPN is a news client written in Python and based on the GTK+ library.- Features :It offers a good MIME support, scoring system, filtered views, random tag-lines, external editor support, one-key navigation, ROT13, Face and X-Face headers decoding, spoiler char and many more...
Text-based
- AgoraAgora (web browser)Agora was a World Wide Web email browser and was a proof of concept to help people to use the full internet. Agora was an email-based web browser designed for non-graphic terminals and to help people without full access to the internet such as in developing countries or without a permanent internet...
(email server, discontinued) - AlpineAlpine (e-mail client)Alpine is a free software email client developed at the University of Washington.Alpine 1.0 was publicly released on December 20, 2007.The name "Alpine" stands for Alternatively Licensed Program for Internet News and Email....
- cgCg (newsreader)cg is a binary grabbing news client for the command line. It combines available files and shows the user a selection in an editor. It supports mass saving and decoding of multi-part attachments encoded in uuencode, yEnc and base64. cg is free software licensed under the GNU General Public Licence....
- GnusGnusGnus is a message reader running under GNU Emacs and XEmacs. It supports reading and composing both news and e-mail.Gnus blurs the distinction between news and e-mail, treating them both as "articles" that come from different sources. News articles are kept separate by group, and e-mail can be...
(EmacsEmacsEmacs is a class of text editors, usually characterized by their extensibility. GNU Emacs has over 1,000 commands. It also allows the user to combine these commands into macros to automate work.Development began in the mid-1970s and continues actively...
based) - Line Mode Browser
- LynxLynx (web browser)Lynx is a text-based web browser for use on cursor-addressable character cell terminals and is very configurable.-Usage:Browsing in Lynx consists of highlighting the chosen link using cursor keys, or having all links on a page numbered and entering the chosen link's number. Current versions support...
(has limited Usenet support) - MuttMutt (e-mail client)Mutt is a text-based email client for Unix-like systems. It was originally written by Michael Elkins in 1995 and released under the GNU General Public License version 2 or any later version....
- nnNn (newsreader)nn is a Unix-based news client, which is a client software program for accessing Usenet servers.nn was originally written in 1984 by Kim F. Storm to provide an alternative more user-friendly way to access Usenet than the existing newsreaders. nn is currently at version 6.7.3, and is now...
- PinePine (e-mail client)Pine is a freeware, text-based email client developed at the University of Washington. The first version of this client was written in 1989. Source code was available for only the Unix version under a license written by the University of Washington...
- rnRn (newsreader)rn is a news client written by Larry Wall and originally released in 1984. It was one of the first newsreaders to take full advantage of character-addressable CRT terminals...
- SlrnSlrnslrn is an open source text-based news client. It was originally developed for Unix-like operating systems, but is now available for many other operating systems, including Microsoft Windows....
- tinTin (newsreader)tin is an open source text-based and threaded news client, used to read and post messages on the USENET global communications network.-History:...
- wanderlust (Emacs based)