This article is based on material authored by members of the news.newusers.questions Moderation Board and nnq-workers mailing list, particularly by Kathy Morgan (until 2005) and Thor Kottelin (since 2007).

Finding an offline newsreader

Microsoft ¨ Outlook Express and Mozilla Seamonkey can be used offline, but they do not have the more powerful features normally found in a stand-alone newsreader. (If you do decide to use one of them, be sure you configure it not to post HTML or attach Vcards to newsgroups postings.) If you are interested in finding a better newsreader, here are some suggestions.

Windows: FortŽ Agent

Agent is one of the best offline newsreaders available for Microsoft^® Windows^®. (Free Agent has been discontinued.)

For assistance in using Agent, subscribe to the newsgroup alt.usenet.offline-reader.forte-agent.

Mac OS: MacSOUP

A good offline newsreader for the Macintosh is MacSOUP. It is a shareware program; you can try it for free, but if you decide to keep it, you should pay for it.

Where to find more alternatives

• NewsReaders.com is an excellent source of information about newsreaders for all systems.
• You can visit the newsgroup news.software.readers, and ask which newsreaders are made for your system.
• For information about desirable behavior in a newsreader, and reviews of many newsreaders, please visit the Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval (GNKSA) site.