Academic Computing Services
QUICK STUDY #7
March 2001
Reading News Groups Using Netscape Communicator
These instructions are for reading various news groups using the Netscape
Communicator Web browser program, which is available on RCS, and is also
available for users to install free-of-charge on a PC or Macintosh. (Please
note that these instructions apply specifically to Netscape Communicator, and
not to the Netscape Navigator browser.)
If you're using RCS, the package is already available on the system.
However, if you're a PC or Mac user who's currently running another web
browser, and are upgrading to Communicator, you can use your current browser
to download the software. (Please refer to the webpage located at the URL
http://www.netscape.com for how-to information.)
To start Netscape on a UNIX machine, select the
Communicator: Netscape Communicator option from the RCS Applications
menu.
To start Netscape on a PC or Mac, double-click on the Netscape
Communicator icon on your computer.
Please note that these instructions apply to PCs, UNIX machines, and Macintosh
computers alike.
To access Netscape's newsgroup utility, simply click on the
Read Newsgroups icon on the component bar, which is located in the
lower right corner of the
Netscape window.
You may also access the Newsgroups utility by pulling down the
Communicator menu at the top of the Netscape window and selecting
the Newsgroups option.
When you access the utility on a PC, you will end up in a Netscape Newsgroup
window. On a UNIX machine, a Netscape Message Center window will appear.
On a Macintosh, a News Server "news" window will appear.
Before you can participate in any discussion groups, you will need to
provide Netscape with the appropriate setup options. To do this,
pull down the Edit menu and select
the Preferences... menu option. Next:
If you're using a PC,
click on the plus sign (+) to the immediate left of the
Mail & Newsgroups option, and select the Newsgroup Servers
option.
If you're using a UNIX workstation, click on the
symbol to the immediate left of the News & Newsgroups option,
then select the Newsgroups Servers option.
If you're
using a Mac, click on the
symbol, then select the
News Servers option.
If you are using a PC or a UNIX machine, make sure that the Newsgroups Servers
field is usenet.rpi.edu. (In both cases, this should be indicated as
being the default.) If you are using a Mac, make sure that the
News Servers field also contains a default entry of usenet.rpi.edu.
In all cases, if the default settings do not appear as noted above,
left-click on the Add... button. In the separate window that appears,
enter usenet.rpi.edu in the Server or Host field, and 119 in the
Port field.
Once you have the correct settings, click on the OK button; the
Netscape Preferences window will close.
When the Netscape Message Center window opens, you will see any electronic
mail options that you have setup, as well as the usenet.rpi.edu
option, displayed. (If you are interested in setting up Netscape mail on
the UNIX platform, please refer to Quick Study #6, Using Netscape Mail
in the UNIX Environment, for more information.)
If you are using a PC or UNIX machine, activate the usenet.rpi.edu line by
right-clicking on it, then select the Subscribe to Newsgroups... option
from the pop-up sub-menu that appears. (If you are using a UNIX machine,
you may also left-click on the
usenet.rpi.edu line in the Netscape Message Center window, then left-click on
the Subscribe button at the top of the window.) On a Mac, double-click
on the usenet.rpi.edu line.
In all cases, the window contents will change to
display a listing of all the individual news feeds and discussion groups
that are available through the RPI news server.
Use the scroll bar located on the right of the window to scroll up and
down to view the possible lists to which you can subscribe; the RPI
discussion groups are located toward the bottom of the listing, under
rpi.*. If a discussion group has additional discussions below its
listed entry, a plus sign (+) will appear in front of it.
Once you select a discussion in which you would like to participate, you
must subscribe to it. To do this, click on the desired discussion group
to highlight it, then click on the Subscribe button to the right side
of the window. (This should apply to PCs, UNIX machines, and Macs alike.)
Any time you would like to subscribe to or see the entire listing of news
feeds, reactivate the usenet.rpi.edu line, and select the Subscribe
option, as described above.
The news reader automatically tracks which newsgroup entries you have seen,
and which you have not. You can close a newsgroup at any time by
pulling down the File menu in the Netscape Message Center window, and
selecting the Close menu option; select the Exit option to
close Netscape entirely.
On a PC, first right-click on
the discussion to select it, then select the Mark
Discussion Group Read option; on a UNIX machine, right-click on the
discussion and select the Mark
All Read option. If you're using a Mac, pull down the Message menu
at the top of the window, select the mark option, and then select
Mark All Read.
On a PC, right-click
on the group you want to remove, then select the
Remove Newsgroup option; on a UNIX machine, right-click on the
desired group, and select the
Unsubscribe option. On a Mac, left-click on the group you wish to remove,
pull down the Edit menu, and select the Unsubscribe option.
To use Netscape's built-in on-line Help utility, start Netscape Communicator
as previously described, and select the Help menu option at the
top of the Netscape window; this applies to any platform. Next, if you're
using a PC, select Help Contents; if you're using a UNIX machine or
a Mac, select Help.
Published by Academic Computing Services, RPI, Troy, NY 12180
Send comments to consult@rpi.edu.