Is Outlook Express the slowest newsreader in world history?

[Jay]

It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take forever
to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
somewhat.

It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.

Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?

Thanks - J.

 

[Jay]

"Jay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take forever
> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
> somewhat.
>
> It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
> techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>
> Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?
>
> Thanks - J.
>
Oh yeah; this should have been labeled OT.

I apologize - J.

 

[Hank Wirtz]

On Dec 3, 2:49 pm, "Jay" <[email protected]> wrote:
> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take forever
> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
> somewhat.
>
> It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
> techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>
> Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?
>
> Thanks - J.

TBird is Less Good than OE, in that the interface is roughly the same,
but doesn't support multipart messages. Neither supports yEnc
encoding..

For text-only groups, I use Google Groups. For binaries, I use Xnews.

 

[Mark Shroyer]

On 2007-12-03, Jay <[email protected]> wrote:
> Oh yeah; this should have been labeled OT.
>
> I apologize - J.

That's OK; such general lack of etiquette is to be expected of
Outlook Express users

I once used Mozilla for Usenet reading, back when Thunderbird was
still part of the Mozilla suite. I wasn't particularly impressed,
but it wasn't horrible either... it clearly took its cues from the
OE user interface. But heck, give it a try anyway to see if you
like it; it's a free download and all that.

As GUI newsreaders go, I think the best I've tried is Claws Mail:

http://www.claws-mail.org/

but it's a Linux/GTK+ application, so you probably wouldn't get it
running on Windows without jumping through some serious hoops
(unless you already have Windows Services for Unix or Cygwin and an
X11 server installed, by some odd chance).

--
Mark Shroyer
http://markshroyer.com/contact/

 

[Pat]

"Jay" > It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take
forever
> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
> somewhat.

Try turning your modem off, waiting about 10 sec and then turning it back
on. I think TCP/IP degrades after awhile. I have a DSL modem, and resetting
it seems to really speed up Outlook Express.

Pat in TX

 

[catzz66]

Hank Wirtz wrote:
> On Dec 3, 2:49 pm, "Jay" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take forever
>>to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
>>somewhat.
>>
>>It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
>>techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>>
>>Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?
>>
>>Thanks - J.
>
>
> TBird is Less Good than OE, in that the interface is roughly the same,
> but doesn't support multipart messages. Neither supports yEnc
> encoding..
>
> For text-only groups, I use Google Groups. For binaries, I use Xnews.

TBird is not too bad. You can filter a few ways. It is not elaborate
or very flexible, but it has at least been reliable for me. I would not
personally use Google Groups if I were going to be looking at an
unmoderated newsgroup. I don't have time to weed through the garbage
and troll posts.

 

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

"Jay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take forever
> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
> somewhat.
>
> It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
> techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>
> Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?
>
> Thanks - J.

I find OE plenty fast on a relatively-slow computer, and virtually immune to
lock-ups. Not the case for Outlook 2003, which frequently causes me grief.
In any event, the first place I'd look to find reasons for things bogging
down would be in your anti-virus & anti-spam software. Of course, others
will chime in that, with Linux, they don't need anti-virus software...

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

 

[landotter]

On Dec 3, 4:49 pm, "Jay" <[email protected]> wrote:
> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take forever
> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
> somewhat.
>
> It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
> techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>
> Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?
>
I used it before and it was simply OK. I also tried Opera as a
newsreader a year and a bit back and it was actually sort of
brilliant. Not very fancy, but sort of natty, fast and charming. Free,
so worth a whirl. I didn't stick to it as I don't enjoy it as a
browser, but for news and mail, it's kinda neat.

 

[Pete Biggs]

Jay wrote:
> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take
> forever to get what you need at that point. Closing and then
> re-starting OE helps somewhat.

I don't get that problem with OE.

~PB

 

[Michael Press]

In article
<[email protected]>,
"Jay" <[email protected]> wrote:

> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take forever
> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
> somewhat.
>
> It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
> techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>
> Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?

Once upon a time in a universe far far away on
planet Earth of the 1980's Microsoft applications
ran as fast as they do today, were as useful
as they are today, had better documentation than
they do today, and did not crash. DOS was kind
of lame as an operating system, but it mostly
worked to specification as well. Nobody will
label you Rattus rattus for abandoning ship.

--
Michael Press

 

[Martin Borsje]

Jay presented the following explanation :
> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take forever to
> get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
> somewhat.
>
> It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for techies,
> and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>
> Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?
>
> Thanks - J.

Read my header!

 

[Tom Sherman]

Jay Bollyn wrote:
> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take forever
> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
> somewhat.
>
> It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
> techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>
> Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?

Works for me. The only real deficiency is that cross-posted threads do
not automatically get marked as read in all groups subscribed to, which
some newsreaders do.

The price of Thunderbird is also right.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"Localized intense suction such as tornadoes is created when temperature
differences are high enough between meeting air masses, and can impart
excessive energy onto a cyclist." - Randy Schlitter

 

[Tom Sherman]

catzz66 ??? wrote:
> Hank Wirtz wrote:
>> On Dec 3, 2:49 pm, "Jay" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take
>>> forever
>>> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE
>>> helps
>>> somewhat.
>>>
>>> It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
>>> techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>>>
>>> Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?
>>>
>>> Thanks - J.
>>
>>
>> TBird is Less Good than OE, in that the interface is roughly the same,
>> but doesn't support multipart messages. Neither supports yEnc
>> encoding..
>>
>> For text-only groups, I use Google Groups. For binaries, I use Xnews.
>
> TBird is not too bad. You can filter a few ways. It is not elaborate
> or very flexible, but it has at least been reliable for me. I would not
> personally use Google Groups if I were going to be looking at an
> unmoderated newsgroup. I don't have time to weed through the garbage
> and troll posts.

The big issues with Google Groups are mangling of user names, weird
things when quoting text, not recognizing the signature separator, and
worst of all, posting limitations to prevent its use by spammers.
However, the posting limit is way too low, and participating an a lively
discussion can get your posting privileges suspended for a few hours.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"Localized intense suction such as tornadoes is created when temperature
differences are high enough between meeting air masses, and can impart
excessive energy onto a cyclist." - Randy Schlitter

 

[catzz66]

Tom Sherman wrote:
> Jay Bollyn wrote:
>
>> It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take
>> forever to get what you need at that point. Closing and then
>> re-starting OE helps somewhat.
>>
>> It also seems like MS has assumed that the nntp protocol is only for
>> techies, and they will find their own way, with non-MS news readers.
>>
>> Anyone like Mozilla Thunderbird as a news reader?
>
>
> Works for me. The only real deficiency is that cross-posted threads do
> not automatically get marked as read in all groups subscribed to, which
> some newsreaders do.
>
> The price of Thunderbird is also right.
>

Illustration of one of the limitations of TBird: This poster changes
his profile (the one in brackets) email address every so often but does
not change his screen name, so you have to edit your filter since TBird
doesn't filter by screen name but runs off of the email address in
brackets. But as he notes, it is free.

 

[Jay]

"Pat" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
>
> "Jay" > It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take
> forever
>> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
>> somewhat.
>
> Try turning your modem off, waiting about 10 sec and then turning it back
> on. I think TCP/IP degrades after awhile. I have a DSL modem, and
> resetting it seems to really speed up Outlook Express.
>
> Pat in TX
I tried power cycling both my cable modem and my wireless router, and that
did help this time. I am using a wired connection. I rarely power either
device off.

Thanks all for the suggestions - J.

 

[Jay]

"Pat" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
>
> "Jay" > It seems like OE goes to sleep after brief inactivity. It can take
> forever
>> to get what you need at that point. Closing and then re-starting OE helps
>> somewhat.
>
> Try turning your modem off, waiting about 10 sec and then turning it back
> on. I think TCP/IP degrades after awhile. I have a DSL modem, and
> resetting it seems to really speed up Outlook Express.
>
> Pat in TX
I tried power cycling both my cable modem and my wireless router, and that
did help this time. I am using a wired connection. I rarely power either
device off.

Thanks all for the suggestions - J.