File | New settings file…

Launch a fresh copy of MacSOUP, the choose "File | New settings file…". The account name is only for your convenience, POP user data are required but if you do not plane to cjeck mail with MacSOUP they do nto need to be real. Save settings in a new folder somewhere in your home directory.

Preferences: edit your default personality

Choose "MacSOUP|Preferences…", select your default personality then "Edit" it.

Enter your data

"Real name" is the name your messages will display.

Environment is ready

Now you are ready to access usenet newsgroups.
You will se the list of the newsgroup you subscribed: it is empty, now, and we will follow the necessary steps to set up a news server access and subscribe "it.comp.macintosh" - please note that "it." stands for "Italian", it is an Italian speaking newsgroup.

Set up news (nntp) server

Choose "MacSOUP|Preferences…", and select "Server" from the window top menu. Enter your NNTP Host name (news server, check it with your ISP), and (only if needed) the needed user name and password.

Connect to the server

Choose "Special|Connect to server…" for your first connection. Leave setting as per this picture, and press "Start" button.

Subscribe it.comp.macintosh

After a long fetch, the full list of all available newsgroups appears. Locate "it.comp,macintosh" and drag it on the Settings window in order to subscribe it.

Subscribe it.comp.macintosh

It is also possible to subribe a newsgroup directly, avoiding the long all-groups-list fecth: choose menu "Special|New newsgroup…" and type "it.comp.macintosh" directly.

Fetch news

Once more choose "Special|Connect to server…" (⌘K), leave options as per the picture and press "OK". Note: further connections can be placed with the same settings (skipping this dialog) by pressing "⌘⌥K" ("Special|Connect to server").

How many articles you want to fetch?

This dialog will appear the first time for sure, and possibly in the future if the amount of available articles exceed the default limit (in order to change this limit select the newsgroup in Settings Window, Get info "⌘i", "Article Limits")

Article list

Download articles then double click the newsgroup: its article list appears. Articles are sorted as per the active column on the top, and grouped together as per the "Group Threads" checkbox.

What kind of articles you want to see in this list?

In the bottom left corner of the window you can choose the kind of articles you want to display (by default: "Unread")

Read an article

Double click an article in order to read it. The thread map is above the message. Once in a thread you can browse it by clicking a message map button, or pressing numbers on numeric pad, or using ">" and "<" for a "smart" browsing.

Follow-up a message (reply on the newsgroup)

Select the text you want to quote and press "F". IMPORTANT: when composing a message (like now) you do not need any special action to send it, close its window and it will be queued for sending at the next connection. Then in order to delete the outgoing message you can not simply close it, you need to press "⌘D" and delete it.

Choose a signature

Be sure that you have not outgoing message(s) queued (otherwise delete or send them), then select "MacSOUP|Preferences…" and choose "Accounts". Select your Default personality (lower section) and press "Edit".

Choose a signature

Click on "Signature…" button and edit your signature (unckeck the checkbox on the top). A signature must begin with a line with "-- " (dash-dash-blank) and return (sign delimiter), then a maximum of 4 lines.

© and credits

Article and original source material have been prepared for faqintosh.com

Author: Marco Balestra