Best IDL Newsgroup Server

QUESTION: I've always used Google Groups to access the IDL newsgroup (comp.lang.idl-pvwave). But lately, this group is filled with articles about Hot College Girls Having Sex or some such thing. What do other people use to access this important resource without subjecting themselves to all this spam?

ANSWER: Yes, there is no question that Google Groups is going downhill fast and is filled more and more with spam articles. Several people have offered alternatives and I present some of their suggestions here. Personally, I use a paid newsgroup service named Giganews. I pay $9 a month for the service and read the newsgroup with the MicroPlanet Gravity news reader. I like this combination very much, as I typically see posted articles immediately. I like the way Gravity organizes and lays out the articles for me to read. I have only seen spam articles on rare occasions in the IDL newsgroup using Giganews.

Another (free) solution is to install Thunderbird as your news group reader, and add a newsgroup account on the AIOE Public News Server. A newsgroup reader reported that he was able to get this solution up and running on his Mac computer in less than five minutes and that the newsgroup spam had disappeared.

Another free alternative newsgroup server is the one at Eternal September. This one has a port 80 option that may work better with some installed firewalls.

If you are looking for a news reader on Windows, you will have to use Outlook Express on older operating systems (not Outlook), or Windows Live Mail on more current operating systems.

Version of IDL used to prepare this article: IDL 7.1.2