Anyone use NNTP??

Is anyone using NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) to download stuff? If so, how exactly does it work and what programs do I need to run it on my notebook?

 

You bet! The usenet is a fantastic source of information and a very popular software/movie/audio repository. I've used newsgroups for over 10 years and highly recommend them.

For background info, check out this entry in the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsgroup

I use Forte Agent - it's a great NNTP client. They have a free version and a paid version, and I highly recommend trying out the free one to get a feel for the usenet and then moving up to the paid version if you find yourself using newsgroups often.

Most (but not all) ISPs provide a free newsgroup feed. Contact your ISP for more information. There are also paid newsgroup feeds like Giganews, Newsgroup.com, and Newsdemon, just to name a few. Paid feeds are much better than the ISP provided ones for several reasons: larger list of newsgroups, allowing multiple connections, multiple servers, and longer retention.

If all you are looking for are binaries (programs, music, etc), then you might want to look at binary downloaders. Even though I download binaries often, I prefer using a standard reader like Agent.