I agree too. With any browser or operating system you need to keep up with
the security patches. Keep your spam and virus checker up to date and make
sure your firewall/router is configured correctly. Most isp providers now
add an extra level of protection on their servers too, but that is not an
excuse for letting your software get behind the hackers. :-) No matter
which you use. Some of the off brands I have seen named do offer a bit more
flexibility than outlook express (and I have tried a few) but I guess I
can't argue if somebody wants to tell me they are safer for some reason.
Discussing Browser/operating systems is a bit like discussing politics and
religion. Or viruses and whether ladyslippers are real orchids. It can get
touchy. I am a live-and-let-live person in a do-as-I-say world.

I am using outlook 6. something as my email program and it connects to an
old outlookexpress as the news reader. Don't have any problems. Most of my
spam and virus control is on my server/domain and not on my personal
computer behind the firewall. By the time something gets to my computer it
has been picked at several times already. I had switched to giganews,
leaving behind my adelphia news servers because they were crappy. Then
adelphia outsourced it's news servers to giganews and saved me 9 or 10
dollars a month. They do control a lot of the spam and I never see pictures
posted to the text newsgroups. Also they have the longest retention rate
for binary (Abpo) newsgroups, like 45 days.

I say, KB, figure out how to configure your current newsreader to use
giganews and see how it works out before making too many changes.


"wendy7" wrote in message
news:wRSDd.15973$yW5.9549@fed1read02...
I am with you Ray, albeit, I have a computer guru that helps me.
He did make Mozilla Firefox my default browser but can still use IE.
I use Outlook Express for reading my news groups.
I personally feel that a lot of problems users have is due to the
fact that their computers are not set up correctly.
--
Cheers Wendy

Remove PETERPAN for email reply

Ray wrote:
Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but what's wrong with IE and
OE?

IE has a popup blocker that's quite effective, and I have all sorts of
mail rules set up that block the vast majority of spam in OE.

Am I missing something THAT significantly different?


Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
.
"dusty" wrote in message
...
"K Barrett" wrote in
oups.com:

Hi all,

OK, this is on topic only because we're all reading this group on
computers, so I have a computer question.

My ISP changed to Giganews, making access to Usenet difficult.
Therefore I'm taking this opportunity to research changing from
Outlook
Express to some other news reader. I'm also taking this
opportunity to
finally stop using Internet Explorer as a browser. Something I
intended
to do 4-5 yrs ago, heh.

I'm considering Mozilla/Firefox and Agent. (Unless Mozilla has its
own
newsreader... hadn't thought of that)

Any input as to ease of use or frequency of attacks by
popups/worms/viruses etc with these alternate programs? Like would
they be more/less open to attack?

I find I have gotten stuck in my ways and only understand programs
of
the 1995-1998 vintage, so I'm anticipating a steep learning curve,
as
well as frustration and hair pulling when I make this switch. Its
hell
getting old.

K Barrett


I hated OE from day one and never could get it to work right or be
as
secure as I like.
I use Xnews as a news group reader it's freeware and easy to use.

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/xnews.html

I've heard that Giganews is supposed to be a great sevice but I've
never
tried it.

If you want a new NNTP client (Newsgroups) I use the totally
uncensored
Tera News the low cost package is a one time fee of $3.95 which
allows you
to download 50 meg a day. the retention varies from 3 to 8 days. The
also
have a ton of other packages here. note the $3.95 packages is at the
bottom
of the selections.
https://secure.usenetbilling.com/new...?referredby=10
89565316&action=Create+New+Account&vendor=teranews

hope this helps