How to Access Usenet Newsgroups in Firefox

Firefox, a product of the Mozilla open source software community, does not directly support Usenet newsgroups like Microsoft Internet Explorer does. If you are a Firefox user, you can access the Usenet newsgroups using another Mozilla product, Thunderbird. Thunderbird is Mozilla's popular free email and newsreader application. Like Firefox, Thunderbird is available in versions for Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access

Instructions

1. Download Thunderbird from the Mozilla Messaging Web site. See the Resources section of this article for a link to the Thunderbird Web site.

2. Install Thunderbird on your computer system.

3. Set up a newsgroup account. Select Accounts > Add Account, from the Tools menu, and specify the type of account to be a newsgroup. Enter your name, email address, and newsgroup server address in the windows presented by the account wizard. Give the account a name that reflects its purpose, such as "My Newsgroups."

4. Configure the newsgroup account. Select Account Settings from the Tools menu and enter the port number and any other desired server settings.

5. Access the newsgroup by clicking on the account name in your list of accounts on the main Thunderbird screen. Enter your user identification and password, if requested by the news server.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask your Internet access provider for the newsgroup server address and port number.

References

• University of Illinois: University of Illinois: Mozilla Thunderbird Newsreader Configuration
• Newsgroup Reviews: How to Download and Configure Thunderbird

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Mozilla Thunderbird