Managing Newsgroups

Finding a newsgroup

There are three ways to find a newsgroup that interests you: browsing by category, browsing by name hierarchy, and searching by name.

Browsing newsgroups by category

Unison's newsgroup directory provides a categorized list of some (but by no means all) newsgroups in a more human-readable way. It is well suited for Usenet beginners.

Click on a topic icon, such as Crafts, to see a list of possibly related newsgroups. The list of newsgroups is extracted from the master list of all groups available on your server using simple keyword matching. Unison is not programmed to show any specific newsgroups to you. Furthermore, Unison can only show you newsgroups which exist on your particular server.

To use the newsgroup directory, click Directory, located in the Newsgroups section of the source list:

Browsing newsgroups by name hierarchy

The names of Usenet newsgroups are made up of hierarchical sections which hint at their content. For example, the newsgroup comp.sys.mac.apps is about Mac applications, while comp.sys.mac.hardware is about Mac hardware.

Unison's All Groups browser lets you navigate section-by-section through this hierarchy of names. For example, you can navigate to comp > sys > mac to see all of the available Mac-related newsgroups:

To use the All Groups browser, click All Groups, located in the Newsgroups section of the source list:

Note that the All Groups browser is sorted by post count, with the most popular sections appearing at the top of each column. You may see similar-sounding or nonsensical newsgroup names in the list, as there is not much formal regulation of newsgroup creation. A high post count is a sign of a healthy, active newsgroup.

Searching for newsgroups by name

If you already know the name of the newsgroup you want to view, it's easiest just to search for it.

To search for a newsgroup by name:

  1. Click on All Groups, located in the Newsgroups section of the source list:
  2. Click in the Search Newsgroups field, located in the window toolbar
  3. Type the name of a newsgroup, such as comp.sys.mac.hardware:

Matching newsgroups will be displayed in a list, alongside their post count.

Opening newsgroups

To open a newsgroup, double click it.

Newsgroups appear in the Newsgroups section of the source list once opened, for quick access. They remain there unless manually deleted, so you do not need to explicitly "bookmark" or "favorite" a newsgroup you want to re-visit later.

Newsgroups in the source list will appear in bold type if new items have been posted since Unison last checked.

Deleting newsgroups

To delete a newsgroup from Unison's source list:

  1. Click the newsgroup you wish to delete from the Newsgroups section of the source list
  2. Click the - button located near the lower-left corner of the window:

Alternatively, you can just drag the unwanted newsgroup out of the source list.

Renaming newsgroups

You can rename a newsgroup once it has been added to the source list to something that is easier to read.

To rename a newsgroup:

  1. Click once on the newsgroup in the Newsgroups section of the source list to make sure it is selected
  2. Click once again on the newsgroup, without moving the mouse cursor away from the name for at least one full second
  3. Type the desired new name in the text field that appears
  4. Press return

Creating newsgroup folders

You can group similar newsgroups into a folder. To create a folder:

  1. Click the gear-shaped action button near the lower-left of the window:
  2. Choose New Folder
  3. Type a name for the new folder
  4. Press return

Newsgroups can be moved into the folder by dragging them with the mouse.

When you select a folder in the source list, you will see a combined view of all newsgroups within that folder.

Changing newsgroup preferences

Each newsgroup has some individually customizable preferences. To change a newsgroup's preferences:

  1. Without clicking, move your mouse over the newsgroup in the source list
  2. Click on the i button that appears:

The available options are: