"NormanM" wrote:
Google Groups isn't a news reader.

Of course, it is. It provides a browser interface to its news servers.


It isn't even an NNTP service.

That's a fairly narrow, and incorrect, definition of a news reader.

A news reader is any application or service that provides access to one or
more news servers. There is no requirement that NNTP be used between news
readers and servers. Even the Wikipedia explanation offers this point of
view, although I take exception to the Usenet limitation, to wit: "A
newsreader is an application program that reads articles on Usenet
(generally known as newsgroup), either directly from the news server's disks
or via the Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)."

An __open__ news server must support NNTP between it and generic news
readers like OE, simply because that is the current standard. But the
Google news servers are not open, AFAIK. (Aside: If anyone knows an open
URL for the Google news servers, please let me know.)

Also, a __public__ news server (i.e. Usenet server) must support NNTP at the
backend in order to receive and distribute postings in public newsgroups.
(Arguably, the news server itself does not need to support NNTP at the
"backend", as long as some other network application does.)

A completely private news server is not required to use NNTP for
distribution. Generally, it is unlikely that it doesn't, since there is no
point in reinventing the wheel. But there are reasons not to use NNTP (e.g.
security; see SNNTP).