What are Mail's incoming ,outgoing and newsgroup codes?

Question

I want to add Thunderbird as a second mail and newsgroup application because sometimes when you go over googles posting limit you need an alternative
what i am refering to is the
mail.something.com for incoming
stmp.something.com for the outgoing
and news.something .com for newsgroups
AND...........does mac have another way into usenet groups besides google?

Answer 1

CoffeehouseSchmuck,
There is no such thing as "macs specific codes" for standard POP or IMAP email accounts. The incoming & outgoing settings specify the servers your email application (like Mail.app or Thunderbird) connects to. These servers are maintained by providers like Google or .Mac with whom you have an email account. Any client app that complies with the POP or IMAP mail standard can be used with such accounts, regardless of the platform or OS it runs.
Moreover, Inboxes don't 'belong' to client applications but to accounts; thus, there is no such thing as a "Thunderbird inbox," at least in the sense you use it. However, in Mail.app or Thunderbird for example, you can create an account for each email provider, entering the individual, account-specific server information for each one.
Thus you could have for example a Verizon account, A Google mail account, & a .Mac account, each with its individual settings, mailboxes, etc.