This page documents how to access the Montreal Greek Times Unicorn (MGT Unicorn), a non-mainstream, parallel infrastructure operated by THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES.
MGT Unicorn is an Origin Polyprotocol Publishing System (OPPS) that distributes current journalism, radio programming, and emergency alerts across legacy, alternative, and privacy-oriented network environments. It extends the live output of THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES beyond contemporary web and app ecosystems into historically significant protocols and specialized access paths, while preserving the character of each medium.
Rooted in our 1994 online broadcasting history, Unicorn functions both as a heritage publishing environment and as a live operational distribution system. It is intended for technically proficient users, retro-computing enthusiasts, researchers, archivists, privacy-conscious readers, and others who value standards-based or non-mainstream access methods. Users are expected to configure and operate compatible software independently. Technical support is not provided.
Depending on the access point used, readers and listeners can follow current headlines, open full articles, search the live article corpus, retrieve terminal-ready bulletins, browse archives, download print replica PDFs, podcasts, and software, subscribe through feed and newsreader technologies, listen to live radio, and access official emergency alerts through alternative delivery paths.
This is not our primary publishing platform. Our modern website, mobile applications, connected TV apps, and contemporary streaming services remain the recommended access points for the general public.
PDF compatibility note: The MGT Unicorn print replica PDFs are produced as PDF 1.3 and are compatible with Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 on Windows 95 or higher, as well as many legacy PDF viewers on classic operating systems.
Web 1.0 mirror
A lightweight, text-first web environment designed for early browsers and low-resource systems.
What you will find:
Current Montreal Greek Times headlines, full articles, and active emergency alert notices presented in a classic Web 1.0 layout compatible with early graphical browsers.
How to access:
Designed for early web browsers including NCSA Mosaic and Netscape Navigator. Modern browsers can also access it normally.
URL:
http://retro.greektimes.ca
An optional Active Channel subscription is available for Internet Explorer 4.0, preserving the push-style content model of the late 1990s, widely associated with Windows 98 Active Desktop environments. It represents an early precursor to modern RSS syndication. To our knowledge, it is the only Internet Explorer Active Channel presently maintained by a print newspaper operation anywhere in the world.
Gopher
Gopher is a small, quiet corner of the Internet and a predecessor of the World Wide Web. It provides structured, menu-driven navigation without scripts, advertising, or client-side complexity. Today, roughly 200 or so Gopher servers are believed to remain active worldwide, and THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES operates one of them.
What you will find:
A fast, hierarchical directory of current headlines, full articles, archives, active emergency alerts, downloadable alert audio where available, news sound clips where available, and access to the print replica edition of THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES in PDF. Images and sound clips made available through our Gopher service use the historically native .gif image and .au audio formats associated with the Gopher era, preserving period-correct image and audio delivery for compatible clients and systems.
How to access:
On retro systems (Windows 3.x and Windows 9x), Netscape Navigator 3.0 Gold provides native Gopher support.
On modern systems, a dedicated client is recommended. Lagrange is available for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android, and supports both Gopher and Gemini.
URL:
gopher://gopher.greektimes.ca
Gemini
Gemini is a modern, minimalist protocol introduced in 2019 within the small internet movement. Although recent in age, it is intentionally modeled on early internet philosophies, prioritizing simplicity, text-first content, and the absence of advertising and scripting. Inspired by Gopher-era design, Gemini continues the architectural lineage that MGT Unicorn preserves.
What you will find:
A clean, low-overhead capsule featuring current Montreal Greek Times headlines, article access, active emergency alerts, and Greek-language alert pages in a reading-focused format.
How to access:
Gemini requires a dedicated client. Lagrange is available for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
URL:
gemini://gemini.greektimes.ca
Telnet
Telnet is one of the original Internet remote terminal protocols, designed to let a user connect to a remote text-based service over a network. As part of MGT Unicorn, THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES operates a dedicated Telnet news service that is separate from the BBS and intended for fast, menu-driven access to current information. Public-facing information Telnet endpoints of this type appear to be extremely rare, likely numbering only in the dozens worldwide.
What you will find:
A lightweight interactive news service featuring the latest English-language headlines, full article text, Montreal weather briefings, contact information, service information, and active NAAD emergency alert notices in a streamlined terminal interface. The service is designed as a quick-access text endpoint rather than a social or messaging system.
How to access:
Use any Telnet-capable client and connect to the dedicated Telnet hostname on port 2323. This service is separate from our BBS, which remains on port 23.
On retro systems, use Telix, Procomm Plus, Qmodem or similar Telnet software where supported.
On modern systems, standard terminal Telnet clients may be used, along with dedicated retro-oriented clients where appropriate.
Connection command:
telnet telnet.greektimes.ca:2323
BBS
A classic bulletin board system environment operating over Telnet, reflecting the pre-web era of community-driven digital communication.
What you will find:
A terminal-based news interface featuring Greek community headlines and full articles, active emergency alert bulletins, a file section containing the print replica editions of THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES in PDF, and message areas connected to FidoNet (node 1:229/134), the world’s oldest continuously operating global BBS message network, founded in 1984. Long before modern social media platforms, FidoNet linked communities through structured message forums and direct person-to-person correspondence. Still active worldwide today, it represents a cleaner, distraction-free form of online dialogue rooted in continuity, accountability and substance.
How to access:
On retro systems, use Telix, Procomm Plus, Qmodem or similar Telnet software, often paired with a retro RS232 WiFi modem.
On modern systems, clients such as NetRunner and SyncTerm are recommended.
URL:
telnet bbs.greektimes.ca
Finger services
Finger is one of the earliest Internet protocols, originally developed in the late 1970s to retrieve user information from remote systems. Today, publicly accessible Finger servers are extremely rare, likely numbering in the low tens worldwide. THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES operates one of these publicly reachable Finger services, adapting this minimalist, low-overhead protocol into a live news, weather, and alert bulletin system while preserving its original simplicity and design philosophy.
What you will find:
Text-based access to current Greek community headlines, full articles retrievable by ID, active emergency alert notices, and a custom-generated Montreal weather briefing. Rather than mirroring a website, the forecast is built from raw ECCC data and interpreted into a clean, terminal-ready bulletin by THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES. Optimized for command-line systems, low bandwidth and clarity.
How to access:
Finger can be accessed from most UNIX-like systems and from Windows NT-based systems, including Windows 2000, XP, 7, 10 and 11, which include the built-in finger command. Simply open a terminal or Command Prompt and type:
For news:
finger news@finger.greektimes.ca
For weather:
finger weather@finger.greektimes.ca
Finger services can also be accessed through the Lagrange small-web browser. To access our Finger services via Lagrange, enter the following URLs:
Weather:
finger://finger.greektimes.ca/weather
News:
finger://finger.greektimes.ca/news
NNTP / Usenet
NNTP, the Network News Transfer Protocol, was one of the defining technologies of online news distribution before the modern web. For years, Usenet and traditional newsreader software formed a primary way that users read, followed and archived network-published information. As part of MGT Unicorn, THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES operates its own full-stack NNTP/Usenet server, extending current journalism, weather bulletins, and emergency alerts into another historically significant protocol environment.
What you will find:
A standards-based Usenet news server carrying current Montreal Greek Times articles, weather briefings, system notices, and official emergency alerts through dedicated newsgroups:
greektimes.news.englishfor English-language news articlesgreektimes.news.greekfor Greek-language news articlesgreektimes.weatherfor Montreal weather briefings in English and Greekgreektimes.announcefor system announcements and editorial notesgreektimes.alerts.naadfor official emergency alerts distributed through our NAAD integration
Unlike a minimal feed mirror or hobby stub, this is a full operational NNTP service with native reader access, local article injection, automated publishing, authenticated posting capability, and TLS support on both standard NNTP and NNTPS ports. Publicly reachable independent NNTP servers of this type appear to number only in the tens worldwide.
How to access:
Use any compatible newsreader. On retro and legacy Windows systems, clients such as Outlook Express or Forte Agent may be used where supported. On modern systems, users may connect with software such as Mozilla Thunderbird, tin, slrn or other NNTP-capable clients.
Anonymous users may read all greektimes.* groups without authentication. Secure access is available on both standard and TLS-wrapped ports.
Server:
news.greektimes.ca
Ports:
119 - NNTP with STARTTLS 563 - NNTPS (direct TLS)
WAIS
WAIS, or Wide Area Information Server, was one of the earliest distributed search and information retrieval systems on the Internet, emphasizing query-based access to indexed document collections rather than menu browsing. As part of MGT Unicorn, THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES operates a live WAIS search server, extending current journalism into another historically significant protocol environment. To our knowledge, THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES maintains the only actively operating WAIS server using the original Z39.50-1988 protocol currently in public operation worldwide.
What you will find:
A searchable index of current Montreal Greek Times content, allowing readers to perform ranked full-text searches across indexed articles through a protocol originally associated with early Internet research and information discovery. We brought back a forgotten search engine that predates the web, and it now serves real news in 2026.
This is anomaly-level rare even within the already unusual ecosystem of legacy internet services. In practical terms, it is not simply a preserved protocol endpoint, but a live production search service attached to a working newsroom.
How to access:
In practical terms, the only straightforward contemporary way to access our WAIS service is through our native Windows client, developed specifically for this server. Legacy UNIX command-line examples are omitted here because the traditional waissearch client is obsolete and no longer included in contemporary Linux systems.
Windows client download:
https://greektimes.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MGTWAIS.zip
Server:
wais.greektimes.ca
Port:
210
Database:
greektimes
FTP
FTP, the File Transfer Protocol, was one of the foundational services of the early Internet and remains one of the simplest ways to distribute downloadable files across a wide range of operating systems and client environments. As part of MGT Unicorn, THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES operates a public anonymous FTP server for direct access to archives, media, and software.
What you will find:
Anonymous access to the print replica editions of THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES in PDF, audio and video podcasts, downloadable software by Greek Times, and other selected files intended for direct retrieval rather than browser-based access.
How to access:
On retro and legacy systems, use any standard FTP client or command-line FTP utility. On modern systems, users may connect with software such as FileZilla, WinSCP, built-in command-line FTP tools where available, or direct FTP support in compatible file managers.
Anonymous login is enabled.
URL:
ftp://ftp.greektimes.ca
Port:
21
Login:
anonymous
Tor Onion Service
The Montreal Greek Times operates a Tor v3 onion service as part of MGT Unicorn. This provides a privacy-preserving, censorship-resistant access point to our journalism using the Tor network. Unlike the retro protocols within MGT Unicorn, the onion service is modern infrastructure designed for anonymity, network resilience and access from environments where the open internet may be filtered or blocked.
What you will find:
A standards-compliant HTML edition of current Montreal Greek Times headlines, full articles, and active emergency alert notices, optimized for access within Tor Browser. The onion site mirrors current content while reducing reliance on mainstream network pathways.
How to access:
Install and launch the Tor Browser, then enter the following address in the browser’s address bar.
URL:
http://pdfjsjif5kr3ppaxzgukdtkqsfqvku3rzpumbyfa5oaw65iyuzhip3ad.onion
RealAudio live stream
A period-correct RealAudio 3.0 live stream delivered using the original PNA protocol, reflecting the architecture of mid-1990s internet radio. To our knowledge, THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES maintains the only actively operating RealAudio live server using the original PNA protocol currently in public operation worldwide.
What you will find:
A live Montreal Greek Radio broadcast accessible through compatible RealPlayer software, preserved as a working example of early internet streaming technology. In addition, NAAD emergency alert capability has been integrated into the broader radio delivery chain for applicable alerts affecting the Greater Montreal area.
How to access:
Install RealPlayer 3.0 or later, compatible with Windows 3.1, Windows 95/98, Windows NT, Windows x86/x64, BeOS, Linux, OS/2, and Windows 10/11.
On legacy browsers, clicking the play button on our retro website will automatically launch RealPlayer via the associated .ram metafile.
Modern systems no longer associate .ram files automatically. In such cases, open RealPlayer and select File > Open Location, then enter:
pnm://retro.greekradio.ca:7070/live.ra
This direct method works with both legacy and modern versions of RealPlayer.
RSS
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a widely used web feed format that allows users to receive updates from websites automatically without visiting them directly. It became a standard method of content distribution in the early 2000s and remains one of the most efficient ways to follow news in a structured, application-driven environment.
What you will find:
A continuously updated feed of current Montreal Greek Times headlines and full articles, allowing readers to subscribe and receive new content automatically as it is published.
How to access:
Use any RSS-compatible reader or feed aggregator. On legacy systems, older desktop feed readers may be used where supported. On modern systems, RSS can be accessed through dedicated applications, email clients, browser extensions, or web-based readers.
URL:
http://rss.greektimes.ca
https://rss.greektimes.ca
Important context
The Montreal Greek Times Unicorn is a heritage initiative rooted in our 1994 online broadcasting origins. It exists because we were there when internet radio began.
It is also now part of a practical, real-time emergency information system. Through our NAAD integration, MGT Unicorn no longer serves only as a historical publishing and broadcasting environment. It also functions as a multi-protocol alert distribution layer for official emergency alerts relevant to Greater Montreal, including publication across legacy protocols and Greek-language adaptation by THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES.
For modern access to our journalism, radio and television services, please use our primary website and apps.
MGT Unicorn remains available for those who appreciate early internet architecture, protocol history, independent publishing infrastructure, standards-based access methods, emergency information resilience, and the continued operation of working systems that most of the Internet has left behind.