Aether

Aether gives you access to an online community, in which you can discuss about anything that comes to your mind, within reasonable limits of course. It is similar to Reddit and other community sites, but it lets you enjoy a more efficient functionality, as well as a better protection. The best part is that Aether lets you access various boards or forums from the comforts of your desktop, without opening any web browsers.

The software is free and it runs on any modern Windows, Mac OS X or Linux platform. It comes in a small package and it can be installed quickly and easily. The hardware requirements are modest and you don't have to install any prerequisite tools, services or drivers.

The user interface has a fairly simple design. It consists of several sections and you can find the navigation buttons for accessing these sections on a narrow ribbon, on the left edge of the window. A detailed and well-drawn tutorial can be fond in the general settings sections, but you won't need it, because the software's controls are well organized and easy to understand.

The latest discussions are presented on a home page and you can select one if you want to join in. Alternatively, you can travel to the Boards section, where you will find a larger number of topics and where you can start new ones as well. Selecting a board will save it in another section of the interface, where you can filter its contained threads, start new ones and more.

The most important aspect of Aether is the fact that it doesn't rely on any servers. The boards or other information is not stored anywhere. All discussions are made directly peer-to-peer. This gives Aether a significant advantage over other similar software when it comes to security.

Your personal profile can be found in one of the interface's sections, along with various statistics. Additionally, you can view received messages and saved items in different sections. Although you can make a few fine tweaks to Aether's behavior, you don't have to make any kind of settings when using this program.