Usenet - AT&T canceling on July 15

[Muse]

I have been into Usenet for many years, and I just heard that AT&T is canceling Usenet in a couple of weeks. It's been years since I did any binaries on Usenet, I just check out my subscribed groups when I've got some curiosity about something, text only, using my Forte Agent email/newsgroup reader (old version, 1.9xxx). Sometimes I follow a newsgroup for weeks at a time, depending. I'm subscribed to over 100 newsgroups, but download headers (and bodies) only selectively.

Google Groups has a really bad reputation, people saying that the interface is horrible. I only go there to do Usenet searches. It's the only place I know where I can do those, searching newsgroups at large or a specific newsgroup.

Am I going to have to cancel my @pacbell.net ISP account (they were taken over by SBC and subsequently AT&T)?

I just heard of Eternal September (evidently free newsgroup access) but their homepage says that they have been aggressively blocked by AT&T's servers and it's impossible for AT&T users to have communications with them. I have no idea why, and what the politics are.

What are my options? Discussion??

 

[SunnyD]

There are plenty of other Usenet on ramps out there. Have a looksie at google and see if that little search box might do something for you!

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: SunnyD
There are plenty of other Usenet on ramps out there. Have a looksie at google and see if that little search box might do something for you!

:Q

OK, but even so, some discussion of issues and preferences here would not seem to be outlandish.

 

[episodic]

http://www.dmoz.org/Computers/...t/Public_News_Servers/

I'm sure what you want can be found.

After scanning the page of the usenet provider that you mentioned - it seems that the emails are the only thing blacklisted. Just use a free email provider to sign up.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: episodic
http://www.dmoz.org/Computers/...t/Public_News_Servers/

I'm sure what you want can be found.

After scanning the page of the usenet provider that you mentioned - it seems that the emails are the only thing blacklisted. Just use a free email provider to sign up.

Would a gmail account work?

That's a nice list of about 20 NG providers. Any discussion here of what ones might be preferable?

 

[blurredvision]

Wait, isn't Usenet that thing you aren't supposed to talk about?

 

[Chryso]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: episodic
http://www.dmoz.org/Computers/...t/Public_News_Servers/

I'm sure what you want can be found.

After scanning the page of the usenet provider that you mentioned - it seems that the emails are the only thing blacklisted. Just use a free email provider to sign up.

Would a gmail account work?

That's a nice list of about 20 NG providers. Any discussion here of what ones might be preferable?

I use news.motzarella.org. No complaints.
I still have my Forte Free Agent installed but I usually go with Xnews these days.

 

[Squisher]

Hmm, I use Eternal September (formerly motzarella).

What about Tera News?

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Squisher
Hmm, I use Eternal September (formerly motzarella).

What about Tera News?

ATT finally got around to canceling their usenet. Jonesing, I went to Eternal September and signed up. Had a bit of trouble getting it working but it finally seems fine.

 

[Red Squirrel]

usenet, isin't that those things you need to dial directly with a modem? Had no idea they even still existed.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
usenet, isin't that those things you need to dial directly with a modem? Had no idea they even still existed.

They're just like any other internet source. You need a provider, and there are free ones. I used to get mine with my ISPs, but ATT just stopped supporting them. You can subscribe in a newsgroup client (I think that MS Outlook supports newsgroups, but I use a 3rd party email client called Forte Agent and it does a fine job of supporting newsgroups), download headers (usually they support the groups for the last several months), and download message bodies for threads whose headers interest you. Each newsgroup is subject specific and there are tens of thousands of them, so most things you would be interested in are there. For instance, I have a Mazda, and there are a couple of Mazda newsgroups. There are many bicycle newsgroups concerning various aspects of cycling. There are newsgroups supporting the software that I develop with. I am subscribed to over a hundred newsgroups, but I only download headers when I care to. I'm very into them and have been for a long time.

I sometimes do Usenet searches, sometimes specific to a particular newsgroup. Used to do it with Deja News, but they were bought out by Google Groups, so I do my searches there now. The search engine is pretty powerful and you can specify windows of time. They go way back, way way back if you want to.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
usenet, isin't that those things you need to dial directly with a modem? Had no idea they even still existed.

They're just like any other internet source. You need a provider, and there are free ones. I used to get mine with my ISPs, but ATT just stopped supporting them. You can subscribe in a newsgroup client (I think that MS Outlook supports newsgroups, but I use a 3rd party email client called Forte Agent and it does a fine job of supporting newsgroups), download headers (usually they support the groups for the last several months), and download message bodies for threads whose headers interest you. Each newsgroup is subject specific and there are tens of thousands of them, so most things you would be interested in are there. For instance, I have a Mazda, and there are a couple of Mazda newsgroups. There are many bicycle newsgroups concerning various aspects of cycling. There are newsgroups supporting the software that I develop with. I am subscribed to over a hundred newsgroups, but I only download headers when I care to. I'm very into them and have been for a long time.

I sometimes do Usenet searches, sometimes specific to a particular newsgroup. Used to do it with Deja News, but they were bought out by Google Groups, so I do my searches there now. The search engine is pretty powerful and you can specify windows of time. They go way back, way way back if you want to.

Oh right, I was getting mixed up with BBSes.

Is usenet basically what Google Groups are, or is that totally different?

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
usenet, isin't that those things you need to dial directly with a modem? Had no idea they even still existed.

They're just like any other internet source. You need a provider, and there are free ones. I used to get mine with my ISPs, but ATT just stopped supporting them. You can subscribe in a newsgroup client (I think that MS Outlook supports newsgroups, but I use a 3rd party email client called Forte Agent and it does a fine job of supporting newsgroups), download headers (usually they support the groups for the last several months), and download message bodies for threads whose headers interest you. Each newsgroup is subject specific and there are tens of thousands of them, so most things you would be interested in are there. For instance, I have a Mazda, and there are a couple of Mazda newsgroups. There are many bicycle newsgroups concerning various aspects of cycling. There are newsgroups supporting the software that I develop with. I am subscribed to over a hundred newsgroups, but I only download headers when I care to. I'm very into them and have been for a long time.

I sometimes do Usenet searches, sometimes specific to a particular newsgroup. Used to do it with Deja News, but they were bought out by Google Groups, so I do my searches there now. The search engine is pretty powerful and you can specify windows of time. They go way back, way way back if you want to.

Oh right, I was getting mixed up with BBSes.

Is usenet basically what Google Groups are, or is that totally different?

Basically, the Internet does not equal the world wide web or webpages, it's the underlying network that supports it along with many other things. Usenet is a network of news servers using a newsgroup protocol to mirror each other's content (voluntarily). Since the advent of the Internet with http, irc, news, smtp email, etc, ISPs have been expected to maintain their own news servers and provide newsgroup access to their customers, just like they are expected to maintain their own email servers and provide email accounts to their customers. At one time, many would even set it up in your email client at the same time they'd set up your email.

If Google Groups does anything with newsgroups it's probably kinda like webmail making email seem like some part of the WWW. :roll:

 

[0roo0roo]

alt.sex etc

oh the perversion...
it was the original 4chan..sorta

haven't been on them for a long time, i remember pacbell or at&t dropped binaries rather early, after that i quit using usenet. their retention was sh*t anyways, it was a huge chore to keep up with any files that were there.

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
alt.sex etc

oh the perversion...
it was the original 4chan..sorta

haven't been on them for a long time, i remember pacbell or at&t dropped binaries rather early, after that i quit using usenet. their retention was sh*t anyways, it was a huge chore to keep up with any files that were there.

Exactly, I thought Usenet was pervert paradise.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Safeway

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
alt.sex etc

oh the perversion...
it was the original 4chan..sorta

haven't been on them for a long time, i remember pacbell or at&t dropped binaries rather early, after that i quit using usenet. their retention was sh*t anyways, it was a huge chore to keep up with any files that were there.

Exactly, I thought Usenet was pervert paradise.

It may be pervert paradise, but it's a whole lot more than that. Nowadays there are myriad forums, and many times far better featured than newsgroups. However, there are lots of great newsgroups. One of my very favorites is alt.home.repair (I have a run down house). It's a very busy newsgroup and a lot of the posters are very experienced, many being contractors. I can get help with about any home fix/maintenance/etc. problem there.

Google Groups is good for archival stuff. Retention isn't an issue. It's just a site you hit, put in your search parameters, hit the Search button and you get your hits, just like Google.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: Safeway

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
alt.sex etc

oh the perversion...
it was the original 4chan..sorta

haven't been on them for a long time, i remember pacbell or at&t dropped binaries rather early, after that i quit using usenet. their retention was sh*t anyways, it was a huge chore to keep up with any files that were there.

Exactly, I thought Usenet was pervert paradise.

It may be pervert paradise, but it's a whole lot more than that. Nowadays there are myriad forums, and many times far better featured than newsgroups. However, there are lots of great newsgroups. One of my very favorites is alt.home.repair (I have a run down house). It's a very busy newsgroup and a lot of the posters are very experienced, many being contractors. I can get help with about any home fix/maintenance/etc. problem there.

Google Groups is good for archival stuff. Retention isn't an issue. It's just a site you hit, put in your search parameters, hit the Search button and you get your hits, just like Google.

I was going to mention alt.hom.repair there is another one that is just great.

 

[Kelemvor]

Roadrunner got rid of their usenet servers a long time ago.