What is usenet?

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Kerouactivist

Kerouactivist

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2001
4,665
0
76
I keep hearing about all these people getting stuff off of usenet, what is it and how do I access it.

I am probably the dumbest person ever for not knowing this
 
IGBT

IGBT

Lifer
Jul 16, 2001
17,949
133
106
And there it is right up front "use net is not fare"!!..........I knew it all along...
 
C

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
3
0
Originally posted by: bthorny
I still don't understand exactly how to find anything.

all I see are a bunch of articles
Click to expand...

Articles you read and understanding you will find.
 
I

IamDavid

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2000
5,888
10
81
Hey man, don't feel bad. I am at a loss too. I just started looking into newsgroups yesterday and I can't make any sense of them yet..
 
Kerouactivist

Kerouactivist

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2001
4,665
0
76
Originally posted by: IamDavid
Hey man, don't feel bad. I am at a loss too. I just started looking into newsgroups yesterday and I can't make any sense of them yet..
Click to expand...

I think those of use that don't understand newsgroups need to form a support group.
 
Chaotic42

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
33,929
1,097
126
Usenet is a world-wide distributed discussion system. It consists of a
set of "newsgroups" with names that are classified hierarchically by
subject. "Articles" or "messages" are "posted" to these newsgroups by
people on computers with the appropriate software -- these articles are
then broadcast to other interconnected computer systems via a wide
variety of networks. Some newsgroups are "moderated"; in these
newsgroups, the articles are first sent to a moderator for approval
before appearing in the newsgroup. Usenet is available on a wide variety
of computer systems and networks, but the bulk of modern Usenet traffic
is transported over either the Internet or UUCP.
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
ok... so what does this have to do with communication, navigating the 2 links all i see are FAQs on etiquette etc. Nothing related to a software link, or a how to.
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
ok news... i click on one of the newsgroup links and was automatically redirected some kind of google forum, most of which has the same 6 messages posted 900 times... I'm not sure what im doing but ill play around.
 
Banana

Banana

Diamond Member
Jun 3, 2001
3,132
23
81
I'll try to explain. (I just use usenet without understanding it)
Usenet is like a public forum. It consists of thousands of newsgroups (is that the right term?) to which people could post messages and start discussion threads. If you want to compare it to AT forums, each newsgroup is comparable to a AT forum category. You can post messages to each newsgroup, and if someone replies to your message, it becomes a thread. The newsgroups are sometimes moderated, mostly not. The unmoderated ones are mostly spam! Other than the moderators, I get the impression that Usenet is unregulated--there are all kinds of MP3 music to steal!

Many people find Usenet to be a great source of MP3s and pr0n. :evil: My understanding is that Outlook Express is not very good for downloading Usenet attachments (aka "binaries"). I use a shareware program called "NewsShark."

Just be real careful.
 
Chaotic42

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
33,929
1,097
126
Originally posted by: Acanthus
ok... so what does this have to do with communication, navigating the 2 links all i see are FAQs on etiquette etc. Nothing related to a software link, or a how to.
Click to expand...

No offence, but you didn't navigate the two links very well. It's pretty much all there.

As for software, use Outlook Express until you decide whether or not to keep at it. If you start reading newsgroups regularly, you should use a program that only does newsgroups, IMO.
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
oh im sorry, i shouldve naviagted those 40 links within that page and screwed around until i got an extreme headache, or you coulda just said "use outlook"

thank you for giving me a solid reply... ive been trying to find out for months... seriously... tyvm
 
D

dethman

Lifer
Oct 12, 1999
10,264
3
76
basically what usenet started off as is groups that people can post messages to. one of the oldest forms of internet communication and info distribution.

people found out that they could also distribute files this way, by posting messages in binary format. the files are broken up into hundreds or even thousands of different messages and must be reconstructed.

to get stuff off usenet, you'll need

a)a newsreader like newsbin to put those messages/files together
b)a server you can download those files off of. your isp usually provides a news server, or you can subscribe to a higher quality third party server.

that's the basics. there is a lot more info, but i'm too lazy to post any more.
 
J

jaeger66

Banned
Jan 1, 2001
3,852
0
0
I'm not even 30 and I feel ancient. How can anyone not know this? When I started ou on the Internet the web didn't even exist and newsgroups were what addicted me. You couldn't even see porn without knowing uuencode/uudecode.
 
Kerouactivist

Kerouactivist

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2001
4,665
0
76
Okay I got newsshark working using my ISP providers newsgroup.

but, I'm having trouble finding an actul newsgroup....

making progress though
 
O

oboeguy

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 1999
3,907
0
76
^^^^^^^^ Internet no0bs! When I started on the 'net, we didn't have yer fancy web, and we liked it!

Seriously, Usenet + email mailing lists were 10 years ago what the web is today: online community and info. Pretty simple. People still like it for who knows what reasons other than procuring files of questionable nature (see posts above).
 
J

jaeger66

Banned
Jan 1, 2001
3,852
0
0
Originally posted by: oboeguy
^^^^^^^^ Internet no0bs! When I started on the 'net, we didn't have yer fancy web, and we liked it!

Seriously, Usenet + email mailing lists were 10 years ago what the web is today: online community and info. Pretty simple. People still like it for who knows what reasons other than procuring files of questionable nature (see posts above).
Click to expand...

Some people prefer the rampant anarchy of newsgroups for unimpeded discussion as opposed to heavily moderated web forums like this one.
 
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