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Another Nail In Usenet's Coffin?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the don't-usenet dept.

Karamchand writes "Today news.individual.net in an email to its more than 250.000 registered users announced that they won't be able to continue offering free Usenet access. While it provided text-only groups many people relied on individual.net's service to take part in one of the Internet's older services. In a time were a working news server is not a selling point for ISPs and most internet users never heard about this service, will this be another nail in the coffin of Usenet?"

13 of 482 comments (clear)

  1. Google Groups by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    No, for text usenet group access, Google Groups is fine. For binary access, well, you probably have to pay but it is worth it.

    1. Re:Google Groups by Old+Wolf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Google groups, fine? What planet are you on.

      It's beyond me how they can't hire a programmer who knows how to make the text that the poster types, appear without being mangled! (newlines inserted, newlines deleted, lines of the new post interpreted as quoted text from the old...

      Also it's annoying to see a reply listed in the tree view as the parent of the post that it's replying to, or a reply listed as a child of a previous reply to the same parent.

      Not to mention the un-intuitive user interface which encourages posting without quoting the parent.

  2. What? by jim_v2000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    What's this Usenet thing again?

    --
    Don't take life so seriously. No one makes it out alive.
    1. Re:What? by nizo · · Score: 5, Funny

      It is like email only spammier. Viva el spam!

      --
      I Am My Own Worst Enemy
  3. Let's hope it goes away... by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...and takes with it those stupid posts to alt.drugs I wrote in college...

  4. Why be so dramatic? by Ckwop · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Usenet will be here for another 20 years.. These stories about the "death" of these things are hugely over-rated.

    Next it'll be that AIM, Yahoo Messenger, MSN messenger are killing IRC.

    There are plenty of good groups on usenet with loyal posters - it's like trying to kill fortran - it'll only happen over dead bodies..

    Simon.

    1. Re:Why be so dramatic? by cnettel · · Score: 5, Funny
      There are plenty of good groups on usenet with loyal posters - it's like trying to kill fortran - it'll only happen over dead bodies..
      Yeah, but in case you haven't noticed, the Fortran coders aren't getting any younger... So, dead bodies, true - not happen, false. :-)
  5. Finding web forums by yahyamf · · Score: 5, Informative

    Web based forum software offer a lot more features than newsgroups. However they are not indexed by centralized servers like Usenet, so it's as easy to find web forums. It would be nice if the most popular forum software like phpBB, VBulletin etc, have some sort of common standard that allows them to be listed by topic, indicating some statistics like number of members, posts, activity so people can quickly choose a forum.

    1. Re:Finding web forums by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 5, Informative
      Web based forum software offer a lot more features than newsgroups.
      Like "reading trough a web browser", "no threads" and "you remember what you have read, not your computer"?
      Here's a good article on this subject. Even the worst of newsreaders -- say, OE -- still beat out the best of the web forums. I keep on thinking that it would be nice to write a Slashdot->news program, but I've never found time to do it.
      --

      How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
  6. Hasn't Usenet been about to die for years, but... by whoever57 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    there are more newsgroups than ever. This is just one free service. There are still other free services -- just because one company can't compete does not mean the medium is dying.

    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
  7. Re:Death of Usenet predicted! Film at 11. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    You're old.

  8. Usenet once again an underground geek hangout? by vandrad · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Between the decline of Kazaa (possible logging of downloads. RIAA lawsuits) and AOL terminating Usenet access, I can't help but think that Usenet might make a comeback among geeks now that it's off the mainstream radar.

    Sucks about Individual.net, but network services ain't free to provide. I'm quite happy with a Supernews account at $5.95 a month.

    --
    Nosce Te Ipsum
  9. What an eye roller... by endus · · Score: 5, Informative

    The only sad part about this story is that there may not be as many new users of USENET if ISP's aren't offering it for free. Other than that, it's just a bunch of crap.

    There are new and old people on USENET constantly. Why, exactly, do you think that this ISP decied not to offer USENET access anymore...because there was no one posting there? Uhm...no. The reason that they stopped offering it is that it is a monster to maintain because of all the traffic. USENET is the most valuable and the most underrated resource on the internet. Yes, I said it, and yes, I mean it. For detailed technical information and answers to tough questions there is nowhere else to go. Product reviews, information on music you want to check out, whatever. It's all there.

    Let's keep it real here, okay? Most internet users (including IT "professionals") are too dumb to figure out how to use a newsreader, and FAR too dumb to understand how to evaluate the quality of information you get from google groups. People whine about, "Ohhh, the quality of information on message boards SUCKS, you can't learn ANYTHING from them". What a load of shit. If you have a brain in your head and understand the idea of crossreferencing information before you commit changes on a server that a few thousand people are connecting to, then you can really get a LOT of information from USENET and solve a lot of tough problems quickly. I find good, solid solutions to technical problems CONSTANTLY through google groups. I don't think a week goes by that I don't search it at least 10 times for various things.

    Oh, but we have web forums! God forbid people should allow their words to convey their meaning rather than having pretty pictures and fancy emoticons to cover up for the fact that they are just stupid assholes who no one wants to hear from anyway. It's such a joke when you hear people complaining about how "rough" certain web forums are. They don't even know the definition of a "troll" and they think they invented flaming. (Can I get a rolleyes smiley here?).

    This is just crap, and everyone cosiging it in this post is an idiot. I'm sorry, but it's true. USENET is a one-stop-shop for all kinds of amazingly valuable information and if you don't see that, then you're missing out. Go download agent and get a clue.