|
|
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Pooh-Bah
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379 |
Can anyone recommend one or two (preferrably, not commercial) sites that would help a newbie find their way into Usenet? Tanks.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
|
|
veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
I use Google http://groups.google.com/ these days if I need to look thru Usenet. Or do you mean an introduction to what Usenet was before Spam was invented?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
one fairly painless way in is through the backdoor (so to speak) via Google/Groups. go to the main page at google.com and click the Groups tab; there you'll find some basic entry level help, and (of course) you can google the groups for specific stuff.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230 |
Finally - a question about something concerning which I actually know something! http://www.ibiblio.org/usenet-i/usenet-help.html is a pretty good tutorial for starters. Here are a few suggestions I would make. 1 Get a good NNTP-feed. If you are interested in groups carrying binary files, alt.binaries.whatever, a commercial provider is your best bet, and http://www.giganews.com is among the best there is, offering a variety of plans at reasonable cost. Using a pay service is critical for binary groups, as only the commercail services have the completion and retention needed to make binary newsgroups worthwhile - there is little more frustrating thatn finding that your Usenet feed has 97 parts of a 100-part file you are downloading. 2.If you are only interested in text newsgroups, then http://news.individual.net/ (my prime feed), is an excellent choice. Run by Berlin University, it offers over 23,000 newsgroups and good retention of articles. This means that, once your newsreader is setup, you can search for groups that are likely to interest you and be reasonably confident of finding them. 3.LURK. The dynamics of each Usenet newsgroup are different, so I would recommend a minimum of a week, preferrably a fortnight or so, of silent lurking, reading posts, getting a feel for who's who in the group, what subjects are considered ok, that sort of thing. It's also a good idea to use Google groups to do a search of the newsgroup for previous threads that may have addressed any questions you wish to raise. In almost every newsgroup you will hear the mantra, "Google is your friend", or its less civil equivalents. 4ENJOY. Approached carefully, Usenet is a fantastic resource, and buckets of fun. A word of caution regarding posting from Google groups - it is viewed with suspicion and disadain in many newsgroups, as it is a favoured approach of spammers and trolls. I use Google groups extensively for searching group archives but almost never post from Google. And, finally, don't listen to naysayers who say that Usenet is past its best. Yes, it's clogged with spam, but so is email. It's still a great resource, and there are some outstanding communities of interest. It is still very worthwhile.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
And is it pronounced [yoosnet] or [yooznet]?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Pooh-Bah
|
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379 |
>>is it pronounced..?<<
In Brooklyn, it is pronounced "you'ze net" -- accent on 'net,' when in anger.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Pooh-Bah
|
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379 |
Thanks for that, sjmaxq, jheem, and tsuwm. I'm sure I'll have more questions. Cheers.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
In Brooklyn, it is pronounced
Yeahbut® how about in the *real world.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 619
addict
|
|
addict
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 619 |
Yeahbut® how about in the *real world?
Is that an academic question, Faldage, or do you really want to know?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
I really want to know.
Doesn't stop it from being an academic question, though.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Pooh-Bah
|
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379 |
>>I really want to know<<
From a quick Sherlock search:
/yoos'net/ or /yooz'net/ n. [from `Users' Network'; theoriginal spelling...
Is the question really a 'what do *you* say?' or are you wondering about connotation?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 619
addict
|
|
addict
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 619 |
I guess connotation.Your "guess" connotes that you are not sure what your question is, Faldage. Frankly, neither am I? 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 |
Sorry. Are you two inventing a new dialect?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 619
addict
|
|
addict
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 619 |
Are you two inventing a new dialect?
Faldage wanted to know about "the *real world" and I am trying to fill him in.
If you think you can make a better job of it than I am, Capfka, please, be my guest.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
veteran
|
|
veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526 |
I've used rn, nn, tin to access usenet through corporate nntp servers.
Nowadays I use google as it seem more reliable, if slower.
Usenet is a really great resource - the prime programming resource I use and often more helpful than books.
I use is mostly to get answers to technical questions.
Most of the time, I can find the answer to my question by simply searching a particular group. A few times, I have come up empty on searches and posted queries. Sometimes I later find that the topic has indeed been discussed, but using a different terminology. I get reasonable answers a fair amount of the time.
There is a problem with spam. There is also a problem with people posting inappropriately. There is also a problem with "regulars" in some of the groups just waiting for a perceived neophyte to come in so they can put said neophyte in his place. Finally, the search issues are just as serious with groups as they are with the rest of google, and it takes some finnagling to narrow the search appropriately.
But overall it's a great thing. I've been reading using Usenet on and off for maybe close to 20 years - since my early college years. I discovered it within a year or so of discovering Bitnet (I'm not sure if bitnet was actually part of The Internet ... I didn't actually know much about networks back then).
Anyway, the different usenet groups have different dynamics - and yet there are similarities. I'm not anticipating that you will have any trouble, but I will say this: try not to take whatever gets said personally. You may think, "My interest is purely intellectual. Why should it turn personal?" I don't know that it will, but I'm just saying, if it does, bear in mind that there are people whom you might swear live for the sole purpose of finding people they can badger. Also, there are certain personalities that are inevitably going to clash.
Still, it can be a heckuva lotta fun and it's kinda like a big university in the sense that no matter what your interests are, you can find a few people who share it.
k
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,347
Members9,182
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
631
guests, and
0
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
