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Archives for January 2010

NewsDemon Wins 2009 Spirit of Usenet Award

January 31, 2010 by


It is an honor to present the 2009 NGR Spirit of Usenet Award to NewsDemon. The award is presented in recognition of the many enhancements made to NewsDemon’s newsgroup services along with their continued efforts to promote the growth of Usenet in 2009.

First let’s take a look at some of the enhancements NewsDemon made to their Usenet service over the last year:

Increased binary retention from 175 days to over 515 days
– NewsDemon nearly tripled binary retention.  In January 2009 they were at 175 days.  Now they are over 515 days retention and continuing to grow daily.

Added a wide array of block accounts
– NewsDemon added a wide array of account offerings including block accounts.  For those not familiar with block accounts they allow you to purchase a set amount of downloads rather than pay a monthly fee for Usenet access.  NewsDemon offers several block accounts ranging from 10 GB up to 1 TB of downloads.

Black Friday / Cyber Monday special
– we partnered with NewsDemon to bring NGR visitors an opportunity to enjoy their Unlimited Plus plan for only $9.95 a month for life. The special ran from Black Friday through Cyber Monday 2009.

50% Off NewsDemon
– NewsDemon is currently offering NGR visitors 50% off your first two months of Unlimited Plus access. That means instead of paying $22.99 you pay $11.50 for the first two months.

Increase to support 107,000 newsgroups
– this year NewsDemon increased the number of newsgroups they support from 85,000 up to 107,000.

Usenet tester tool
– last summer NewsDemon released a Usenet tester which allows you to test and verify connectivity to news servers. This is especially useful in troubleshooting issues.

Launched a new website design
– in July NewsDemon launched a new site design.  Then in December they rolled out a nice looking holiday skin for the site.

In 2009 NewsDemon took a number of steps to promote Usenet awareness and the positive benefits of newsgroups.  The list of those contributions includes:

Free Usenet access for university staff, charities and media members
– NewsDemon does a lot of help promote Usenet including free NewsDemon accounts for university staff, charities and media members. They also offer free accounts for bloggers.

Discount offered to college students
– College students and educators are eligible for a 25% discount.

Usenet 30th anniversary celebration

– NewsDemon celebrated the 30th anniversary of Usenet in November with a $1 Usenet special, interviews with Tom Truscott and Brad Templeton, and by publishing the original Usenet announcement.

Interviews with Tom Truscott and Brad Templeton
– As part of the Usenet anniversary celebration NewsDemon interviewed Tom Truscott and Brad Templeton.  Tom Truscott helped found Usenet with Jim Elliss and others at Duke and UNC in 1979.  Brad Templeton created and moderated the very popular rec.humor.funny newsgroup.  In the years since Mr. Templeton founded ClariNet Communications and is chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

Original Usenet announcement
– NewsDemon gained access to the original press release announcing Usenet.  This is the first time the Usenet memo by Tom Truscott has been posted on the Internet.

History of Usenet content added to site
– Earlier in the year NewsDemon added information covering the history of Usenet to help users learn more about how newsgroups got their start.

Newsgroup charter directory
– NewsDemon took on the effort of creating a charter directory to educate and inform users about specific newsgroups and their purpose

Frequent blog posts
– Find up to date events and their connections to Usenet in the NewsDemon blog.  They also do spotlight articles on specific topics of interest and their related newsgroups.

We congratulate NewsDemon on their accomplishments and look forward to their continued efforts in the years to come.  To learn more about the Usenet service read our NewsDemon review or visit newsdemon.com.

Filed Under: NewsDemon, Usenet Providers Tagged With: ,

Eternal September : The September That Never Ended

January 29, 2010 by

Earlier this week a member of NGR brought eternal-september.org to our attention.  The site is part of a private project offering free text-only newsgroup access.  Previously news.motzarella.org.  Read our Eternal September review to learn more.

Were you around Usenet before 1993?  If so you may already be familiar with the term “eternal September”.  Did you get your first taste of Usenet when AOL opened the doors to members?  If so this post is definitely for you.

To understand the meaning of eternal September you must first have some background on the history of Usenet.  Usenet started in 1979 and for the first several years was dominated by university members.  As Usenet grew incoming freshmen would join in on the action when the Fall semester started each September.  Since most universities didn’t give much guidance on netiquette it would take some time for new users to adjust and cause heartburn for Usenet natives.

Then in 1993 all hell broke loose as AOL opened up Usenet to all its members.  Many Usenet veterans would say it was never the same and thus the terms “eternal September” and “the September that never ended” were coined.

According to a 1994 post in alt.folklore.computers by Dave Fischer:

It’s moot now. September 1993 will go down in net.history as the September that never ended.

Some Usenet veterans who dreaded incoming freshmen longed for those days again.  Because when AOL broke loose the influx was immediate and ongoing.  New users just kept coming and have never stopped.

Let’s fast forward to 2010.  How many technologies or ideas have followed the same path.  Remember the good ole days of Yahoo, Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, etc?  Those are just recent examples.  Not that any of them are bad now.  They’re just different. In fact most are continuing to grow and evolve.  I suppose Usenet is the same way.  An important technology in 1979 and still important today.  As the web booms so do issues like net neutrality and censorship.  Having a separate network like Usenet to share ideas on is that much more important today.  We’re all for September never ending.

Filed Under: Usenet History Tagged With: ,

NewsGroupDirect Friday Twitter Giveaway

January 29, 2010 by

Whether you’re hooked on Twitter or just looking for free Usenet access this could be your lucky day.  NewsgroupDirect is offering Twitter followers two free 1 year unlimited Usenet accounts.

According to the NGD blog post one free account will go to a random existing Twitter follower.  The other will be awarded to a new follower.

All you have to do to be eligible for the drawing is follow @newsgroupdirect today (before 12 am est. Saturday, Jan. 30th).  They will use random.org later in the day to draw the two lucky winners.

For the latest Usenet updates via Twitter follow us @NewsgroupRevs.  Good luck!

Filed Under: NewsgroupDirect, Usenet Providers Tagged With: , ,

Teranews Outage – Temporary or Down for Good?

January 21, 2010 by

May 27, 2011 update: Teranews is down again.  Both the website and news servers are unreachable.  We will let you know of any updates.

March 20, 2011 update: Teranews web site is down again.  We do not currently have any information in relation to the outage but the site has apparently been down since March 17th.

February 27, 2011 update: Teranews web site is down again.  We do not currently have any information in relation to the outage.  Please contact us if you have information related to the Teranews outage.

January 22, 2010 update: Teranews news servers and site are back online.  The issue was related to a problem with DNS servers.  According to the site all paying customers will receive a 3 day credit.  Here are the full details from their system status page:

All our paying accounts have been given a 3 day credit because of the 50 hours when we had the recent DNS (domain lookups) problems.

There was a problem with the DNS servers causing ‘host not found’ errors. It’s been resolved, but if still get that message you can use the server ip 69.16.185.250 instead of news/free.teranews.com.

——————–

Earlier this week we started hearing about Teranews news servers being down.  Since Wednesday their site (http://www.teranews.com) has been unavailable as well.

There is very little information online in regards to the current Teranews outage.  We know their news servers have been down from time to time in the past.  Is this just another outage or the end of Teranews?  If its the end we wish them the best.  Teranews offered quality, low cost newsgroup access for years.  They also gave users up to 50 MB a day free and were lenient on overuse.  That meant quite a few text newsgroup users relied on Teranews for free access.

If you know more about the Teranews outage please let us know so we can update everyone.  Send us an email – support (at) newsgroupreviews.com or hit us up on Twitter – NewsgroupRevs.

In the meantime if you need a replacement take a look at our Usenet providers section to compare all the services.  We also have a list of the latest free trials and Usenet specials.

If you are looking for alternatives to Teranews here are some options:
– UseNetServer – $10 unlimited (or $95 a year)
– Newshosting – $9.99 unlimited (or $99 a year)
– Astraweb – $11 unlimited (or $96 a year)

As mentioned earlier there is very little information online in regards to the Teranews outage.  We used feedback from NGR visitors and a thread at Velocity Reviews as sources for this post.  According to one comment Teranews phone is disconnected as well.  We don’t have the number to confirm.

Filed Under: Teranews, Usenet Providers Tagged With: , , , ,

Giganews Earns Top Honors : 2010 Editors Choice

January 21, 2010 by

Congratulations to Giganews who recently took top honors in our 2010 Editors Choice Awards.  This is the third year Giganews has earned the #1 ranking on NGR.  As an industry leader, Giganews continues to innovate and push the boundaries of Usenet forward.  They lead the way in retention and recently added a new service called vyprVPN to help customers protect their privacy online.

As mentioned in previous posts the Editors Choice Awards are given in recognition of the best Usenet providers based on factors including service level, performance, and value.  The providers bearing this title are thoroughly tested and evaluated by the NGR editors.  In earning top honors Giganews had stiff competition from our other Editors Choice selections which include Binverse, Astraweb, NewsDemon and Newshosting.

Let’s dive in and take a look at what gave Giganews the edge:

Giganews Account Features:

The premium features Giganews offers with their Diamond plan go well beyond other Usenet services.  For starters you get the highest retention rate at 532 days and counting.  Add to that unlimited speed (tested up to 50 mbps), 256-bit SSL encryption, 50 connections and 24/7 support.  Taking one more step, Giganews offers Diamond customers free unlimited VPN access.

Giganews VyprVPN Helps Protect Your Privacy Online
A few weeks ago Giganews announced a partnership with Golden Frog to offer Diamond customers free VPN access.  The service, called VyPrVPN, allows unlimited VPN usage and normally costs $14.99 a month.  From the feedback we’ve had so far the new VPN service appears to be performing quite well.  The inclusion with Diamond accounts is a great bonus!

Giganews Free Trial and 50% Off Special:
Giganews is offering all new customers a two week free Usenet trial including up to 10 GB of high speed downloads to test the service.  In addition Diamond accounts are currently being discounted 50% for the first month.  A savings of $15.00 over the normal price.

Giganews recent release of VyprVPN and partnership with Golden Frog is sure to bring more innovative features to our #1 ranked Usenet provider.  Will the competition catch up this year or will Giganews continue to forge ahead?  Stay tuned to find out!

Filed Under: Giganews, Usenet Providers Tagged With: ,

Astraweb – 2010 NGR Editors Choice Award

January 16, 2010 by

This is the third post in our series of this year’s five NGR Editors Choice Award winners.  Today its time to honor Astraweb as an Editors Choice selection.

As mentioned in previous posts the awards are given in recognition of the best Usenet providers based on factors including service level, performance, and value.  The providers bearing this title are thoroughly tested and evaluated by the NGR editors.  Astraweb joins Giganews, Binverse, NewsDemon and Newshosting as this year’s Editors Choice selections.

Astraweb made our list of top Usenet providers in mid-2009 after their $11 unlimited special boosted their customer base and lead to a shift toward value across the industry.  Since then a number of quality newsgroup services including Supernews and UseNetServer have thrown their hat in the ring offering $10 unlimited Usenet access.  So the $11 Astraweb special was a huge benefit to all those looking for affordable, reliable Usenet access.

In 2009 Astraweb set themselves apart by pricing their unlimited accounts at $11 while continuing to grow retention and maintain service levels.  As 2010 starts we’ve had a few reports of completion issues.  If reliability becomes an issue other providers could see an influx of users.  As long as Astraweb can retain high service levels while only charging $11 a month their future looks very bright.

Here is a closer look at the major accomplishments of Astraweb in 2009:

515+ Days of Binary Retention
– Astraweb is 2nd only to Giganews in binary retention with over 515 days and growing.

Block Accounts
– Astraweb added non-expiring block accounts to their lineup last year including 180 GB of downloads for $25.  A popular choice for those who want bandwidth to use over time.

Unlimited Usenet Access – $11 a Month for Life!
– This is what brought Astraweb to the forefront and continues their growth.  They are still offering new customers their unlimited DSL plan (normally $15 a month) for $11 a month for the life of your account.

In conclusion we were very impressed by the growth and impact Astraweb had on value in 2009.  What will happen in 2010?  Can Astraweb continue to grow while retaining high service levels or will the competition close in?  It should be an interesting year!

Filed Under: Astraweb, Usenet Providers Tagged With: , ,

NewsDemon – 2010 NGR Editors Choice Award

January 15, 2010 by

This is the second post in our series of this year’s five NGR Editors Choice Award winners.  Today its time to honor NewsDemon with Editors Choice recognition.

NewsDemon was on our list of Editors Choice selections in 2009 and an easy selection for 2010.  As mentioned yesterday the awards are given in recognition of the best Usenet providers based on factors including service level, performance, and value.  The providers bearing this title are thoroughly tested and evaluated by the NGR editors.  NewsDemon joins Giganews, Binverse, Astraweb and Newshosting as this year’s Editors Choice selections.

NewsDemon has set themselves apart through efforts to promote their service as well as the future growth of Usenet.  Like other top Usenet providers, NewsDemon underwent major change in 2009.  Doubling binary retention to 500 days, providing free Usenet access to various groups and offering deeply discounted access to everyone.

Here is a breakdown of the major changes NewsDemon made in 2009:

500+ Days of Binary Retention
– NewsDemon underwent a major retention update is 2009.  They are now at nearly 500 days of binary retention and growing daily.

Promote the Positive Growth of Usenet
– NewsDemon spent a lot of time and effort promoting Usenet in 2009.  Including celebrating the 30th anniversary of Usenet with interviews and the original message introducing Usenet.  Stay tuned for a follow up post in the coming weeks covering the benefits of NewsDemon’s efforts.

Free Usenet Access
– NewsDemon provides free Usenet accounts to a number of groups including college faculty and staff, charities, and members of the media.

NewsDemon 50% Discount
– NewsDemon is currently offering their Unlimited Plus ($22.95/mo.) premium plan to new customers for $10.95/mo. for life!  That’s better than 50% off regular price.

In conclusion NewsDemon has a lot to offer.  High retention, SSL encryption, 20 connections, servers in the US and Europe, a free newsreader and international payment options.  We have always enjoyed the quality of their service and high level of support and professionalism.  Stay tuned for more updates on NewsDemon’s 2009 efforts to promote Usenet and the year to come.

Filed Under: NewsDemon, Usenet Providers Tagged With: , ,

Newshosting Earns a 2010 NGR Editors Choice Award

January 14, 2010 by

Congratulations to Newshosting who recently received a 2010 NGR Editors Choice Award.  These awards are given in recognition of the best Usenet providers based on factors including service level, performance, and value.  The providers bearing this title are thoroughly tested and evaluated by the NGR editors.
Newshosting has been offering premium Usenet services for quite some time but recently they have taken several leaps forward.  Starting with a major retention upgrade.  Followed by a new, easy to use site design for Newshosting.com and series of video tutorials.  Then came the holiday discounts and ongoing special offers.  All of which made for an easy decision to name Newshosting a 2010 NGR Editors’ Choice Award winner.  Newshosting joins Giganews, Binverse, Astraweb and Newsdemon as this year’s Editors Choice selections.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the features and offers that lead Newshosting to our short list of the best Usenet services:

500+ Days of Binary Retention
– Newshosting underwent a major retention upgrade is 2009 and the results are telling.  They are now at nearly 500 days of binary retention and continuing to grow daily.

New Website Launch + Usenet Video Tutorials

– In November they launched a new website design.  Not just a flashy new site design. Newshosting also added a series of Usenet video tutorials helping users setup newsreader clients, search, download and post to newsgroups.

Newshosting Free Trial
– Along with the new site design came a 14 day, 10 GB free Usenet trial for all new customers.  A great opportunity to try the premium service free of charge.

NGR Exclusive 25% Discount
– A couple months ago we posted an exclusive 25% Newshosting discount.  The special continues to be active and we look forward to bringing NGR visitors future offers.

Newshosting Unlimited Access – $7.90/mo.
– From a pricing perspective the biggest change Newshosting has made to date is their current special – 24 months of unlimited Usenet access for $7.90 a month. That’s over 60% off the normal $19.99/mo. retail price.

Newshosting didn’t stop there either.  They increased connections to 60 last year.  Making it insanely fast for those with enough bandwidth to use all 60 connections.  They also give customers extra privacy and security through free SSL encryption.

Newshosting has put a lot of effort into continued improvements and the results show positively in both service level and pricing.  We look forward to future Newshoting updates and offerings.  It should be a fun 2010!

Filed Under: Newshosting, Usenet Providers Tagged With: , ,

Simply Usenet : UK Newsgroup Access @ 50 Mbps

January 9, 2010 by

Do you have a really fast Internet connection?  If so we’re jealous!  If you can push 50 Mbps then check out SimplyUsenet. They are currently offering unlimited downloads @ 50 Mbps for $17.99 a month.

The service is located in the UK and offers European news servers.  They also welcome US customers and will be adding a US based server farm later this year.

Let’s take a closer look at what Simply Usenet has to offer:
– 500 days of binary retention
– 260+ days of text retention
– up to 32 connections
– free SSL encryption
– online UK based support
– accept all major credit cards, Paypal and Google Checkout

They are currently offering discounted pricing as follows:
– 50 Mbps unlimited – $17.99 / £10.99 a month
– 24 Mbps unlimited – $10.99 / £6.99 a month
– 16 Mbps unlimited – $9.99 / £5.99 a month
– 8 Mbps unlimited – $7.99 / £4.99 a month
– 2 Mbps unlimited – $4.99 / £2.99 a month

To learn more read our Simply Usenet review or visit simplyusenet.co.uk.

Filed Under: Simply Usenet, Usenet Providers Tagged With: , ,