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Newsgroup Reviews Guide to Usenet Block Accounts

May 12, 2010 by

Understanding Usenet block accounts is no easy task as newsgroup providers market them differently.  Learn more about block plans and services that offer non-expiring, yearly and monthly blocks.

To us a block Usenet plan inherently includes a non-expiring block of gigs that you pay for once and use until it is gone.  Then if you choose to do so you can buy another block.  As you are about to see that isn’t always the case.  Some plans defined as “block accounts” expire in a year or even monthly.

When researching and planning for this post we were tempted to just say “don’t buy Usenet block accounts that expire” but we realize that everyone has their own individual needs and an expiring account from provider’s like NewsDemon or Newshosting might be your preference.  So our goal is simply to help you understand each provider’s meaning of a “block account”.

Let’s start with the meaning we think of for block Usenet access which is non-expiring blocks of downloads.  We’ve also seen them called pay-per-download plans.

Here are a few Usenet services that offer non-expiring Usenet block accounts:

Astraweb

Astraweb defines blocks as pay-by-download plans.  They clearly define them as having no expiration date.  They also don’t count headers toward your download limit and offer free posting.  Astraweb blocks include 633 days binary retention, 50 connections and free SSL encryption.  Astraweb block accounts options include 180 GB for $25 and 25 GB for $10.  Read our Astraweb review for more details.

BlockNews

BlockNews.net offers Usenet blocks with no expiration date and free posting.  The service boasts 610 days binary retention, 50 connections and free SSL encryption.  Block plans include 200 GB for $25 and 25 GB for $8.50.  Read our BlockNews review for more details.

Usenet-News

Usenet-News.net block accounts include no time limit and free posting.  The service offers 550 days binary retention and free SSL.  Usenet-News block account options include 200 GB for $27 and 30 GB for $10.  Read our Usenet-News review for more details.

Next comes Usenet block accounts that expire annually.  NewsDemon appears to be the only provider currently offering annual block plans.

NewsDemon offers yearly block accounts that automatically renew at the end of the year or when you hit the download limit based on the block purchased.  Depending on your needs you might also consider their NGR special which includes 150 GB of downloads a month for $8.95.

NewsDemon

NewsDemon block plans have a one year time limit and autorenew when either the year ends of downloads are used up.  The service offers 600 days binary retention and 50 connections with all block accounts.  SSL encryption is available for $2 with any block.  NewsDemon Usenet block accounts include 200 GB for $32.00 and 25 GB for $10.00.  Read our NewsDemon review for more details.

Other Usenet providers including Newshosting and Red Dot News advertise block accounts that expire monthly.  We would normally define these types of accounts as “metered Usenet plans” or “limited” accounts since they are limited to a specified number of GB each month.  One difference in the Newshosting BigBlock is the unused gigs are rolled over to the next month which is a nice feature.  Newshosting also offers a special on unlimited Usenet for $15.95.  We would suggest paying the extra $1 a month for unlimited Usenet over the BigBlock option.

Let’s take a closer look at some block accounts that are billed monthly:

Newshosting

The Newshosting BigBlock account renews monthly  The plan offers 600 days binary retention, 30 connections, free SSL encryption and rollover gigs.  Meaning any gigs you don’t use one month are added to the next months downloads.  The BigBlock account includes 125 GB for $14.95 a month.  Read our Newshosting review for more details.

Red Orb News

Red Orb News block accounts renew monthly.  They do not include a rollover option so you either use or lose the downloads each month.  Red Orb News offers 600 days binary retention, 20 connections and free  SSL encryption.  Monthly block plans include 75 GB for $12.99 and 30 GB for $8.99.  Read our Red Orb News review for more details.

In conclusion make sure to read the terms of any Usenet account.  Whether it’s a free trial, unlimited access, metered or block account.  Visit our Usenet block accounts page for a comprehensive list of block plans.

Filed Under: Astraweb, BlockNews, NewsDemon, Newshosting, Red Orb News, Usenet Providers, Usenet Tutorials, Usenet-News Tagged With: , ,

Microsoft Cutting 4,200 Support Newsgroups In June

May 5, 2010 by

We have enjoyed using Microsoft’s newsgroups over the years.  Including technical newsgroups on topics like Windows, Office and SharePoint products.  It will be a shame to see them go.  According to Microsoft, this June they will shift from Usenet to online forums including Microsoft Answers, TechNet and MSDN.  They list centralized content, easier search and better spam management as advantages to the new method.

According to Microsoft:

Microsoft has a long history of establishing newsgroups that channel users and issues into the newsgroup (NNTP) space where information is shared and problems can be addressed by the community. Currently, Microsoft hosts more than 2000 public newsgroups that cover virtually all of our products, along with more than 2,200 private newsgroups that reach specific audiences including Certgen, SBSC, Partner Programs, MVPs and Direct Access, among others.

Meanwhile, customers are turning online more and more for information and help. Microsoft is revamping its communities to make it easy for customers to find help and information when they need it. Using forums as the online support strategy will reduce the number of redundant resources and centralize content, making community contributions more broadly available and impactful.

Beginning in June 2010, Microsoft will begin closing newsgroups and migrating users to Microsoft forums that include Microsoft Answers, TechNet and MSDN. This move will centralize content, make it easier for contributors to retain their influence, reduce redundancies and make content easier to find. Overall, forums offer a better spam management platform that will improve customer satisfaction by encouraging a healthy discussion space.

Instead of “Microsoft is cutting Usenet” or “Microsoft is discontinuing newsgroups” they went with “Microsoft responds to the evolution of communities” for the title.  Dress it up anyway you like.  Lots of us will miss the Microsoft newsgroups.

Filed Under: Usenet History Tagged With: ,

Help Save a Piece of Usenet History at Duke University

May 1, 2010 by

On May 20, 2010, Duke University’s OIT (Office of Information Technology) is planning to decommission the Duke newsgroup server – news.duke.edu.  Why is that important?  For several reasons including students free access to newsgroups and the historical ties that Duke has to Usenet.  In 1979 Duke graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis helped bring life to Usenet.  Making Duke one of the original Usenet sites.

Would you like to ask Duke to reconsider?  If so please contact the Duke OIT office.

Duke OIT contact information:
Phone:  (919) 684-2200
Email:  help@oit.duke.edu
Live chat:  http://messenger.providesupport.com/messenger/oitduke.html

Those who live near Durham can visit OIT service desk at The Link in Perkins Library.

Here is the official announcement from Duke:

On May 20, OIT will be decommissioning Godzilla (godzilla.acpub.duke.edu), an older Solaris login server, and the News Groups server (news.duke.edu) that provides a Usenet news service. The services that were available through Godzilla are now available through the newer, Linux multi-user login servers, login1.oit.duke.edu and login2.oit.duke.edu, and the Usenet services have been made unnecessary by the growing use of blogs, social networking sites and RSS feeds.

If you have any questions or concerns about the servers being decommissioned, please contact the OIT Service Desk.

We would like to thank Jay Furr whose post made us aware of the situation. Also thanks to Thomas Mennecke over at Slyck along with AllThingsD, DSL Reports and WBIR for helping spread the word.  Please send any thoughts or comments to support (at) newsgroupreviews.com.

May 3rd update:  Jason Scott of textfiles.com (Twitter: txtfiles) opened a ticket with Duke OIT to take the server for preservation purposes.

May 3rd update:  NewsDemon is offering free Usenet access to all Duke professors.  They are also working on a special promotion for students.

May 5th update: NewsDemon has finalized their promotion for Duke students.  The are offering a 40% discount for students with a Duke email address.

Filed Under: Usenet History Tagged With: , , ,

Why Pay More than $10 a Month for Usenet Access?

March 26, 2010 by

May 2012 update – a lot has changed over the last two years.  With leading providers offering unlimited access and extras.  Check out our updated post to find out just how much Usenet $10 buys now a days.

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The question “Why should I pay more than $10 a month for Usenet access?” comes up quite often now a days.  We’ve joined in on the discussion in forums like DSL Reports and field lots of emails on the topic.

The person posing the question is typically new to Usenet or a customer of a value account.  They can’t understand why anyone would pay more than $10-$11 a month for a Usenet account.  Then on the other end you have Giganews and Easynews customers happily paying $30 a month for Usenet access.

So what gives?  Why is one newsgroup user happy to pay $30 a month while the other is paying $10 a month?  Let’s find out.  We’ll use Astraweb ($11 a month) and Giganews Diamond account ($29.99 a month) as examples since both are 2010 NGR Editor’s Choice award recipients.

Astraweb is a popular Usenet provider.  They advertise high retention (585 days at last count), 20 connections, free SSL and unlimited DSL (uncapped speeds) Usenet access for $11 a month.  A special that has been active on NGR and other sites for over a year now.

Giganews is also a popular Usenet provider.  They continue to push the bar forward on premium services.  With the highest retention (595 days at last count), 50 connections, SSL encryption, VyprVPN service and unlimited Usenet access for $29.99 a month.  In addition they offer a two week free trial and 50% off your first month.

Now that the introductions are made let’s start comparing the two Usenet services:

Retention

At first glance it seems like Giganews and Astraweb are very close on retention.  Knowing more about each service and having been around awhile we know that isn’t quite the case.  For one Astraweb doesn’t offer 585 days of headers and completion is degraded at higher retention levels.  While Giganews pushes right up to 595 days of headers with very high completion all the way up.  Why is that important?  It depends on how you search for newsgroup content and how many times you plan to download older posts.  Finding complete posts back almost 600 days (and counting) isn’t that easy and will become more difficult as retention continues to grow.

Completion

How important is completion to you?  Particularly as posts age.  Lower cost services tend to have degraded completion levels for older posts.  Why?  Because its very expensive to keep that much retention.  Imagine adding 5+ terabytes to the spool on a daily basis.  Now imagine storing 600 days of retention and adding redundancy.  Not something that is very cost effective when only charging $11 a month.  The result is a lowered completion rate as posts age.

Performance / Connections

Don’t get caught up in the number of connections a provider offers.  Also as a general rule don’t pay more for an increased number of connections.  Test with the lower number and see if your pleased with the result.  You can always upgrade.  For the standard Usenet customer with a 10 Mbps Internet connection either service will perform very well.  If your needs are higher we’ve seen Giganews hit speeds upward of 50 Mbps.

Security / Privacy

Both services offer 256-bit SSL encryption.  That is enough to help protect your privacy while using newsgroups.  They also offer alternate ports in case your ISP throttles traffic based on port number.

Giganews offers Diamond customers free VPN service which replaces your IP address and encrypts all web traffic.  Giving you an extra layer of security and privacy anytime your online.  Read our VyprVPN review if your interested in more details.

Technical Support

Tech support is one of those things you hope to never need.  Yet when you do response time and knowledge are critical.  Nothing will turn off a customer quicker than slow or inadequate help.  Even if response times are normally fast a bad experience can leave you looking for a new Usenet provider.

In our experience with tech support we have seen a difference in the two companies.  Particularly on weekends.  At times it can take a long time to receive responses from Astraweb.  Where our questions to Giganews have always been responded too quickly.  Regardless of day of week or time of day.  Even on holidays.

Bottom Line

Giganews wins our comparison.  As they should for the price difference.  Taking price into consideration though which one is better – Astraweb or Giganews?

We choose to compare Giganews and Astraweb because both are excellent choices.  It all comes down to your needs and preferences.  There are thousands upon thousands of happy Giganews and Astraweb customers out there.  One is no more right or wrong in their decision than the other.  They each found what they wanted in a Usenet service.  We hope this article along with our Usenet provider reviews can help you do the same.

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

Cake Repairing PAR2 Files

March 1, 2010 by

Last weekend we had a couple occasions to celebrate.  How better to celebrate than with pizza, beer, cookie cakes and a few other goodies.  The pizza, beer and goodies worked out just fine.  The cookies….could have used some help.  Can we get some cake repairing PAR 2 files please.

Cake #1 – Welcome Home

Granted we live in the South so “we’ll come home” is fitting but not when your shooting for “Welcome Home”.  It doesn’t quite have the same effect.

Cake #2 – Happy Birthday

At first glance this cookie looks fine.  Until you realize it was Spencer’s 36th birthday celebration.

Next time around we’ll contact QuickPar for our party needs.
😛

Filed Under: Usenet Tutorials 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: ,

Help Fixing Usenet News Server Connectivity Issues

December 17, 2009 by

It can be very frustrating when you pick up the phone, turn on the TV or try to hit the Internet and have issues.  The same holds true for Usenet service but there are a few simple steps you can take to fix common news server problems.

Here are 7 easy steps to help troubleshoot news server connectivity issues:

1. Confirm login information – if this is your first time trying to login then make sure you follow the provider’s setup instructions.  This normally consists of an email with username, password, news server addresses and ports. Visit our newsreader guides section for help setting up popular Usenet clients.

2. Confirm the news server address – some Usenet providers will use a single news server address and dynamically connect to the fastest server farm.  Others will provide different addresses based on location and whether or not you connect via SSL.

3. Confirm the port number – this is where a lot of people get confused.  When connecting to newsgroup servers you specify both a news server and port.  The port number is very important. Default port numbers are 119 (standard) and 563 for SSL connections. We offer a news server address / port list to help in this effort.

4. Test the news server connection – you can use a tool like Simple Little Usenet Test to test the connectivity to your Usenet provider.  The tool is simple to use and allows you to verify account settings and test basic functions.

5. Analyze error messages – sometimes you can learn a lot from an error message.  Common connectivity issues include failed logins, connecting from multiple IP addresses simultaneously and misconfigured server / port information.

6. Download the latest newsreader updates – make sure you have the latest version of your newsgroup client software. We provide a list of the latest newsreader versions and download information.

7. Ask for help – if you are still unable to connect to the news server then ask your Usenet provider for help.  The email you received after signing up should point you in the right direction.  If not visit their site and look for a support section.

Conclusion – hopefully this list helps you quickly resolve any news server connectivity problems.  If not consider an all-in-one Usenet service.  Some providers offer their own newsreader which simplifies setup.  Especially for those new to Usenet.  For more information on these services along with the latest free trials and special offers visit our Usenet providers section.

Filed Under: Usenet Tutorials Tagged With: , , , ,

College Football Newsgroups – Teams & Conferences

December 6, 2009 by

Why not follow your favorite college football team with other Usenet enthusiasts?  Does your team have its own newsgroup?  If not get one started.  Newsgroups are a great way to share your opinion and hear from other college football fans who follow the same team or conference.

Read our Beginnier’s Guide to Newsgroups to learn how to connect with other college football fans to discuss your favorite teams.

In a second we will list a number of popular teams and conferences along with newsgroups associated with each.  If your team isn’t on the list then use Giganews newsgroup search to see if the team has a group.  If a newsgroup doesn’t already exist then feel free to request one.  Once added let us know and we’ll help you promote your team’s newsgroup.

College football team newsgroups:
– Alabama Crimson Tide – alabama.sports.alabama
– Auburn Tigers – alabama.sports.auburn
– Cincinnati Bearcats – uc.bearcats
– Florida Gators – alt.sports.football.college.fla-gators
– Kansas Jayhawks – alt.sports.college.big12.kansas
– Kentucky Wildcats – alt.sports.college.sec.kentucky
– LSU Tigers – alt.sports.college.lsu
– Michigan Wolverines – alt.sports.college.michigan
– NC State Wolfpack – alt.sports.college.nc-state
– Nebraska Cornhuskers – alt.sports.college.nebraska
– Northwestern Wildcats – alt.sports.college.big10.northwestern
– Notre Dame Fighting Irish – alt.sports.college.notre-dame
– Ohio State Buckeyes – alt.sports.college.ohio-state
– Purdue Boilermakers – alt.sports.college.big10.purdue
– Syracuse Orange – alt.sports.college.syracuse
– Tennessee Volunteers – alt.sports.college.sec.tennessee
– Texas Longhorns – alt.sports.college.utexas
– UCLA Bruins – alt.sports.college.pac10.ucla
– UNC Tar Heels – alt.sports.college.unc

College football conference newsgroups:
– ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) – alt.sports.college.acc
– Big 12 – alt.sports.college.big12
– Big East – alt.sports.college.big-east
– Big Ten – alt.sports.college.big10
– Conference USA – alt.sports.college.conference-usa
– Ivy League – alt.sports.college.ivy-league
– MWC (Mountain West Conference) – alt.sports.college.mwc
– PAC 10 (Pacific 10 Conference) – alt.sports.college.pac-10
– SEC (Southeastern Conference) – alt.sports.college.sec
– WAC (Western Atlantic Conference) – alt.sports.college.wac

Filed Under: Usenet Tutorials Tagged With: ,

Google Groups vs Traditional Usenet Newsgroups

December 3, 2009 by

We get the occasional email asking which is better – Google Groups or traditional Usenet newsgroup access.  Should you join Google Groups  or look at traditional Usenet providers?  The answer really depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

In 2001 Google purchased Deja News and in doing so acquired a search engine to access archived newsgroup posts.  The Usenet search has had some technical issues of late but Google is still offering access to newsgroup articles.  However, Google Groups does not offer access to certain content and groups including the alt.binaries hierarchy.

Google Groups provides two types of groups.  One being traditional Usenet newsgroups and the other non-Usenet groups.  If you want to create your own group then non-Usenet is your only option.  The non-Usenet groups can be created as public or private.  They offer mailing list features along with the ability to create web pages, share documents and allow member comments.  Google Groups is web-based making it easy to access but doesn’t offer the enhanced features of some newsgroup readers.

If the goal is to promote a group or organization (email members, share documents, comment, etc.) then Google Groups is a good option.  If you are looking for newsgroup access then traditional Usenet providers are the way to go.

For more information on Google Groups visit http://groups.google.com/.

Here are some resources to learn more about traditional Usenet newsgroup access:
1. Newsgroup Reviews
2. Usenet University by Giganews
3. Getting Started with Usenet by Newshosting
4. Usenet Charter Directory by NewsDemon
5. Usenet for Mac Users by NewsgroupDirect
6. Open Directory Project / DMOZ
7. Wikipedia – Newsgroups

Filed Under: Google Groups, Usenet Providers, Usenet Tutorials Tagged With: , , , ,

NewsDemon Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Usenet

November 22, 2009 by

NewsDemon helped celebrate the 30th anniversary of Usenet on November 10th, 2009.  The celebration included an interview with Brad Templeton and Tom Truscott.  They also managed to find the original memo announcing Usenet written at Duke University in November 1979.

The original idea for Usenet was to allow communication between University Unix systems.  The estimated cost would be $15 a month to connect daily and transfer around 3,000 bytes of data via 300 baud modem.

Here is our favorite part of the Usenet annoucement.  It is from a “questions answered section at the end of the memo:

This is a sloppy proposal. Let’s start a committee.
No thanks! Yes, there are problems. Several amateurs collaborated on this plan. But let’s get started now. Once the net is in place, we can start a committee. And they will actually use the net, so they will know what the real problems are.

So many people want to plan, plan, plan but never act.  Luckily the guys at Duke moved forward with Usenet recognizing problems would be worked out as members joined and made use of the network.

The interview with Tom Truscott and Brad Templeton is quite interesting as well.  NewsDemon gathered questions from the Usenet community and the results made for a good interview.

Brad Templeton mentions in the interview that he feels like Usenet will fade into oblivion unless the network is completely redesigned for our current always-on Internet.

I’ve had the opportunity to get to know many of the key players in the Usenet industry.  There are some very sharp people behind the scenes.  Will they reinvent Usenet?  Will companies that compete for customers come together to improve the network for everyone?  Hopefully the answer to all these questions is “Yes” and the Usenet community will continue to grow for decades to come.  It would be a real pleasure to write a post for the “50th anniversary of Usenet in 2029”.

To learn more Usenet providers take a look at our newsgroup tutorial including more information on the history of Usenet.

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Here is the official press release from PRWEB:

NewsDemon.com Newsgroups Celebrates the Thirtieth Anniversary of USENET

NewsDemon.com Newsgroups provider teams with a founder of USENET to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of USENET. An interview with one of the creators and a prominent USENET pioneer to go along with never before released memos detailing the initial existence of USENET. To end the celebration NewsDemon Newsgroups offers unheard of discounts on USENET access.

…the first online social network…

Anderson, SC (PRWEB) November 10, 2009 — NewsDemon.com Newsgroups celebrates the Thirtieth Anniversary of USENET. It was thirty years ago this month that USENET debuted and quickly became the largest online community channel on the planet. As the first online social network, USENET newsgroups continues to be a vital resource and destination to thousands of users after three decades.

USENET Anniversary Celebration
USENET Anniversary Celebration

In late 1979, Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis developed the foundation of what we know USENET to be today. Quickly outgrowing expectations, USENET exploded in popularity and became a daily destination for thousands to access a wide variety of newsgroups. Since then, USENET newsgroups have accumulated millions of subscribers over the last thirty years and continue to attract new ones every day. USENET also has been a vital online communication channel for amazing achievements, including the announcement of the launch of the World Wide Web in 1991.

To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary, on Wednesday, November 11th, all monthly USENET accounts will be offered for only $1.00 per month for the first two months of the membership term. This special applies to all premium USENET monthly plans, including the unlimited USENET newsgroup memberships.

Throughout the years, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups has been active in promoting the resources that the USENET newsgroup community provides. This year alone, they have hosted a number free USENET access offers to University and College campuses as well as media outlets to grow awareness and the overall USENET newsgroup participation.

NewsDemon.com Newsgroups has also put together an interview of two USENET pioneers: Tom Truscott, one of the founders of USENET and Brad Templeton, the originator of one of the most famous newsgroups, rec.humor funny. Both Truscott and Templeton share and discuss the past, present and future of the USENET phenomenon and offer their insight as well as a previously unreleased copy of the original memo announcing USENET.

USENET continues to grow the global community of users, developers and activists it has spawned since its creation. It’s expected that over the next thirty years, USENET will continue to evolve and innovate to better serve the community that has sustained it.

It’s no question that USENET is a unique place in the online world. After thirty years of being driven by its subscribers to improve upon it, the community fueled system is expected to sustain its growth for another thirty years to come. From all of us at NewsDemon.com Newsgroups, we wish a fond Happy Birthday, USENET!

Providing top-rated premium USENET access to both United States and Europe, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is proud to participate in celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of USENET.

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