Those familiar with the Dutch Usenet scene will be surprised to hear that FTD World is calling it quits. They weren’t chased down to otherwise forced to close the site. Instead the team is busy with other projects so they have decided to shot down FTDWorld.net. We shared a list of alternatives when Newzbin 2 and NZBMatrix closed so we’d like to do the same for FTD World members. Hopefully this will help you find another fine site.
We’ll start with a recommendation from the FTD World team. They are trusting the team at DUT Planet to help their members moving forward. While we don’t have any experience with the site, FTD World has shared ideas with them to help recreate a new home for their members. You can visit the site at DUTPlanet.net.
With the closure of so many Usenet indexing sites over the last year we’re starting to favor newsreaders with built-in search engines. Newshosting is our favorite since they have a search feature built into their free client. It’s available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Newshosting offers unlimited Usenet access along with the free client for $9,99 a month or $99 a year. Easynews is another provider that offers all-in-one service.. Members use their web interface to search, preview and download. Easynews offers new users a 14 day free trial.
You can also look to some of the leading third-party clients that offer search engines. There is some added cost for the software and search but they are convenient and easy to use. Newsbin Pro and Newsleecher are two of our favorites. Each newsreader has good Usenet search features and costs $4 to $5 a month.
There are still some free search engines and indexing sites out there. The list continues to shorten as more and more sites like FTD World close. You can still access Binsearch, Nzb.cc and Nzbindex.
Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet. Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest news.
