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2010 Usenet Year in Review

December 30, 2010 by

While 2010 went by in a blink there were quite a few Usenet achievements.  The ongoing retention gains and reduced prices have made Usenet more popular than ever.  In this post we’ll focus on new technologies and features added in 2010 that have changed Usenet for the better.

Usenet achievements were plentiful this year.  In past years the discussion revolved around retention levels.  While retention continues to grow the industry expanded in other directions as well this year.  Everything from Usenet providers adding clients, VPN, storage, enhanced web access and supprt for mobile devices.

Let’s take a closer look at a few Usenet providers who left an extra mark this year:

Giganews – (VyprVPN and Mimo Usenet Browser)

Giganews was certainly busy innovating this year.  First with their addition of VyprVPN and then Mimo Usenet browser.  VyprVPN provides Diamond members with free VPN access to help secure their privacy while online.  Mimo newsreader is also free for Diamond members and provides a Usenet search feature in addition to a nice user interface.  Not to by missed Giganews continued to lead the industry in retention.  With speed and reliability to match their premium services.

Easynews – (New Web Interface, Mobile Apps)

Easynews was hard at work innovating this year.  Starting with network upgrades to ensure a high level of performance and reliability.  In October Easynews launched a new web interface and continue to enhance the online features.  We were impressed with the ease of use and wrote a full review of the beta release. More recently Easynews added 3rd party mobile apps like EZ Global Search.  Available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.  In addition Easynews added unlimited NNTP access and support for PayPal this year.

NewsDemon – (Online Storage)

NewsDemon added free online storage for their unlimited customers this year.  Partnering with StorageNinja to offer 30 GB of free online storage to members who subscribe to an unlimited plan.  In addition they continued to include a fully licensed copy of News Rover newsreader for all members.

Newshosting – (Free Easynews Account)

Newshosting recently announced a partnership with Easynews to offer free web Usenet access to NHXL members.  This means NHXL subscribers not only receive unlimited NNTP Usenet access from Newshosting but also a 10 GB monthly Easynews account at no additional cost.  Newshosting also continued to increase retention and added support for PayPal in 2010.

Not to be missed are all the Usenet providers who offer low cost Usenet access with reliability and continued retention gains.  A list including UseNetServer, Supernews, ThunderNews, Astraweb and many more.  Cheers to everyone who helped improve Usenet in 2010.  We look forward to the years ahead!

Filed Under: Astraweb, Easynews, Giganews, NewsDemon, Newshosting, Supernews, ThunderNews, Usenet History, Usenet Providers, UseNetServer Tagged With: ,

Google Wave Dead : “Wave in a Box” Open Source

November 2, 2010 by

Back in early August Google announced they would be discontinuing development on Google Wave as a standalone effort.  Taking some of the collaborative technology and achievements on to other future projects.  Google had already open sourced quite a bit of Google Wave code and offered developer interaction through the Google Wave API and Google Wave Federated Protocol.

Was the lackluster reception of Google Wave a sign of it’s weakness or was the technology just ahead of it’s time?  In this case we enjoyed Wave and think you’ll see some the innovative ideas well into the future.  Unfortunately it just didn’t catch on.  Much like Bill Gates early efforts to promote interactive computing.  While the timing wasn’t right we’re seeing a huge shift to tablets and other touch screen devices now.  Perhaps parts of the Google Wave technology will thrive in future years as well.

Google has decided to make available an open source package with the Wave web server and client code called “Wave in a Box“.  According to the Google blog post:

This project will include:

  • an application bundle including a server and web client supporting real-time collaboration using the same structured conversations as the Google Wave system
  • a fast and fully-featured wave panel in the web client with complete support for threaded conversations
  • a persistent wave store and search implementation for the server (building on contributed patches to implement a MongoDB store)
  • refinements to the client-server protocols
  • gadget, robot and data API support
  • support for importing wave data from wave.google.com
  • the ability to federate across other Wave in a Box instances, with some additional configuration

We look forward to seeing how developers continue the effort to extend the existing Google Wave code. It will be interesting to see what areas might be influenced by the effort.  If you are interested in hosting your own Wave or taking a peak at the code stay tuned to the Google Wave Federation Protocol site.

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

Personal Home Page Tools (PHP) Newsgroup Post

June 8, 2010 by

Happy birthday to PHP!  Fifteen years ago Rasmus Lerdorf announced Personal Home Page Tools (PHP Tools) version 1.0 via a Usenet post.

Here is the original post in the comp.infosystems.www.authoring.cgi newsgroup.  Archived in Google Groups:

Announcing the Personal Home Page Tools (PHP Tools) version 1.0.
These tools are a set of small tight cgi binaries written in C.
They perform a number of functions including:

. Logging accesses to your pages in your own private log files
. Real-time viewing of log information
. Providing a nice interface to this log information
. Displaying last access information right on your pages
. Full daily and total access counters
. Banning access to users based on their domain
. Password protecting pages based on users’ domains
. Tracking accesses ** based on users’ e-mail addresses **
. Tracking referring URL’s – HTTP_REFERER support
. Performing server-side includes without needing server support for it
. Ability to not log accesses from certain domains (ie. your own)
. Easily create and display forms
. Ability to use form information in following documents

Here is what you don’t need to use these tools:

. You do not need root access – install in your ~/public_html dir
. You do not need server-side includes enabled in your server
. You do not need access to Perl or Tcl or any other script interpreter
. You do not need access to the httpd log files

The only requirement for these tools to work is that you have
the ability to execute your own cgi programs.  Ask your system
administrator if you are not sure what this means.

The tools also allow you to implement a guestbook or any other
form that needs to write information and display it to users
later in about 2 minutes.

The tools are in the public domain distributed under the GNU
Public License.  Yes, that means they are free!

For a complete demonstration of these tools, point your browser
at: http://www.io.org/~rasmus

—
Rasmus Lerdorf
ras…@io.org
http://www.io.org/~rasmus

Filed Under: Usenet History 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: , , ,

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: ,

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.

————————-

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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