Just curious, how many use newsgroups?

[vipp]

Do you use newsgroups to get movies, music, programs, etc?

It was a bit tricky to learn, IMO, but it's a fast, safe way to get files.

[Malakai1911]

Define safe.

1.) Cant the poster of the info be tracked? How about by the ISP.
2.) What about the downloader of the content?

What keeps the RIAA and MPAA from going after the newsgroups?

[vipp]

I was thinking in terms of downloading things from them. (I haven't learned how to post things there yet)

But, it seems that if you are getting files that basically come from your ISP (which mine do), I don't see how I could get in trouble for that. I haven't heard of anyone getting a warning for downloading things, only sharing.

[Ken17625]

I would, but under the circumstances, i'd have to PAY for newsgroup access.

And of course, that goes against my religion.

[vipp]

I assumed they were all free. Shows how much I know about them.

By the way, mine is capped at 256K, but that seems fast to me, since I'm used to the speeds of emule.

[matt merch]

Originally posted by vipp
I assumed they were all free. Shows how much I know about them.

By the way, mine is capped at 256K, but that seems fast to me, since I'm used to the speeds of emule.

some isps have good newsgroup servers a lot suck so a lot of ppl will have to pay for a premium newsgroup service it really depends on your isp

[Ken17625]

If your ISP doesn't allow you access to their newsgroups (my case), or they suck, like stated, the only other option is to PAY for access.

No way Jose.



EDIT: Spelling

[americanbitch]

i do i have tons of movies music & games from news groups using "grabit" news reader its free

[Ken17625]

Even though I really don't wan't to pay for newsgroup access, perhaps some of you would like to list the best sites that sell access.

For informational purposes.

[Slycktom]

Interesting thread...

First, Newsgroups are much safer than P2P networks or IRC. It s a wildly popular medium that continues to grow. Despite the wealth of information on this medium, which for ISO's, Movies, Vids, ect, far exceeds any P2P network, the MPAA or the RIAA probably will never be able to shut them down or violate an ISP.

Why?

Because unlike P2P networks that hold the actual binary file, Newsgroup readers encode these files into text messages (when u upload) for storage on the server. You then decode it back into a binary file after you download. So, even if the RIAA/MPAA wanted to violate an ISP or individual, they couldn't because there is no way to verify the file thats on the server. They would just be looking at a bunch of text. This has been going on since Usenet first appeared, and has proven to be one of the most effective ways to fight the RIAA/MPAA/BSA (or any copyright pest).

As far as paying for newgroups access, there's nothing wrong with that. Basically, you're only paying 13 bucks a month and get gigs of information in return. The cost goes towards maintaining the server and paying for the massive bandwidth. If you dont feel like paying, your ISP usually maintains a free news server. In anycase, free servers cant compare with pay servers....many have incomplete posts, paultry binary newgrousps, and the retention is poor.

and if you want to learn more about Newsgrous and usenet, check out our guide http://www.slyck.com/ng.php

list of pay servers: http://www.slyck.com/ng.php?page=2

[crackerjacker]

I use newsgroups. the news readers i use are xnews and grabit.
i use my internet providers news server and it has good retention.

btw there are free public nttp servers that people can use.
http://smr-usenet.com/ check it out there is a section their that can gear you into the right path to get a free news server. :0 )

yeah since i just saw your post just now slyck's website had good guides for newsgroups.
thats where i learned how to use newsgroups from.
:)

[Kooperman]

Agent is another newsreader worth using. As far as retention goes, some are only about 24 hours while others are much, much longer.
The average file sharer could very easily get by using the free newsgroups that most ISPs provide. Mega-users probably should consider looking at pay site.
A wide variety of music, with many rare items, can be found on newsgroups. They're definitely worth checking out, especially in today's climate.

[americanbitch]

go here for a guide to learn about this:http://www.slyck.com/ng.php

[-0-BACKLASH-0-]

I thought about learning how to use this medium, but I don't even know where to start. How do you convert the text back into the file?

[crackerjacker]

I will just add that the download speed i get depends on my dsl plan so currently its probably like 1 mb download.
there are lots of stuff thats newsgroups have.
hmm
one day i got bored i downloaded way over 1000 jokes from alt.jokes.
*still reading them*
u can subscribe to whatever group you want, but with this particular news reader called grabit you can resume your downloads and even pause them.
say if your computer crashes, no problem restart grabit and it will ask if you want to resume. this is the main one i use and its awesome for binaries, it is yenc compliant so you have no worries about the decoding process, and it will decode in the back ground so while your downloading your downloads will not be affected by this.

:)
anyhoot thats all i will say for now. peace

[vipp]

Yes, grabit is my choice too.

The files come in .rar and sometimes a few .par files (to make up for any missing .rar files), and need to be unzipped. This creates a bin, that you can leave as is (if you prefer bin files, which I don't), or extract it to mpeg form via ISOBuster.

[talkinghand]

my isp, roadrunner, has a shitload of newsservers all over the place. anyways, i get free access, and it comes in ata a constant 230KB/s That is shit fast! /me wonders if it can dish it out faster or if that is my limit...

*runs a speed test*

dslpeports:224KB/s
bandwidthplace:about 220
roadruner speedtest:238kb/s (prolly the most accurate cause they are near me, not in california...)

anyways, there is a load of crap in the news servers, and i stumbled on slycks guide about a month ago, and have been hooked...

[Slycktom]

I thought about learning how to use this medium, but I don't even know where to start.

Start here --> http://www.slyck.com/ng.php

I would suggest the ZP newsgroup guide, but... (j/k)

How do you convert the text back into the file?

The news reader will do this for you...

[Andy L]

I've been using newsgroups ever since I got my first PC in 1997. I find them indispensable - better quality files than Kazaa without the queues of WinMX or eMule. They're fast as well, although if you've got a specific file or song that you're after, they're maybe not the best. You can get lots of rare files on them, and it's second only to IRC for pre-release albums.

I use a combination of my ISP's news server and Giganews for the missing posts (expensive, but it's worth it - 10 day retention for binaries). For my newsreader, I use NewsBin Pro, which does all the work in 'stitching' together posts. And for uploading, I use Power-Post 2000.

[rainbowdemon]

I played with the newsgroups a little. I don't know, maybe my isp's news server isn't the best. All I could really find were porno pics. Now I'm not a prude, but a little bit of this is enough.

[napho]

Originally posted by rainbowdemon
I played with the newsgroups a little. I don't know, maybe my isp's news server isn't the best. All I could really find were porno pics. Now I'm not a prude, but a little bit of this is enough.

It's probably your isp not giving much in the way of groups. These are some of the movie groups available.

[Sandcrab]

I'm a big user of Newsgroups and highly recommend them. I use Forte Agent, really like it.

[Caitlyn Marble]

I adore newsgroups. I've gotten many many many rare files from them. Files that were never on winmx.
And no queues either!!

I use Xnews, no need to install.