A Beginner's Guide to Newsgroups and Usenet

**sinjix_media** · 12-21-2006, 12:12 PM

I was wondering if it were possible for someone to post sort of a beginner's guide to downloading files (binaries?) from UseNet clients such as UseNext.

I would see this client UseNext everywhere so i fugued I'd give it a try. It was as simple as any p2p program; Install and begin searching and downloading. Unfortunately the rest of the newsgroup file (binary?) downloading world is not so easy.

So what are newsgroups all about anyway?

The following are questions that I would prefer be answered in layman's terms if you would be so inclined to do so.

There are two types of newsgroups, information sharing and file sharing(binary downloads?)?
To download file (binaries?) from newsgroups you must have an UseNet server installed? If so, how do you install a newsgroup server, Is it free?
If all the above is true, once you've installed your UseNet server and downloaded a newsgroup/Usenet client you have to find free servers or newsgroups that allow binary downloads and only then can you start searching and downloading?
Is there a free alternative to UseNext that is as easy as it is?

**MultiForce** · 12-21-2006, 12:51 PM

There are two types of newsgroups, information sharing and file sharing(binary downloads?)?

I guess you mean that there are binary groups and TXT groups. Binaries are just encoded files that you download and decode into whatever the file type is.
The text part is discussions etc. (what the NG's really is).

To download file (binaries?) from newsgroups you must have an UseNet server installed? If so, how do you install a newsgroup server, Is it free?

You don't install a server. You install a client such as Grabit (Grabit is free) and use that to download from a Usenet server.

If all the above is true, once you've installed your UseNet server and downloaded a newsgroup/Usenet client you have to find free servers or newsgroups that allow binary downloads and only then can you start searching and downloading?

There are no GOOD free usenet servers. Pay for it and you get quality.

Is there a free alternative to UseNext that is as easy as it is?

Nope.
And take a look on this thread before you jump on to the Usenext train:
https://filesharingtalk.com/vb3/newsg...hlight=usenext

This is just my opinion and I have never used Usenext (I use Giganews and Newsbin client): I would never thrust Usenext as they are advertising like hell about free downloads etc. and you easily see are "warez". There is no serious newsprovider that do this. They are even advertising on crack sites etc.

**sinjix_media** · 12-21-2006, 12:58 PM

So i'm just not gonna get any good newsgroup downloads if I don't pay monthly?

**MultiForce** · 12-21-2006, 01:02 PM

Maybe your ISP got newsservers... The retention and copletion rates will suck though.
You got something called Yottanews (http://www.yottanews.com/) too... slow speed and not so good retention.

Point is that you should sign up if you are going to use newsgroups as your mainsource for getting "stuff" since you then get 90+ day retention and usually no broken files that a PAR set cannot fix.

**sinjix_media** · 12-21-2006, 01:05 PM

Retention
and
Copletion Rates please

Also how do i find out if my ISP's got newsgroup servers.

**Skiz** · 12-21-2006, 01:28 PM

Supposedly this is the best guide for newsgroups. I've seen it posted here several times, but it didn't help me figure it out though. I've never been able to get newsgroups working.

**MultiForce** · 12-21-2006, 01:40 PM

Retention - How long an article is kept on the server before it is deleted.

Completion rate - % completeness of files on the server (not missing parts etc.)