is usenet drying up?

[reallysalt]

Maybe its just my imagination but binsearch seems like it has been letting me down more and more often lately.

I mean for the last 6 months compared with the last 5 years.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

[2501]

binsearch & nzbindex(less than binsearch) comply with dmcas too you know.

[pootystomp]

Everything is still there, just not as easy to get to. I search popular groups and download the nfo to see what it is. Most new movies and some tv is coded.

[Beck38]

Lots of stuff has moved to private/encrypted/for-pay websites. But a lot hasn't. There was a big rush a few months ago right about the time the old indexers gave up (mostly due to inability to transfer funds). The actual number of things that got pulled, even at Astraweb, was pretty thin, unless you lived for certain things like pro-wrestling or network programs that were easily gotten off very cheap subscriptions.

Personally, I find the drop in decent 'low cost' used movies at ebay in the last few months more distressing. Supposedly it's due to Amazon getting more aggressive in bringing in sellers but I've noticed that the average prices for things, even old, seems to have skyrocketed, and with ebay, less and less are actually in actions, more and more are 'buy it now' at inflated prices.

But I still find load of stuff on usenet, a lot of it either unobtainable in RegA or (as in the last paragraph) too **** expensive.

I might add that lots of posting folks aren't including an nfo at the time the files are uploaded, and may not have the same 'filename' as the actual binary files. You have to use your brainpower a bit to figure out the 'link' between the (plaintext or encrypted) nfo and the (plaintext or encrypted) binary files.

[justlooking]

On one hand, it seems great for Usenet to be free and open for all, but on the other hand, private torrent sites have large groups of people who upload their entire collections, making torrents a huge repository of stuff that won't be available on Usenet unless there are more private, costly Usenet groups and sites. So basically Usenet will be similar to BitTorrent, private and public uploads with private having more files, certainly rarer stuff. Of course many of those end up leaking out to TPB and will happen on Usenet too.

[DngrMs]

The salient question is 'what can't you find'?

Pretty much every scene, P2P or public release is posted to Usenet at some point in some place.

What can't you find?

[justlooking]

The salient question is 'what can't you find'?

Pretty much every scene, P2P or public release is posted to Usenet at some point in some place.

What can't you find?

If you compare Usenet to private torrent sites, endless things . An example is a British show like Heir Hunters. All 7 seasons or close to it are available on British torrent sites, on Usenet about 1/2 a season 4 years ago. Sports uploads, be it games or ESPN type shows are sporadic compared to a sports torrent tracker. Big movie torrent sites have tens of thousands of movies you won't see on Usenet, unless there's a private group that has passwords and it's own site and charges $$ for the content they upload. Even something like Howard Stern on Demand dries up because the 1 guy who used to upload religiously is sick of the show or retires, and there's no one to replace him on a regular basis. Also Usenet is getting later and later for things, and some sports events showing up 12 hours late is bad, because by then you'll know the score. Some HD movies seem to be posted a day later than on a good torrent site, sometimes months later if ever.

[k2bug]

The real difference between other sharing platforms and Usenet is and always will be that most all other platforms work together and share information in many forms to get to the widest audience. Usenet however and i have said this before is a kill or be killed mentality and communities are reluctant to cross share information. Whats brought attention to Usenet? GREED. Usenet is only accountable per head an extremely small % compared to all other platforms. Usenet has been this way for years and no as much as we all want change it will never change.

I agree with the above it takes a lot of brain power, knowledge and patience to get to the files you want. Usenet is no longer n00b friendly but only saving grace is most things appear eventually. Best advice i would give n00bs starting to use Usenet

1.Avoid most newznab clones as out of about 40/50 i have only 3/4 worth a visit.
2.Avoid sites that restrict files until they rifle through your wallet for what they get.
3.Use sites like FST that are free to use. There are only maybe 2 others like FST in forum form that look at you as a member not another wallet to empty.
4.Be aware that a few sites out there are owned by the same person and you could indeed end up paying if you choose the same person multiple times.
5.Well have fun doing it as Usenet can be fun as too are some of the characters you will come across.

Lastly Usenet is in transition with the take downs it has adjusted well but to the detriment of its user base. Patience is key here as its only been a few months and i have faith Usenet will bounce back in all its glory.

[DngrMs]

The salient question is 'what can't you find'?

Pretty much every scene, P2P or public release is posted to Usenet at some point in some place.

What can't you find?

If you compare Usenet to private torrent sites, endless things . An example is a British show like Heir Hunters. All 7 seasons or close to it are available on British torrent sites, on Usenet about 1/2 a season 4 years ago. Sports uploads, be it games or ESPN type shows are sporadic compared to a sports torrent tracker. Big movie torrent sites have tens of thousands of movies you won't see on Usenet, unless there's a private group that has passwords and it's own site and charges $$ for the content they upload. Even something like Howard Stern on Demand dries up because the 1 guy who used to upload religiously is sick of the show or retires, and there's no one to replace him on a regular basis. Also Usenet is getting later and later for things, and some sports events showing up 12 hours late is bad, because by then you'll know the score. Some HD movies seem to be posted a day later than on a good torrent site, sometimes months later if ever.

Stop comparing the two, they're different. Usenet is NOT an archive, idiots that buy into retention believe it's an archive but it's not. Of course if you want old stuff it's going to be available more often on torrents than Usenet (irrespective of retention).

That's not the point.

What can't the OP find on Usenet that one would reasonably expect to be on Usenet? A blockbuster movie from 2010 or UFC #01 or a F1 race from 1994 are NOT likely candidates for Usenet (anymore). If you go looking for that type of stuff then you're better to spend your time on TPB, KAT or RUT. Alternatively learn how to REQ on Usenet... if you post in the right group you'll normally get the content you want within a few days.

Usenet and public torrent sites compliment one and other. Private torrent sites may have some obscure or old stuff but they're niche markets and I don't recommend anyone joins one unless they need to.

The real difference between other sharing platforms and Usenet is and always will be that most all other platforms work together and share information in many forms to get to the widest audience. Usenet however and i have said this before is a kill or be killed mentality and communities are reluctant to cross share information. Whats brought attention to Usenet? GREED. Usenet is only accountable per head an extremely small % compared to all other platforms. Usenet has been this way for years and no as much as we all want change it will never change.

I agree with the above it takes a lot of brain power, knowledge and patience to get to the files you want. Usenet is no longer n00b friendly but only saving grace is most things appear eventually.

N00b friendly is not, and should never be, an aspiration for Usenet. That goal is best left to layers above Usenet such as NZBMatrix was. That way when the gate closes the realm still exists. I have no sympathy for pirates that won't learn their trade properly and crying that they can't 'get their fix' because it's no longer being spoon fed to them doesn't endear me to then any further.

What can't you find on Usenet that you expect to find there?

[Beck38]

If you compare Usenet to private torrent sites, endless things.

And therein lies the biggest difference between torrents and usenet; now, a lot of folks are trying their all to make usenet a 'private club' just like the majority of torrents, then again, you'll still be fighting the fact that most torrent folks don't keep Petabytes of material 'on-line' 24/7, which is really the biggest drawback to torrents. One may 'join' all the private trackers one can, and find all those 'gems' and such, only to find that x% of the way through the transfer, the 'host' machine out there drops off that particular 'net', and never returns.

Now, perhaps one can figure that's the equivalent of something getting DMCA'd on usenet; I'd say if it was, then the poster isn't watching very closely. With such programs as nzbcc, it's easy enough to keep an eye out.