Binary Retention

Unison Usenet Service offer 300 days of binary retention, which should be more than adequate for most users. Yes, some providers offer longer retention rates, but why bother? Most postings are refreshed regularly, and 300 days should be just fine.

Pricing

Full unlimited access for a cheap $9 per month, especially considering that you gain access to the custom Unison Usenet Service software, negating the need to purchase a Usenet client. There are also some special offer upgrades to Unison 2 (the newer version of the client software used).

Unison Usenet Service Free Trial

No free trial here I am afraid, but for $9 you get to dip your toes in the water, try out the service and download the free client software, almost as good as a free trial.

Unison Usenet Service Coupons

None at present.

Speed

Unison Usenet Service do not actually post any information regarding their network infrastructure and therefore it is difficult to make an informed comment about their speed and reliability. Additionally, they only allow 8 concurrent connections from each client. Best advice would be to try them for a minimum period. There is nothing which indicates they might be slow, but there is also nothing to indicate they might be fast either!

Security/Anonymity

Like most modern Usenet providers, Unison Usenet Service offer free SSL connections.

Other Nice Features

The best feature simply has to be the exceptional custom client software, which makes browsing multi-part posts a breeze.

Conclusion

Good pricing while Unison Usenet Access may not suit hard core Usenet freaks, as they publish no performance figures but for the price they are interesting however at the moment we are recommending choosing any one of our top 12 Usenet providers

Recommendation

While their Usenet newsreader client is very good presently we are recommending using one of our top 12 Usenet providers if you are interested in just Usenet access.

Binary Retention

Binary retention is a respectable 365 days, and most people will find this entirely acceptable. Popular items usually get reposted regularly, and a year is plenty for more obscure stuff.

Pricing

Once again, when it comes to pricing, Alibis are bucking the trend to follow their own course. No tiered access style range of accounts here, just a single account, with unlimited access for $14.95 per month. Major savings can be had by taking a 6 month or annual submission.

Alibis Free Trial

Unfortunately, Alibis does not offer a free trial, although it should be noted that the $8.95 for the first month offer is quite generous, and in some ways negates the downside of not having a free trial available.

Alibis Coupons

None at Present

Speed

Alibis run what the call Mega-servers, these impressive sounding boxes are able to pump out huge amounts of data by the minute, they should be a super fast and entirely dependable Usenet provider at all times. The generous 30 connections will also help to keep things running smoothly.

Security/Anonymity

Free SSL encryption is offered to all account holders, as seems to be the standard these days.

Other Nice Features

Alibis provides a full range of discussion forums, which appear to be quite lively, and also contain some excellent information and advice.

Conclusion

On paper, Alibis appear to be a top of the line Usenet provider, and one which is set to put some of the more established names in their place. Give it a try, if it works well for you it’s a bargain.

Recommendation

Sign up for the monthly account and get the first month for just $8.95, a complete bargain. If things work well, then dive in with a yearly subscription and save yourself 49%.

When we talk about good manners, we do not mean ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, although that is always nice. We are talking about a type of etiquette within the groups. There are certain things that as a new user you may not know, so here are some tips for good manners on the Usenet!

Always read the FAQ – The frequently asked questions are exactly that. If you have a query, it is likely other people have had the query before, as it may be a very common issue. It is always good to check the FAQ section to see if there is already an answer there before posing the question.

Don’t Flame - Many people do it but it does not make it right. If you are not aware of what flaming is, it means being insulting to someone who has said something silly or that has made you angry. If you do come across something that does bring out a bad reaction, then it is best to ignore it.

New to Usenet ? Read our getting started series on downloading from Usenet

Although 99.9% of Usenet users are good people, some people do actually write these types of posts to get a reaction. They are commonly known as trolls – never feed the trolls! If you get mad and angry and start ranting at someone’s post, then you are giving them exactly what they wanted. Best to just ignore it and hopefully they will get bored and go away.

Don’t use all capitals – If you write a post all in capitals it is generally regarded that you are shouting, and it is bad form. You can see that WHEN I WRITE IN CAPITALS it does seem like I am shouting.

Don’t be too hasty in a post – It is good to think before you post something. Once you post it is really there for good. You may regret a post that has been done while you were angry or upset, so be careful not to putting something on there that you may regret later!

HTML is a no no – Do not use HTML in your posts. It may look fantastic in your newsreader but it may look dreadful in another. HTML should be on web pages, not on posts so do not use it.

Try not to multiple cross post – You may have a fantastic article and want all to see it, but it is generally bad form to post an article to loads of groups. It is usually a one article one group rule. At a push you can post to two or maybe three, but no more as it will just be frowned upon.

Click here for Usenetbinaries Special Offers

Binary Retention

One downside of Usenetbinaries is their fairly short retention rate, which is just 90 days. However, we must consider that they are targeting a whole different audience with their service, more of a casual downloader than a hardcore Usenet addict. For casual users, 90 days could be OK.

Pricing

Usenetbinaries offer 4 basic accounts, all of which come with unlimited browser access to supported newsgroups. However there are restrictions on NNTP access thus: Web Only Unlimited ($14.95 per month no NNTP), Starter ($19.90 per month 10GB NNTP limit), Standard ($24.90 per month 25GB NNTP limit), Pro ($34.90 per month 60GB NNTP limit).

Usenetbinaries Free Trial

There is a free trial offered, but unfortunately it does not allow any downloads. It simply lets the trial user try out the web based interface and see how everything works once they subscribe.

Usenetbinaries Coupons

None at present

Speed

Because the primary Usenetbinaries interface is web based, it should be fairly fast. Download are pushed over HTTP, and should only be limited by the speed of the user’s internet connection, as Usenetbinaries state they have massive network resources.

Security/Anonymity

This is where Usenetbinaries fall down a little. Unless you are using an SSL connection over the NNTP protocol, then security and anonymity cannot be provided. The standard web based interface is insecure in the respect.

Other Nice Features

Very cool binary navigation, thumbnails and previews, no more downloading the wrong thing.

Conclusion

If you are new to Usenet or do not need a heavy duty account, then Usenetbunaries may be for you. Easy to navigate and understand.

Recommendation

Go with the Web Only account, which allows unlimited downloads over the web based interface, if you are looking for a full blown NNTP service go elsewhere.

Using their client software, it’s as simple as selecting a download and waiting for it to finish. No PAR checking, no extraction, simple click, download and go. In fact, most people will not even use the Nzbuse news servers, they will simply use the software and pay the small monthly subscription.

Binary Retention

Nzbuse does not actually publish a retention length. So one can only presume it is sufficient to provide adequate post coverage. This is something to look out for if you are going to choose Nzbuse as a host, there are no promises on the length of binary retention.

Pricing

Simple, it’s $5 per month to use the desktop client, with access to the Nzbuse NZB archives. Add your favorite news host price on top of this though.

Nzbuse Free Trial

Every user can create a free trial account, or log into the desktop client as a guest and check it out.

Speed

Speed will depend entirely upon which NNTP provider you choose to integrate with the custom desktop client.

Security/Anonymity

SSL is supported within the client, but will also need to be supported by your choice of Usenet provider.

Other Nice Features

Automatic NZB, PAR checking and extracting in one clean desktop application. Extremely easy to navigate, you just cannot go wrong.

Conclusion

Good for newcomers to Usenet who lack the technical ability to handle the NZB linking, PAR checking and extraction themselves. Although be aware, there is a hidden cost in the required news server account required to operate fully.

Recommendation

Check out their software as  even if you are a hardened Usenet veteran who us used to recreating archive by hand by downloading specific PAR files, you will still find Nzbuse useful.

Usenet – This is the descriptive term for the entire system of communication. A kind of combination hybrid of email and forums. It is one of the fastest ways to access and download files.

PROVIDER – This is the provider of the access to the Usenet. Some internet service providers used to include access but they are few and far between nowadays. Most people will now use a dedicated provider that specializes in Usenet access. An example of one such provider would be Giganews.

NEWSGROUPS – These are groups that are formed to hold all the posts from fellow members of the group. The group is usually centered around a commonly shared topic such as pets or hobbies. Most of the postings within the newsgroup will be centered around the group theme; this is known as on topic. Posting off topic is not really welcomed in most groups.

NEWS SERVER – This is a dedicated server to the Usenet. Usually held by a providing company and external to your computer, it is the new server that holds all the file information and propagates the flow of information between it and other servers in the Usenet.

NEWS CLIENT – This is a program that sits in your computer and that you use to access the Usenet. It is the news reader (or client) that will access and decode the Usenet for you, so that you can read it.

ARTICLES / POSTINGS – When someone writes something within a group, this is known as a posting. Also a posting can be part of a thread or a new thread.

THREAD – A thread is a sequential listing of related postings following a starting post. For example, you may post ‘I really liked the new Spiderman film’. In response, a thread would start where people would type in replies to your posting agreeing or disagreeing with you. You would then be able to scroll down the ‘thread’ to read all the responses.

HEIRARCHIES – This is a way to divide up the Usenet groups into sections. There are thousands of groups listed on the Usenet and in order to make it easier to find the groups you are looking for, you can search through the hierarchy that it is related to. For example, if you wanted to find a group on scuba diving then you would go to the rec category for recreation and hobbies.

MODERATED / UNMODERATED – Moderation means that your file or posting will be checked by a specified person to be approved before it is put up for general viewing. Un-moderated means that your posting is not checked and that it will go onto the Usenet immediately.

Binary Retention

Xsnews comes in with a decent 400 days of retention, this should be more than adequate to meet most peoples needs.

Pricing

Xsnews offer both single user accounts, and multi-user block accounts. These range from the basic single user account which is capped at 5Mbit speed, and costs a few Euros per month, all the way up to the large block account, which allows multiple users to share the account and download up to 500GB per month, for a whopping 99.95 Euros per month.

Xsnews Free Trial

Xsnews give an extremely generous 5 day trial account, so it is well worth signing up for, this should give plenty of time for prospective subscribers to test things fully.

Xsnews Coupons

None at Present

Speed

Xsnews say they can server up to 128Mbit, which is quite a startling speed. Within the Netherlands, they should be hands down the fastest Usenet provider. Elsewhere in the world is unlikely to use this speed, although it is possible.

Security/Anonymity

Xsnews offer the usual free SSL over NNTP, nothing special here, almost every provider offers this these days.

Other Nice Features

200,000 plus newsgroups served so they offer a very extensive coverage.

Conclusion

If you live in the Netherlands, then give the free account a try, they could be just what you have been looking for. If you live outside of the Netherlands, then we can’t recommend them because their customer service in english is non-existent. Try Simply Usenet – a reseller of  Xnews instead read our review of Simply Usenet

Recommendation

Try Simply Usenet – a reseller of  Xnews – instead read our review of Simply Usenet They seem to have better tech support and customer service.

This 48th NANOG meeting will be talking place in Austin, Texas and will be attended by such internet names as Comcast, TW Telecom, Akamai, Equinix and Google. They will discuss current problems and issues, along with new technology and its implication upon the infrastructure of the internet.

Topics which will be discussed at this NANOG meeting are listed as operational issues which effect ISP operation. Large scale backbone operations and the application of new protocols including IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6).

These types of meetings organised by NANOG are held three times over the year, and are held in different venues around the USA each time. NANOG are a subsidiary of the Merit Network, which is the longest standing research and education network in the world. It has helped to organise NANOG since early 1994.

It is sure that a world full of people dependent upon the internet for their work, or even their play, are secure in the knowledge that such industry giants are sitting at the same table. We all know that the internet is far from perfect, especially in less developed countries, and it can only be hoped that NANOG, and other similar working groups around the world, can ensure that the quality of our internet connections continues to get better. We should all give a big word of thanks to Giganews and Data Foundry for their efforts in ensuring we stay connected.

In these articles, we have been looking at how to get started with the Usenet and all the different terms that are used for different parts of the system. One part that people can confuse is the news servers and the newsreaders so we thought that we should clarify this for you to ensure that you have the difference clear.

The newsreader is the client. The newsreader is a program that will be on your computer and is controlled by you. It is this newsreader that is responsible for interacting with the Usenet for you. Using your newsreader, you connect to the Usenet and access all the data and downloads. It is this newsreader that will display all the information that you want on your screen.

There are many different news readers and options that some people choose to use Windows Outlook. This can be used as a newsreader, but it is not recommended by all. The reason many people do not like to use it is because there is the risk of information leaking. Most Usenet users would be horrified at the thought of information being accessed through their newsreader. For this reason most choose to have a dedicated newsreader program on their computer.

New to Usenet ? Read our getting started series on downloading from Usenet

The news server is located externally from your computer. It is run by a company and will handle all the data requests from different newsreaders. The news server will be the holding location for all the information and files that the newsreader is accessing. The news server is also responsible for propagating the information between other news servers. When you create a post on the Usenet and post it, then the news server is responsible for ensuring that your post spreads out in the Usenet.

You have a range of choices of news server. There are very few news servers that are free. Some providers may offer a free service with their internet packages but this is being phased out and you may well find that your service is limited. It only costs a small amount to get full access and you can pick the package that you want according to your usage of the server, which means you can spend as little or as much as you want.

Newzbin operated for years without any problems at all, as the MPAA seemed to entirely target the growing threat of torrent sites such as www.thepiratebay.org. However, these fine times were not to last, and in 2008 Newzbin received a letter from the MPA (Motion Picture Association), which stated it had been found that Newzbin had been linking .NZB files to binary postings containing copyrighted movies.

The owner of Newzbin publically stated that, “Newzbin has recently received two serious complaints regarding the indexing we perform, and raising doubts as to its legality. It is likely that we will in the coming weeks be presented with a court case and have to defend our rights.”

The owner of Newzbin, Caesium, were quick to add that had never promoted or condoned the distribution of copyrighted content, and would remove any which was found. However, Caesium also stated quite clearly that it would defend itself, and that its lining to content on Usenet was entirely legal, since it had procedures in place to prevent copyright infringement.

I late 2008, Newzbin confirmed that they had been removing NZB files which had been confirmed as pointing to copyrighted works. This availed little, and the MPA filed and injunction anyway.

So, over a year has passed, with many ripples being felt across the Usenet pond, as providers wait eagerly to view the outcome of the Newzbin v MPA clash. This is set to take place in the High Courts of Justice, London, UK.

The legal team appointed by Newzbin and its owners has estimated that the case could run for up to week, but it is highly likely that the actual verdict will not be delivered for quite some time, as this is I many ways a groundbreaking case.

The recent case against Alan Ellis failed to secure a prosecution, and in a similar fashion, ex-OiNK held no actual copyrighted content, merely meta data which pointed to it. Although there are some considerable differences between the two cases, it is entirely apparent that the powers that be are taking every precaution to avoid the farcical acquittal of Alan Ellis in the earlier case.

The Usenet world waits, and users wonder if they will still have access to the wealth of useful downloadable materials they currently have, should Newzbin lose this case, setting a percent which could pull down the whole house of cards.

We all know that there are spurious Usenet users and providers, but it would be a sorry state of affairs if this incredible online resource was take from us, simply due to the bad actions of a selected few individuals and companies.