Nzb Search Engines
The standard protocol for files within the Usenet is nzb, which is an XML-based file format. This nzb format was created by Newzbin.com and is a fast and efficient file transfer protocol. Using a Usenet search engine allows you to search through binary files within the Usenet newsgroups.
The search will usually use an nzb file transfer protocol that can then load the resulting files into most Usenet clients. A good search engine will index every binary newsgroup, which is probably over 6000 now. The Usenet search engines that we have found most useful are nzbindex.com, www.newsleech.com and www.binsearch.info
This search engine has been operating since 1995 and offers a language selection of both English and Dutch. The website has a really useful forum section for those of you who are a little lost in the Usenet and need some guidance on how to search. The FAQ section is fantastic and can help you with searching the results of your search and rss feed information. You can also filter your results with this engine, by the age of the article or how many results are displayed. These are just the basic search settings, you can get a more detailed search that includes a file size restriction, sorting by age or size, poster, NFO content and selected group search only. You can also choose to filter by release ratings and to hide spam.
Newzleech is classified as an Alt Binaries Search and offers free nzb indexing. This search engine has become very popular very quickly. The search features are similar to Nzbindex and offer several search filters such as filtering the results by age, group and size of the file. The search results pop up on the screen as a list including displayed info of the file name and other details. As well as a search function, a user can also browse recent posts and submit to rss feeds to stay up to date on any topics that they have taken an interest in.
Presently Newzleech is down (January 2010) due to server issues
Again, this search engine has a similar format as the first two with an adjustable search parameter according to size, age and group. Once you have completed your search, you simply import the results into your newsreader.
The Usenet is a surprisingly undiscovered resource that, once you have grasped how to navigate with it, you will wonder why you never heard of it before. The Usenet search engines make your searching experience fast and efficient. Do not be intimidated by the binary nature of Usenet, it can really open up a world of knowledge to everyone using it. The indexing is so much faster than the internet and you can access the files quickly and from any provider.
