Will Pittenger wrote:
> As long as the group is available via NNTP, I would prefer to access it
> that way rather than via Google's web interface. I see these warnings
> that I would be disclosing my e-mail address. With a NNTP client, I
> can make users look at my signature. There I always put the e-mail
> address into a format that humans understand, but machines do not
> readily read.
> Trouble is, some of Google's support groups are Usenet based. So you
> need to do something.
Actually, its the other way around.
Google inherited a Usenet archive of posts that was decades old from
DeJa News. Then to be competitive with Yahoo Groups it developed
Google Groups using their web interface to Usenet. Herein lies the
confusion with many.
Usenet via NNTP requires the use of an NNTP news reader. Netscape,
Mozilla, Outlook Express, Forte Free Agent, MT-Newswatcher (Macintosh)
are just some of the programs. You need access to an NNTP server to
use these programs. Google does not offer this. Its web interface is
all that is available for access to Usenet groups.
Usually Usenet access comes with your Dial-up/DSL/Broadband account in
many cases, but an increasing number of services are dropping it - AOL
for example dropped it last February which forced many of their users
to Google for the web interface to Usenet. You'd need the settings
published by your internet service provider for your news reader
program. Alternately, Usenet access can be purchased as a seperate
service from places such as Supernews, GigaNews, TeraNews, and many
others.
Google's private groups use the same web interface as is used for
Usenet access. Google's private groups which are not Usneet do not
propagate outside of the Google system.
The creation of Usenet groups is a detailed process that is not easily
accomplished and even if successful in getting some servers someplaces
to carry one, the "official" list that were properly created is
increasingly the gold standard and rogue groups are summarily ignored.
Google's private groups will never be propagated outside of Google.
That would create chaos in Usenet given that anyone can create agroup
at anytime. As it stands there is a moratorium on the creation of new
groups in the "Big-8" hierarchy and even ALT groups are being created
in a limited fashion these days. A new Usenet team is re-writing some
of the methods by which new groups will be honored and by which some
existing ones will eventually be killed off or changed in some way.
What I would like to see is a totally seperate interface to Usenet from
that of the private groups, or at least seperate them so people know
the difference. Way too many people think Google is Usenet and vice
versa - though that might be an underlying desire of Google's? A
speculation certainly.
DMK
