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Where are all the Windows-7 newsgroups?

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cha...@farley.xxx

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Jul 5, 2010, 8:50:21 AM7/5/10
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I can't find any - are there some?

Carlos

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Jul 5, 2010, 9:41:22 AM7/5/10
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Right here:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/windows7
Carlos

"cha...@farley.xxx" wrote:

>
> I can't find any - are there some?
>

> .
>

cha...@farley.xxx

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Jul 6, 2010, 6:29:09 AM7/6/10
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thats a web site

if you need support newsgroups are essential
websites are just not acceptable for professional support

web sites are for marketing brochures and amateurs that
want to learn how to use a keyboard.

if microsoft are not going to provide professional
support it seems my business has another reason
to look at linux.

Steve Foster

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Jul 6, 2010, 7:50:00 AM7/6/10
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cha...@farley.xxx wrote:

>
> I can't find any - are there some?

I don't think Microsoft ever created any Windows 7 specific groups.

And they are now in the process of abandoning NNTP and closing down
their operation of the microsoft.* hierarchy. I expect
msnews.microsoft.com to be gone by the end of the year (there were in
excess of 2000 groups listed prior to 1st June - that number is now
just over 200).

However, NNTP being a peered protocol, many of the existing groups will
continue on other public NNTP servers. But it's highly unlikely that
new groups within the microsoft.* hierarchy will ever get created.

--
Steve Foster
For SSL Certificates, Domains, etc, visit.:
https://netshop.virtual-isp.net

Shenan Stanley

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Jul 6, 2010, 7:50:10 AM7/6/10
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cha...@farley.xxx wrote:
> I can't find any - are there some?

cha...@farley.xxx wrote:
> thats a web site
>
> if you need support newsgroups are essential
> websites are just not acceptable for professional support
>
> web sites are for marketing brochures and amateurs that
> want to learn how to use a keyboard.
>
> if microsoft are not going to provide professional
> support it seems my business has another reason
> to look at linux.

If you are counting the lack of a peer-to-peer support newsgroup as 'another
reason to look at linux' - more power to you. ;-)

Microsoft recently publically announced they were ending their news
server/newsgroups.

The MS Newsgroups have always been peer-to-peer (not 'professional support'
in terms of anyone getting paid or compensated) support - with only the
occasional MS employee showing up (usually on their own and not actually
representing Microsoft.)

Being newsgroups (and you should know this) - just because the Microsoft
news server goes away does not mean the death of any particular group as
long as some other news server carries that group who had been synching its
content. Now that newsgroup just has to be gotten to through another news
server.

I associate newsgroups with a lot of things - mostly because I have been
around long enough - but not in the manner you have presented. They are no
more and no less a source of proper and accurate assistance/information
_AND_ no more and no less an outlet for childish attempts to get attention
than any other medium that has universal access for all people.

Your opinion may be otherwise - but I am afraid that at some point you will
find that time marched past you and web forums are more the norm (like it or
not - and believe me - I do not relish the usage of web forums) and less and
less people even know what a newsgroup is (in terms of a computer based
forum.)

Not to mention - if you need assistance with Windows 7 for your business and
your source (or at least a major one based off your last sentence) for
'professional support' is the newsgroups - you may have made a career
mistake some time in the past or not properly kept up with things anyway.
;-)

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


Shenan Stanley

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Jul 6, 2010, 7:59:46 AM7/6/10
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cha...@farley.xxx wrote:
> I can't find any - are there some?

Steve Foster wrote:
> I don't think Microsoft ever created any Windows 7 specific groups.
>
> And they are now in the process of abandoning NNTP and closing down
> their operation of the microsoft.* hierarchy. I expect
> msnews.microsoft.com to be gone by the end of the year (there were
> in excess of 2000 groups listed prior to 1st June - that number is
> now just over 200).
>
> However, NNTP being a peered protocol, many of the existing groups
> will continue on other public NNTP servers. But it's highly
> unlikely that new groups within the microsoft.* hierarchy will ever
> get created.

Easier just to repost something you may have missed if you were not a
consistent user of the Microsoft News Server / Groups:

"What is Happening?
This message is to inform you that Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing
newsgroups and transitioning users to Microsoft forums.

Why?
As you may know, newsgroups have existed for many years now; however, the
traffic in the Microsoft newsgroups has been steadily decreasing for the
past several years while customers and participants are increasingly finding
solutions in the forums on Microsoft properties and third party sites. This
move will unify the customer experience, centralize content, make it easier
for active contributors to retain their influence, mitigate redundancies and
make the content easier to find by customers and search engines through
improved indexing. Additionally, forums offer a better user and spam
management platform that will improve customer satisfaction by encouraging a
healthy discussion in a clean community space. To this end, Microsoft will
begin to progressively shift available resources to the forums technology
and discontinue support for newsgroups.

In addition to offering a compelling online browser experience, for those
users who prefer to use an NNTP (newsgroup) reader to participate in the
newsgroups community, we have developed a solution called the NNTP Bridge
which allows a user to connect a variety of supported NNTP readers to the
forums they would like to participate in and continue having the NTTP reader
functionality. You can find instructions on how to download and set up the
NNTP Bridge here: http://connect.microsoft.com/MicrosoftForums/

Which Newsgroups Are Affected by this Shutdown?
All public newsgroups will eventually be closed between June 1, 2010 and
October 1, 2010. Microsoft will be closing newsgroups in a phased approach,
starting with the least active newsgroups and moving eventually to more
active ones throughout the course of the next six months.


Where Should I go with the Closure of this Newsgroup?

Should you want to visit the other Microsoft Forums, please go to
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/forums/default.mspx

Who Should I Contact with any Questions?
Send any questions about the process, recommended forums and timing to
NN...@microsoft.com"

Keith Combs

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Jul 6, 2010, 9:52:27 AM7/6/10
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Steve,

There have been Windows 7 specific forums for months and months. See
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-us/category/w7itpro

Keith Combs
Senior Program Manager - TechNet
(425) 705-9217 office
http://blogs.technet.com/keithcombs

"Steve Foster" wrote in message
news:xn0gwb9uq...@news.eternal-september.org...

Steve Foster

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Jul 6, 2010, 11:02:50 AM7/6/10
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Keith Combs wrote:

>There have been Windows 7 specific forums for months and months. See
>http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-us/category/w7itpro

We know where the forums are - a previous respondent already that pointed
out.

But that doesn't actually answer the OP's question, which was "Where are
the W7 *newsgroups*?" (my emphasis).

--
Steve Foster
------------
Please reply only to the newsgroups.

John John - MVP

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Jul 6, 2010, 11:42:03 AM7/6/10
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You can paint them whichever color you want but forums are not newsgroups!

John

XS11E

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Jul 6, 2010, 11:47:54 AM7/6/10
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"Keith Combs" <keith...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Steve,
>
> There have been Windows 7 specific forums for months and months.

Which are all totally useless. Forums, bah, humbug!


--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

Keith Combs

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Jul 6, 2010, 12:47:19 PM7/6/10
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Oops. My bad. I read forums not newgroups.

Keith Combs Senior Program Manager - TechNet (425) 705-9217 office
http://blogs.technet.com/keithcombs


"Steve Foster" wrote in message

news:xn0gwbf0c...@msnews.microsoft.com...

Shenan Stanley

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Jul 6, 2010, 2:43:22 PM7/6/10
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Steve Foster wrote:
> We know where the forums are - a previous respondent already that
> pointed out.
>
> But that doesn't actually answer the OP's question, which was
> "Where are the W7 *newsgroups*?" (my emphasis).

Which was also answered before you responded.


Need a more direct answer? A Microsoft Windows 7 *newsgroup* created/hosted
by Microsoft is doubtful to ever happen given the statement above from
Microsoft. If you have more questions - email the address given at the end
of that statement.

If you want a non-Microsoft hosted/affiliated newsgroup (not much
difference) with the words "Windows 7" in the title in some form:

Use a different server...
http://aioe.org/

To get this news group:
alt.windows7.general

Steve Foster

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Jul 7, 2010, 7:30:16 AM7/7/10
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Shenan Stanley wrote:

> Steve Foster wrote:
> > We know where the forums are - a previous respondent already that
> > pointed out.
> >
> > But that doesn't actually answer the OP's question, which was

> > "Where are the W7 newsgroups?" (my emphasis).


>
> Which was also answered before you responded.
>

Nope, Carlos had suggested the forums, I was first to post about the
ending of Microsoft's NNTP support (your first response has a later
timestamp than mine).

--
Steve Foster

Shenan Stanley

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Jul 7, 2010, 7:45:53 AM7/7/10
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<snipped>
(Entire conversation linked to *in the response*.)

Steve Foster wrote:
> Shenan Stanley wrote:
>
>> Steve Foster wrote:
>>> We know where the forums are - a previous respondent already that
>>> pointed out.
>>>
>>> But that doesn't actually answer the OP's question, which was
>>> "Where are the W7 newsgroups?" (my emphasis).
>>
>> Which was also answered before you responded.
>>
>
> Nope, Carlos had suggested the forums, I was first to post about the
> ending of Microsoft's NNTP support (your first response has a later
> timestamp than mine).

Possibly in this conversation you did respond first - but if so - it was by
seconds. *grin*
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windows.64bit.general/browse_frm/thread/fa9e32881fd8f0a/
(Archived.)

Both yours and my first response was made at 6:50AM CST (11:50 UTC.)

Now I did repeat the same thing in my second response - the one to you
directy. However, my statement, "Which was also answered before you
responded." was not a 'who was faster' thing - but a statement of overall
fact. Microsoft reps posted what I did long before I copied/pasted and long
before the question this conversation started with was ever asked in this
very newsgroup and it has been extensively discussed and worried over (as to
the future of this (64bit) forum in particular.) (And I added the latter
part - about the free news server and Windows 7 newsgroup - in topic.)

*shrug*

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