Alternative to Google Groups

[Marco Moock]

This is only relevant for those people who read or post in that
newsgroup using Google Groups.

Google will discontinue Groups in Feb 2024.

For those who do not know Usenet:

Usenet is a distributed communication system consisting of many servers.
Google Groups is only one of them that closes down - other servers will
stay available, but people need to use another server to read and post
here.

There are 2 alternatives:

Using a web-based Usenet interface:
Those behave similar to Google Groups, you can read there, but for
posting you need to register an account for free.

One of them is:
https://www.novabbs.com/interests/thread.php?group=alt.os.linux

Another alternative is to use an NNTP server with a so called
newsreader.

As an NNTP server, some free services exist where you have to register:
https://www.eternal-september.org/
https://solani.org/
https://www.i2pn2.org/

For using it, you need a newsreader.

Some examples are:
https://www.thunderbird.net
https://www.betterbird.eu/
https://claws-mail.org/
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

You then need to configure a newsgroup account, sometimes also
called NNTP.

For most servers, authentication must be enforced in the newsreader's
settings.

For Thunderbird, a tutorial is available here:
https://www.big-8.org/wiki/Getting_Started_with_Usenet

For questions about configuring those readers, feel free to ask in
the group news.software.readers.

[Jeff Gaines]

On 16/02/2024 in message <uqntka$3t86q$1...@dont-email.me> Marco Moock wrote:

>For those who do not know Usenet:

Sacrilege, this is a Linux group :-)

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by those who
watch them without doing anything. (Albert Einstein)

[bad sector]

On 2/16/24 10:05, Marco Moock wrote:
> This is only relevant for those people who read or post in that
> newsgroup using Google Groups.
>
> Google will discontinue Groups in Feb 2024.
>
> For those who do not know Usenet:
>
> Usenet is a distributed communication system consisting of many servers.
> Google Groups is only one of them that closes down - other servers will
> stay available, but people need to use another server to read and post
> here.
>
> There are 2 alternatives:
>
> Using a web-based Usenet interface:
> Those behave similar to Google Groups, you can read there, but for
> posting you need to register an account for free.
>
> One of them is:
> https://www.novabbs.com/interests/thread.php?group=alt.os.linux
>
> Another alternative is to use an NNTP server with a so called
> newsreader.
>
> As an NNTP server, some free services exist where you have to register:
> https://www.eternal-september.org/
> https://solani.org/
> https://www.i2pn2.org/

I signed up for a low-end (then $3) giganews service about a decade ago,
never saw a reason to leave them since.

> For using it, you need a newsreader.
>
> Some examples are:
> https://www.thunderbird.net
> https://www.betterbird.eu/
> https://claws-mail.org/
> https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

http://pan.rebelbase.com/

[Joerg Walther]

bad sector wrote:

>> As an NNTP server, some free services exist where you have to register:
>> https://www.eternal-september.org/
>> https://solani.org/
>> https://www.i2pn2.org/
>
>I signed up for a low-end (then $3) giganews service about a decade ago,
>never saw a reason to leave them since.

If you are only doing text messages on Usenet even this actually is a
waste of money since the abovementioned servers work perfectly well for
text and are free. Now I have been subscribed to Easynews for 24 years,
but I also use their binary services, especially the global search for
binaries across all newsgroups.

-jw-

--

And now for something completely different...

[Mike Easter]

Joerg Walther wrote:
> If you are only doing text messages on Usenet even this actually is a
> waste of money since the abovementioned servers work perfectly well for
> text and are free. Now I have been subscribed to Easynews for 24 years,
> but I also use their binary services, especially the global search for
> binaries across all newsgroups.

For the frugally inclined, but willing to spend frugally...

Text-only the various free NNTPs; economical somewhat stronger nntp
Individual NIN 10 euros/y; for someone who only needs an occasional
binary for something or other, buy a never-ending low-end block account,
some for as low as $3 for a small block which will last a very long time
for text only.

But, for serious binary users who need great depth and breadth such as
retention and other features, the major players like giga are serious
about their biz.

--
Mike Easter