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ASSTR: Zombie Story Site
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bradle...@gmail.com
Feb 18, 2024, 6:23:05 PMFeb 18
to
On more or less the final days of ASSTR and all associated entities, here is a post I made just over 3 years ago to kind of mark the occasion:
There are probably many of those who’ve looked for my fiction who have found that it is sited on ASSTR and may then have wandered onto its home site and been astounded at the sheer volume of authors represented there and the stories they’ve written.
You might also have noticed that the home site seems somewhat deficient in its functionality. For instance, the list of authors hardly features anyone, the Spotlights page hasn’t been updated since 2017 and many of the links don’t lead anywhere.
The situation is even worse if you’re an author. The online FTP facility no longer works, there is no longer a weekly posting of author statistics and there is no way that new authors can register on the site to post their stories.
However, it is clear that ASSTR is not actually dead. It is kind of walking along as can be seen by the number of new stories (or at least revisions of existing stories) that are posted every day. The site is in fact kind of like a zombie. It’s not quite dead and it’s not quite alive.
ASSTR was founded in the very early days of the Internet. It was a kind of offshoot of the newsgroups on bulletin boards that existed before the advent of HTML and is now managed by Google and known as Google Groups. It was in fact the repository of the alt.sex.stories newsgroup (hence its name). As time went on, it grew to become a much bigger enterprise as the internet’s largest collection of sex stories, hosting web sites for the many thousands of authors who wanted to post fiction that might not be accepted elsewhere. By the turn of the millennium it was at the heart of a vibrant community of authors and definitely the best place on the internet to find a wide range of fiction that was almost entirely free of scrutiny. The website was free, it was managed by volunteers and supported by donations. It was even, and probably still is, a registered American charity.
However, as standards on the internet have changed, the site now has a very dated look about it. Most of the site’s authors have no discernible skill at building web pages and the great majority of stories are available only as text, often poorly formatted and difficult to read. Furthermore, the quality of the actual stories is often very poor, almost illiterate on occasion, and pertains to behaviour which is quite rightly illegal throughout the world.
At about 2017, after the site had moved to a new service provider, the site simply stopped being maintained at all.
So, what we’re left with is a website that is just about stumbling along and to which only authors who were members of the website before 2017 are able to upload any files (and then only on FTP). So what you’ll see in the automatically updated list of recent posts is mostly just submissions by the same few authors and only those who are confident in using FTP (by such tools as FileZilla).
However, the prospective author doesn’t have to rely on ASSTR. There are other story sites out there and other hosts for authors who can build up their own websites.
It’s just that for those who want to post transgressive fiction, you’ll just have to contend with places that may well have very strict moderation policies (especially with regards to more extreme forms of sex and violence) or you may have to look beyond the world wide web into the murky world of the dark web.
There are probably many of those who’ve looked for my fiction who have found that it is sited on ASSTR and may then have wandered onto its home site and been astounded at the sheer volume of authors represented there and the stories they’ve written.
You might also have noticed that the home site seems somewhat deficient in its functionality. For instance, the list of authors hardly features anyone, the Spotlights page hasn’t been updated since 2017 and many of the links don’t lead anywhere.
The situation is even worse if you’re an author. The online FTP facility no longer works, there is no longer a weekly posting of author statistics and there is no way that new authors can register on the site to post their stories.
However, it is clear that ASSTR is not actually dead. It is kind of walking along as can be seen by the number of new stories (or at least revisions of existing stories) that are posted every day. The site is in fact kind of like a zombie. It’s not quite dead and it’s not quite alive.
ASSTR was founded in the very early days of the Internet. It was a kind of offshoot of the newsgroups on bulletin boards that existed before the advent of HTML and is now managed by Google and known as Google Groups. It was in fact the repository of the alt.sex.stories newsgroup (hence its name). As time went on, it grew to become a much bigger enterprise as the internet’s largest collection of sex stories, hosting web sites for the many thousands of authors who wanted to post fiction that might not be accepted elsewhere. By the turn of the millennium it was at the heart of a vibrant community of authors and definitely the best place on the internet to find a wide range of fiction that was almost entirely free of scrutiny. The website was free, it was managed by volunteers and supported by donations. It was even, and probably still is, a registered American charity.
However, as standards on the internet have changed, the site now has a very dated look about it. Most of the site’s authors have no discernible skill at building web pages and the great majority of stories are available only as text, often poorly formatted and difficult to read. Furthermore, the quality of the actual stories is often very poor, almost illiterate on occasion, and pertains to behaviour which is quite rightly illegal throughout the world.
At about 2017, after the site had moved to a new service provider, the site simply stopped being maintained at all.
So, what we’re left with is a website that is just about stumbling along and to which only authors who were members of the website before 2017 are able to upload any files (and then only on FTP). So what you’ll see in the automatically updated list of recent posts is mostly just submissions by the same few authors and only those who are confident in using FTP (by such tools as FileZilla).
However, the prospective author doesn’t have to rely on ASSTR. There are other story sites out there and other hosts for authors who can build up their own websites.
It’s just that for those who want to post transgressive fiction, you’ll just have to contend with places that may well have very strict moderation policies (especially with regards to more extreme forms of sex and violence) or you may have to look beyond the world wide web into the murky world of the dark web.
Santayana
Feb 18, 2024, 9:52:02 PMFeb 18
to
On Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:23:00 -0800 (PST), bradle...@googlemail.com <bradle...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> On more or less the final days of ASSTR and all associated entities, here
> is a post I made just over 3 years ago to kind of mark the occasion:
It's *NOT* the final days of ASSTR, and most certainly *NOT* the final days
of Usenet. It /is/ the final days of Google Groups, just *ONE* single method
of accessing Usenet.
ASSD and Usenet will still be here on Friday February 23rd, as will I.
[snip]
> However, it is clear that ASSTR is not actually dead. It is kind of walking
> along as can be seen by the number of new stories (or at least revisions of
> existing stories) that are posted every day. The site is in fact kind of
> like a zombie. It's not quite dead and it's not quite alive.
I have wondered why things have come to be like this, and I believe that the
reasons are likely as follows:
First, to fix the site, and put it back into a reasonable working order is
very likely going to require an enormous amount of time, money and effort;
Given the current legal and political environment, I just do not see the
owners/operators of ASSTR stepping up to the plate to put in the resources
required -- even if they had them. Who can blame them, when to do so could
very well place the principals of the Free Internet Free Literature
Corporation ("IFLC") at risk of criminal prosecution?
>From a legal perspective, it is better to just let the site limp along as it
has done for approximately 7 years.
> ASSTR was founded in the very early days of the Internet. It was a kind of
> offshoot of the newsgroups on bulletin boards that existed before the
> advent of HTML and is now managed by Google and known as Google Groups.
Usenet started in the early-to-mid 1980s -- the Great Renaming took place in
1987. This was about a decade before Google was even a gleam in Larry Page
and Sergey Brin's eyes. You appear to be under the impression that Usenet is
somehow managed by Google -- this is the very same mistake that users of AOL
often made when in 1995, AOL started carrying Usenet newsgroups. (This is
how the term 'Eternal September' was coined.)
Like I said before, Usenet was here before Google, and will be here after
Google leaves the field forever, next Thursday, February 22nd.
> It was in fact the repository of the alt.sex.stories newsgroup (hence its
> name). As time went on, it grew to become a much bigger enterprise as the
> internet's largest collection of sex stories, hosting web sites for the
> many thousands of authors who wanted to post fiction that might not be
> accepted elsewhere. By the turn of the millennium it was at the heart of a
> vibrant community of authors and definitely the best place on the internet
> to find a wide range of fiction that was almost entirely free of scrutiny.
> The website was free, it was managed by volunteers and supported by
> donations. It was even, and probably still is, a registered American
> charity.
As far as I can determine, IFLC is still a registered American charity.
> However, as standards on the internet have changed, the site now has a
> very dated look about it.
So what? You know, it's the obsession about appearances and how things look
that have led to utter abominations like HTML email (thanks for nothing, M$)
> Most of the site's authors have no discernible skill at building web pages
> and the great majority of stories are available only as text, often poorly
> formatted and difficult to read.
There is nothing wrong with text; it may not be 'pretty' but it gets the job
done, in the most efficient manner possible.
> Furthermore, the quality of the actual stories is often very poor, almost
> illiterate on occasion, and pertains to behaviour which is quite rightly
> illegal throughout the world.
ASSTR accepted stories without making any judgements as to their artistic
merit (or lack thereof). That potentially leaves them wide-open to criminal
prosecution on the basis of obscenity, particularly in the United States.
(The fact that a work has artistic merit is a defence to the charge of
obscenity.)
> At about 2017, after the site had moved to a new service provider, the site
> simply stopped being maintained at all.
>
> So, what we're left with is a website that is just about stumbling along
> and to which only authors who were members of the website before 2017 are
> able to upload any files (and then only on FTP). So what you'll see in the
> automatically updated list of recent posts is mostly just submissions by
> the same few authors and only those who are confident in using FTP (by such
> tools as FileZilla).
Using FTP is hardly rocket-science, Jesus!
> However, the prospective author doesn't have to rely on ASSTR. There are
> other story sites out there and other hosts for authors who can build up
> their own websites.
Yes, there are other story sites out there, but a great many of them have
now implemented rules barring content featuring characters depicted as under
the age of 18 years. Sometimes these rules are mandated by their hosting
providers, who justifiably have a fear of police raids/criminal prosecution.
> It's just that for those who want to post transgressive fiction, you'll
> just have to contend with places that may well have very strict moderation
> policies (especially with regards to more extreme forms of sex and
> violence) or you may have to look beyond the world wide web into the murky
> world of the dark web.
This is what I've been saying for some time. Even Jaxah thought that the move
to the darknet was a good idea; unfortunately, like you, he was a Google
Groups user who made himself much too easy for the authorities to find, when
they decided (for whatever reason) to come looking for him, just prior to
last Christmas (2023). He's now facing criminal charges in the UK.
Santayana
wrote:
> On more or less the final days of ASSTR and all associated entities, here
> is a post I made just over 3 years ago to kind of mark the occasion:
of Usenet. It /is/ the final days of Google Groups, just *ONE* single method
of accessing Usenet.
ASSD and Usenet will still be here on Friday February 23rd, as will I.
[snip]
> However, it is clear that ASSTR is not actually dead. It is kind of walking
> along as can be seen by the number of new stories (or at least revisions of
> existing stories) that are posted every day. The site is in fact kind of
> like a zombie. It's not quite dead and it's not quite alive.
reasons are likely as follows:
First, to fix the site, and put it back into a reasonable working order is
very likely going to require an enormous amount of time, money and effort;
Given the current legal and political environment, I just do not see the
owners/operators of ASSTR stepping up to the plate to put in the resources
required -- even if they had them. Who can blame them, when to do so could
very well place the principals of the Free Internet Free Literature
Corporation ("IFLC") at risk of criminal prosecution?
>From a legal perspective, it is better to just let the site limp along as it
has done for approximately 7 years.
> ASSTR was founded in the very early days of the Internet. It was a kind of
> offshoot of the newsgroups on bulletin boards that existed before the
> advent of HTML and is now managed by Google and known as Google Groups.
1987. This was about a decade before Google was even a gleam in Larry Page
and Sergey Brin's eyes. You appear to be under the impression that Usenet is
somehow managed by Google -- this is the very same mistake that users of AOL
often made when in 1995, AOL started carrying Usenet newsgroups. (This is
how the term 'Eternal September' was coined.)
Like I said before, Usenet was here before Google, and will be here after
Google leaves the field forever, next Thursday, February 22nd.
> It was in fact the repository of the alt.sex.stories newsgroup (hence its
> name). As time went on, it grew to become a much bigger enterprise as the
> internet's largest collection of sex stories, hosting web sites for the
> many thousands of authors who wanted to post fiction that might not be
> accepted elsewhere. By the turn of the millennium it was at the heart of a
> vibrant community of authors and definitely the best place on the internet
> to find a wide range of fiction that was almost entirely free of scrutiny.
> The website was free, it was managed by volunteers and supported by
> donations. It was even, and probably still is, a registered American
> charity.
> However, as standards on the internet have changed, the site now has a
> very dated look about it.
that have led to utter abominations like HTML email (thanks for nothing, M$)
> Most of the site's authors have no discernible skill at building web pages
> and the great majority of stories are available only as text, often poorly
> formatted and difficult to read.
done, in the most efficient manner possible.
> Furthermore, the quality of the actual stories is often very poor, almost
> illiterate on occasion, and pertains to behaviour which is quite rightly
> illegal throughout the world.
merit (or lack thereof). That potentially leaves them wide-open to criminal
prosecution on the basis of obscenity, particularly in the United States.
(The fact that a work has artistic merit is a defence to the charge of
obscenity.)
> At about 2017, after the site had moved to a new service provider, the site
> simply stopped being maintained at all.
>
> So, what we're left with is a website that is just about stumbling along
> and to which only authors who were members of the website before 2017 are
> able to upload any files (and then only on FTP). So what you'll see in the
> automatically updated list of recent posts is mostly just submissions by
> the same few authors and only those who are confident in using FTP (by such
> tools as FileZilla).
> However, the prospective author doesn't have to rely on ASSTR. There are
> other story sites out there and other hosts for authors who can build up
> their own websites.
now implemented rules barring content featuring characters depicted as under
the age of 18 years. Sometimes these rules are mandated by their hosting
providers, who justifiably have a fear of police raids/criminal prosecution.
> It's just that for those who want to post transgressive fiction, you'll
> just have to contend with places that may well have very strict moderation
> policies (especially with regards to more extreme forms of sex and
> violence) or you may have to look beyond the world wide web into the murky
> world of the dark web.
to the darknet was a good idea; unfortunately, like you, he was a Google
Groups user who made himself much too easy for the authorities to find, when
they decided (for whatever reason) to come looking for him, just prior to
last Christmas (2023). He's now facing criminal charges in the UK.
Santayana
Cryptoengineer
Feb 21, 2024, 10:44:59 PMFeb 21
to
On 2/18/2024 6:23 PM, bradle...@googlemail.com wrote:
> On more or less the final days of ASSTR and all associated entities, here is a post I made just over 3 years ago to kind of mark the occasion:
No. ASSTR is a usenet newsgroup. It is not owned or controlled by
> On more or less the final days of ASSTR and all associated entities, here is a post I made just over 3 years ago to kind of mark the occasion:
Google. Google simply provides a web interface to a pre-web service,
and has decided to stop doing so. That doesn't stop Usenet from
continuing to operate.
Asstr stand for Alt.Sex.SToRies, the usenet newsgoup it collects.
Shutting down the site does not shut down the newsgroup. It continues
to exist. The site does have a deep archive of a.s.stories postings,
but it is not alt.sex.stories.
> There are probably many of those who’ve looked for my fiction who have found that it is sited on ASSTR and may then have wandered onto its home site and been astounded at the sheer volume of authors represented there and the stories they’ve written.
>
> You might also have noticed that the home site seems somewhat deficient in its functionality. For instance, the list of authors hardly features anyone, the Spotlights page hasn’t been updated since 2017 and many of the links don’t lead anywhere.
>
> The situation is even worse if you’re an author. The online FTP facility no longer works, there is no longer a weekly posting of author statistics and there is no way that new authors can register on the site to post their stories.
>
> However, it is clear that ASSTR is not actually dead. It is kind of walking along as can be seen by the number of new stories (or at least revisions of existing stories) that are posted every day. The site is in fact kind of like a zombie. It’s not quite dead and it’s not quite alive.
>
> ASSTR was founded in the very early days of the Internet. It was a kind of offshoot of the newsgroups on bulletin boards that existed before the advent of HTML and is now managed by Google and known as Google Groups. It was in fact the repository of the alt.sex.stories newsgroup (hence its name). As time went on, it grew to become a much bigger enterprise as the internet’s largest collection of sex stories, hosting web sites for the many thousands of authors who wanted to post fiction that might not be accepted elsewhere. By the turn of the millennium it was at the heart of a vibrant community of authors and definitely the best place on the internet to find a wide range of fiction that was almost entirely free of scrutiny. The website was free, it was managed by volunteers and supported by donations. It was even, and probably still is, a registered American charity.
distributed with (back in the day) thousands of servers copying
posts to each other across the globe. There remains hundreds.
> However, as standards on the internet have changed, the site now has a very dated look about it. Most of the site’s authors have no discernible skill at building web pages and the great majority of stories are available only as text, often poorly formatted and difficult to read. Furthermore, the quality of the actual stories is often very poor, almost illiterate on occasion, and pertains to behaviour which is quite rightly illegal throughout the world.
from that usenet group, a group that is in no way dependent on
asstr.org.
The web is not the internet.
> At about 2017, after the site had moved to a new service provider, the site simply stopped being maintained at all.
>
> So, what we’re left with is a website that is just about stumbling along and to which only authors who were members of the website before 2017 are able to upload any files (and then only on FTP). So what you’ll see in the automatically updated list of recent posts is mostly just submissions by the same few authors and only those who are confident in using FTP (by such tools as FileZilla).
>
> However, the prospective author doesn’t have to rely on ASSTR. There are other story sites out there and other hosts for authors who can build up their own websites.
>
> It’s just that for those who want to post transgressive fiction, you’ll just have to contend with places that may
extreme forms of sex and violence) or you may have to look beyond the
world wide web into the murky world of the dark web.
pt
world wide web into the murky world of the dark web.
Santayana
Feb 22, 2024, 2:27:28 AMFeb 22
to
On Wed, 21 Feb 2024 22:44:51 -0500, Cryptoengineer <pete...@gmail.com>
said:
[snip]
Congratulations! You're the first Google Groups refugee I've seen who has
switched over to Thunderbird/Eternal-September. Pity that you are still
using that Gmail address, though, given that it's attached to what appears
to be your real name.
I would have thought that this would have been a good opportunity to nym-
shift to something more anonymous and secure.
> well have very strict moderation policies (especially with regards to more
think that the future lies in the dark web. Don't get me wrong, Usenet is
still very valuable, being distributed and censorship-resistant as it is.
For example, most of Frank McCoy's writing can still be found on Usenet,
even though the courts deemed it obscene, and Frank is dead nearly 4 years.
They killed him, but his work still survives.
Santayana
said:
[snip]
Congratulations! You're the first Google Groups refugee I've seen who has
switched over to Thunderbird/Eternal-September. Pity that you are still
using that Gmail address, though, given that it's attached to what appears
to be your real name.
I would have thought that this would have been a good opportunity to nym-
shift to something more anonymous and secure.
> well have very strict moderation policies (especially with regards to more
> extreme forms of sex and violence) or you may have to look beyond the
> world wide web into the murky world of the dark web.
As I said to Jaxah last October, a couple of months before his arrest, I
> world wide web into the murky world of the dark web.
think that the future lies in the dark web. Don't get me wrong, Usenet is
still very valuable, being distributed and censorship-resistant as it is.
For example, most of Frank McCoy's writing can still be found on Usenet,
even though the courts deemed it obscene, and Frank is dead nearly 4 years.
They killed him, but his work still survives.
Santayana
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