List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 4 October 1986)
use...@gatech.edu
The following is a list of currently active USENET newsgroups as of
16 October 1986. There are three basic subcategories of netwide
newsgroups: "net", "mod" and the new categories. The "net" groups
are based on the old naming convention for newsgroups, and these are
graducally being phased into the new classification categories of
"news", "soc", "talk", "misc", "sci", "comp" and "rec". The "talk"
classification is fully established as of this publication, and the
"soc" groups now exist in parallel with their old "net" counterparts.
"sci" newsgroups are intended to be technical in nature, and relate to
the sciences. The "misc" groups address themes not easily classified
under any of the other headings. The "mod" groups will eventually
undergo conversion into the same name space.
"net" groups consist of USENET bulletin-board newsgroups that are
(usually) circulated around the entire USENET -- this implies
world-wide distribution. Not all "net" groups actually enjoy such wide
distribution, however. The European Usenet sites (Eunet) take only a
selected subset of the more "technical" groups, and controversial
"noise" groups are often not carried by many sites in the US and Canada.
"mod" groups are moderated or are monitored mailing lists. They can
only be posted to by mailing submissions to the coordinator (provided
in a companion posting). Some of the "mod" groups are gatewayed to
USENET from the ARPA Internet and appear as "mod" groups to facilitate
distribution and posting from the Usenet.
The "soc" groups are for discussions and information of a social
nature. This classification includes groups oriented towards
cultural activities, group and peer interaction, discussions of
heritage, and topics concerning gender roles and activities.
The "talk" groups are groups which tend to have a much larger than
average volume of messages, and consist of postings which are generally
perceived as being of less value to the majority of readers than the
messages posted in other groups. As such, many sites do not or will
not carry the "talk" hierarchy of groups.
Some of the "net" groups are bidirectionally gatewayed with
ARPA Internet mailing lists; items submitted from the ARPA side to
the digest are split up and submitted to the USENET group, while
articles submitted on the USENET side are bundled up and submitted to
the mailing list. Most such gatewayed groups are done as "mod"
groups. A complete list of moderated newsgroups, submission addresses
and moderators is given in a companion posting.
The following "net" groups have been gatewayed with the listed
Arpa Internet lists. Some of them may not still be gatewayed due to
broken software and/or gateways; such groups are marked with an
asterisk ("*") in the list below. Please contact me if you should know
of their current status. Also note that the group "net.lang.forth" is
gatewayed with the Bitnet discussion list "umf...@weizmann.bitnet".
Usenet Group Arpa Internet list
------------ ----------------
*net.astro sky-...@mit-xx.arpa
net.emacs unix-...@cc5.bbn.com
net.ham-radio info...@simtel20.arpa
net.ham-radio.packet packet...@eddie.mit.edu
net.info-terms info-...@mit-mc.arpa
net.lang.ada info...@usc-isif.arpa
net.lang.c inf...@brl.arpa
net.lang.pascal info-...@brl.arpa
net.lang.prolog pro...@su-score.arpa
net.mail.headers header...@mit-mc.arpa
net.micro info-...@brl.arpa
net.micro.amiga info-...@red.rutgers.edu
net.micro.atari8 info-...@su-score.arpa
net.micro.atari16 info-a...@su-score.arpa
net.micro.cpm info...@amsaa.arpa
talk.origins evol...@kestrel.arpa
net.physics phy...@sri-unix.arpa
net.railroad rail...@rochester.arpa
net.sf-lovers sf-l...@red.rutgers.edu
net.sources unix-s...@brl.arpa
net.space sp...@angband.arpa
net.unix info...@brl.arpa
net.unix-wizards unix-w...@brl.arpa
net.video vide...@simtel20.arpa
There are groups in other subcategories, but they are local: to
institutions, to geographic regions, etc. and they are not listed
here. Note that these distribution categories can be used to restrict
the propagation of news articles. Currently, distributions include:
net worldwide distribution (default)
att limited to AT&T
can limited to Canada
eunet limited to European sites
na limited to North America
usa limited to the United States
There may be other regional and local distribution categories available
at your site. Most US states have distribution categories named after
the two letter abbreviation for that state or category (e.g., "ga" for
Georgia, "nj" for New Jersey). Please use an appropriate distribution
category if your article is not likely to be of interest to USENET
readers worldwide.
A good example of a restricted distribution newsgroup is "na.forsale"
which exists for users to post "item for sale" notices. It only
exists in the "na" (North American) category.
Please notify me of any errors or additions to the list below.
Gene Spafford
gatech!spaf
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Newsgroup Description
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net.ai Artificial intelligence discussions.
net.analog Analog design developments, ideas, and components.
net.announce.arpa-internet Announcements from the Arpa world
net.arch Computer architecture.
net.astro Astronomy discussions and information.
net.astro.expert Discussion by experts in astronomy.
net.audio High fidelity audio.
net.auto Automobiles, automotive products and laws.
net.auto.tech Technical aspects of automobiles, et. al.
net.aviation Aviation rules, means, and methods.
net.bicycle Bicycles, related products and laws.
net.bio Biology and related sciences.
net.books Books of all genres, shapes, and sizes.
net.bugs General bug reports and fixes.
net.bugs.2bsd Reports of UNIX* version 2BSD related bugs.
net.bugs.4bsd Reports of UNIX version 4BSD related bugs.
net.bugs.usg Reports of USG (System III, V, etc.) bugs.
net.bugs.uucp Reports of UUCP related bugs.
net.bugs.v7 Reports of UNIX V7 related bugs.
net.cog-eng Cognitive engineering.
net.college College, college activities, campus life, etc.
net.columbia The space shuttle and the STS program.
net.comics The funnies, old and new.
net.consumers Consumer interests, product reviews, etc.
net.consumers.house Discussion about owning and maintaining a house.
net.cooks Food, cooking, cookbooks, and recipes.
net.crypt Different methods of data en/decryption.
net.cse Computer science education.
net.cycle Motorcycles and related products and laws.
net.database Database and data management issues and theory.
net.dcom Data communications hardware and software.
net.decus DEC* Users' Society newsgroup.
net.emacs EMACS editors of different flavors.
net.eunice The SRI Eunice system.
net.followup Followups to articles in net.general.
net.games Games and computer games.
net.games.board Discussion and hints on board games.
net.games.chess Chess & computer chess.
net.games.emp Discussion and hints about Empire.
net.games.frp Discussion about Fantasy Role Playing games.
net.games.go Discussion about Go.
net.games.hack Discussion, hints, etc. about the Hack game.
net.games.pbm Discussion about Play by Mail games.
net.games.rogue Discussion and hints about Rogue.
net.games.trivia Discussion about trivia.
net.games.video Discussion about video games.
net.garden Gardening, methods and results.
net.general *Important*, timely announcements of worldwide interest.
(Note the description of net.misc.)
net.graphics Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing,
pattern recognition, and machine vision.
net.ham-radio Amateur Radio practices, contests, events, rules, etc.
net.ham-radio.packet Discussion about packet radio setups.
net.info-terms All sorts of terminals.
net.internat Discussion about international standards
net.invest Investments and the handling of money.
net.jobs Job announcements, requests, etc.
net.jokes Jokes and the like. May be somewhat offensive.
net.jokes.d Discussions on the content of net.jokes articles
net.kids Children, their behavior and activities.
net.lan Local area network hardware and software.
net.lang Different computer languages.
net.lang.ada Discussion about Ada*.
net.lang.apl Discussion about APL.
net.lang.c Discussion about C.
net.lang.c++ The object-oriented C++ language.
net.lang.f77 Discussion about FORTRAN.
net.lang.forth Discussion about Forth.
net.lang.lisp Discussion about LISP.
net.lang.mod2 Discussion about Modula-2.
net.lang.pascal Discussion about Pascal.
net.lang.prolog Discussion about PROLOG.
net.lang.st80 Discussion about Smalltalk 80.
net.legal Legalities and the ethics of law.
net.lsi Large scale integrated circuits.
net.mag Magazine summaries, tables of contents, etc.
net.mail Proposed new mail/network standards.
net.mail.headers Gatewayed from the ARPA header-people list.
net.math Mathematical discussions and puzzles.
net.math.stat Statistics discussion.
net.math.symbolic Symbolic algebra discussion.
net.med Medicine and its related products and regulations.
net.micro Micro computers of all kinds.
net.micro.6809 Discussion about 6809's.
net.micro.68k Discussion about 68k's.
net.micro.apple Discussion about Apple micros.
net.micro.amiga Talk about the new Amiga micro.
net.micro.atari8 Discussion about 8 bit Atari micros.
net.micro.atari16 Discussion about 16 bit Atari micros.
net.micro.att Discussions about AT&T microcomputers
net.micro.cbm Discussion about Commodore micros.
net.micro.cpm Discussion about the CP/M operating system.
net.micro.hp Discussion about Hewlett/Packard's.
net.micro.mac Material about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa
net.micro.ns32k National Semiconductor 32000 series chips
net.micro.pc Discussion about IBM personal computers.
net.micro.ti Discussion about Texas Instruments.
net.micro.trs-80 Discussion about TRS-80's.
net.misc Various discussions too short-lived for other groups.
Also items of a general nature not important
enough for net.general or mod.announce.
net.motss Issues pertaining to homosexuality.
net.movies Reviews and discussions of movies.
net.music Music lovers' group.
net.music.classical Discussion about classical music.
net.music.folk Folks discussing folk music of various sorts
net.music.gdead A group for (Grateful) Dead-heads
net.music.makers For performers and their discussions.
net.music.synth Synthesizers and computer music
net.net-people Announcements, requests, etc. about people on the net.
net.news Discussions of USENET itself.
net.news.adm Comments directed to news administrators.
net.news.b Discussion about B news software.
net.news.config Postings of system down times and interruptions.
net.news.group Discussions and lists of newsgroups
net.news.newsite Postings of new site announcements.
net.news.notes Notesfile software from the Univ. of Illinois.
net.news.sa Comments directed to system administrators.
net.news.stargate Discussion about satellite transmission of news.
net.nlang Natural languages, cultures, heritages, etc.
net.nlang.africa Discussions about Africa & things African
net.nlang.celts Group about Celtics.
net.nlang.greek Group about Greeks.
net.nlang.india Group for discussion about India & things Indian
net.periphs Peripheral devices.
net.pets Pets, pet care, and household animals in general.
net.physics Physical laws, properties, etc.
net.poems For the posting of poems.
net.puzzle Puzzles, problems, and quizzes.
net.railroad Real and model train fans' newsgroup.
net.rec Recreational/participant sports.
net.rec.birds Hobbyists interested in bird watching.
net.rec.boat Hobbyists interested in boating.
net.rec.bridge Hobbyists interested in bridge.
net.rec.nude Hobbyists interested in naturist/nudist activities.
net.rec.photo Hobbyists interested in photography.
net.rec.scuba Hobbyists interested in SCUBA diving.
net.rec.ski Hobbyists interested in skiing.
net.rec.skydive Hobbyists interested in skydiving.
net.rec.wood Hobbyists interested in woodworking.
net.religion.christian Discussion about form and nature of Christianity
net.research Research and computer research.
net.roots Genealogical matters.
net.sci General purpose scientific discussions.
net.sf-lovers Science fiction lovers' newsgroup.
net.singles Newsgroup for single people, their activities, etc.
net.social Like net.singles, but for everyone.
net.sources For the posting of software packages & documentation.
(cf. net.wanted.sources)
net.sources.bugs For bug fixes and features discussion
pertaining to items in net.sources
net.sources.d For any discussion on net.sources postings.
net.sources.games Postings of recreational software
net.sources.mac Software for the Apple Macintosh
net.space Space, space programs, space related research, etc.
net.sport Spectator sports.
net.sport.baseball Discussion about baseball.
net.sport.football Discussion about football.
net.sport.hockey Discussion about hockey.
net.sport.hoops Discussion about basketball.
net.startrek Star Trek, the TV show and the movies.
net.suicide Suicide, laws, ethics, and its causes and effects (!).
net.taxes Tax laws and advice.
net.test For testing of network software. Very boring.
net.text Text processing.
net.travel Traveling all over the world.
net.tv The boob tube, its history, and past and current shows.
net.tv.drwho Discussion about Dr. Who.
net.tv.soaps Postings about soap operas.
net.unix UNIX neophytes group.
net.unix-wizards Discussions, bug reports, and fixes on and for UNIX.
Not for the weak of heart.
net.usenix USENIX Association events and announcements.
net.veg Vegetarians.
net.video Video and video components.
net.wanted Requests for things that are needed.
net.wanted.sources Requests for software, termcap entries, etc.
net.wines Wines and spirits.
net.wobegon "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show discussion.
net.women Women's rights, discrimination, etc.
mod.announce General announcements of interest to all.
mod.announce.newusers Explanatory postings for new users.
mod.ai Discussions about Artificial Intelligence
mod.amiga Commodore Amiga micros -- info, uses, but no programs.
mod.amiga.binaries Encoded public domain programs in binary form.
mod.amiga.sources Public domain software in source code format.
mod.compilers Discussion about compiler construction, theory, etc.
mod.computers Discussion about various computers and related.
mod.computers.68k 68000-based systems.
mod.computers.apollo Apollo computer systems.
mod.computers.masscomp The Masscomp line of computers.
mod.computers.ibm-pc The IBM PC, PC-XT, and PC-AT.
mod.computers.laser-printers Laser printers, hardware and software.
mod.computers.pyramid Pyramid 90x computers.
mod.computers.ridge Ridge 32 computers and ROS.
mod.computers.sequent Sequent systems, (esp. Balance 8000).
mod.computers.sun Sun "workstation" computers
mod.computers.vax DEC's VAX* line of computers & VMS.
mod.computers.workstations Various workstation-type computers.
mod.conferences Calls for papers and conference announcements.
mod.comp-soc Discussion on the impact of technology on society.
mod.graphics Graphics software, hardware, theory, etc.
mod.human-nets Computer aided communications digest.
mod.legal Discussions of computers and the law.
mod.mac Apple Macintosh micros -- info, uses, but no programs.
mod.mac.binaries Encoded public domain programs in binary form.
mod.mac.sources Public domain software in source code format.
mod.mag Discussions on electronicly published "magazines"
mod.mag.otherrealms Edited science fiction and fantasy "magazine".
mod.map Various maps, including UUCP maps
mod.motss Newsgroup on gay issues and topics
mod.movies Reviews and discussion of movies
mod.music Reviews and discussion of things musical
mod.music.gaffa Progressive music discussions (e.g., Kate Bush).
mod.newprod Announcements of new products of interest to readers
mod.newslists Postings of news-related statistics and lists
mod.os Disussions about operating systems and related areas.
mod.os.os9 Discussions about the os9 operating system.
mod.os.unix Discussion of UNIX* features and bugs.
mod.philosophy Discussion of philosphical issues and concepts.
mod.philosophy.tech Technical philosophy: math, science, logic, etc
mod.politics Discussions on political problems, systems, solutions.
mod.politics.arms-d Arms discussion digest.
mod.protocols Various forms and types of FTP protocol discussions.
mod.protocols.appletalk Applebus hardware & software discussion.
mod.protocols.kermit Information about the Kermit package.
mod.protocols.tcp-ip TCP and IP network protocols.
mod.psi Discussion of paranormal abilities and experiences.
mod.rec Discussions on pastimes (not currently active)
mod.rec.guns Discussions about firearms
mod.recipes A "distributed cookbook" of screened recipes.
mod.religion Top-level group with no moderator (as of yet).
mod.religion.christian Discussions on Christianity and related topics.
mod.risks Risks to the public from computers & users.
mod.sources postings of public-domain sources.
mod.sources.doc Archived public-domain documentation.
mod.sources.games Postings of public-domain game sources
mod.std Discussion about various standards
mod.std.c Discussion about C language standards
mod.std.mumps Discussion for the X11.1 committee on Mumps
mod.std.unix Discussion for the P1003 committee on UNIX
mod.techreports Announcements and lists of technical reports.
mod.telecom Telecommunications digest.
mod.test Testing of moderated newsgroups -- no moderator
mod.vlsi Very large scale integrated circuits.
misc.consumers Consumer interests, product reviews, etc.
misc.consumers.house Discussion about owning and maintaining a house.
misc.headlines Current interest: drug testing, terrorism, etc.
misc.invest Investments and the handling of money.
misc.jobs Job announcements, requests, etc.
misc.kids Children, their behavior and activities.
misc.legal Legalities and the ethics of law.
misc.misc Various discussions not fitting in any other group.
misc.taxes Tax laws and advice.
misc.test For testing of network software. Very boring.
misc.wanted Requests for things that are needed (NOT software).
sci.astro Astronomy discussions and information.
sci.bio Biology and related sciences.
sci.crypt Different methods of data en/decryption.
sci.electronics Circuits, theory, electrons and discussions.
sci.lang Natural languages, communication, etc.
sci.math Mathematical discussions and pursuits
sci.math.stat Statistics discussion.
sci.math.symbolic Symbolic algebra discussion.
sci.med Medicine and its related products and regulations.
sci.misc Short-lived discussions on subjects in the sciences.
sci.physics Physical laws, properties, etc.
sci.research Research methods, funding, ethics, and whatever.
sci.space Space, space programs, space related research, etc.
sci.space.shuttle The space shuttle and the STS program.
soc.college College, college activities, campus life, etc.
soc.culture.african Discussions about Africa & things African
soc.culture.celtic Group about Celtics (*not* basketball!)
soc.culture.greek Group about Greeks.
soc.culture.indian Group for discussion about India & things Indian
soc.culture.jewish Group for discussion about Jewish culture
soc.culture.misc Group for discussion about other cultures
soc.misc Socially-oriented topics not in other groups.
soc.motss Issues pertaining to homosexuality.
soc.roots Genealogical matters.
soc.singles Newsgroup for single people, their activities, etc.
soc.net-people Announcements, requests, etc. about people on the net.
soc.women Women's rights, discrimination, etc.
talk.abortion All sorts of discussions and arguments on abortion.
talk.bizarre The unusual, bizarre, curious, and often stupid.
talk.origins Evolution versus creationism (sometimes hot!).
talk.philosophy.misc Philosophical musings on all topics.
talk.politics.misc Political discussions and ravings of all kinds.
talk.politics.theory Theory of politics and political systems.
talk.religion.misc Religious, ethical, & moral implications.
talk.rumors For the posting of rumors.
--------------------
* UNIX is a Trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories.
* DEC is a Trademark of the Digital Equipment Corporation.
* VAX is a Trademark of the Digital Equipment Corporation.
* Ada is a registered Trademark of the Ada Joint Program Office of the
United States Department of Defense.