Ok, we know you're not a geek. But if you think that Usenet or newsgroups, has no relevance to your life whatsoever, it's time to think again.
Much more than a vast network of discussion groups, usenet, over time, has evolved from being one of the oldest internet medium to now... the world's hottest, fastest, and most-streamlined and secured platform for file sharing.
Now beyond tapping into a sea of world-wide conversations - and finding out the latest updates in world politics, how to cook like a Michelin chef, to the hottest boutique hotel to park in Marrakech - Imagine being able to download an entire set of the latest music mix by your favorite local DJ within minutes? Or a homebrew game loaded it straight to your PDA?
And how does it sound, being able to download a hard-to-find High Def indie film within an hour, and pluck it straight into your flat screen to enjoy it at the leisure of your comfy and cozy living room?
Now you don't have to imagine it. With Usenet it's done. But what on earth is the Usenet? What exactly is it... we hear you asking?
A Communication System which Pre-Dates the world-wide webUsenet is one of the oldest communication systems via which people communicate over networks of computers. First conceived in 1979, its existence precedes that of the World Wide Web by over a decade. Basically, Internet culture was born on Usenet, or, as it was originally conceived, the User Net.
Consider this vast network as a large bulletin board for the masses, formed by users in 180 different countries, swapping information on a variety of subjects and topics. Constantly asking questions, answering them, shareing ideas, news, pictures, files and practically anything, users are uploading 5 terabytes worth of information daily! That is 50,000 megabytes worth of news, ideas and files!
Ability to Post "Attachments" with Messages Changed UsenetThis network of newsgroups itself has no central server, nor central system owner. It is distributed among a large, constantly changing conglomeration of servers, or providers, which store and forward data to one another. To view or download these messages a user must subscribe and connect to these providers to read or download messages posted to these groups. We use the word "download" because, unlike the first day it is conceived, usenet has since
Now you don't have to imagine it. With Usenet it's done. But what on earth is the Usenet? What exactly is it... we hear you asking?
A Communication System which Pre-Dates the world-wide webUsenet is one of the oldest communication systems via which people communicate over networks of computers. First conceived in 1979, its existence precedes that of the World Wide Web by over a decade. Basically, Internet culture was born on Usenet, or, as it was originally conceived, the User Net.
Consider this vast network as a large bulletin board for the masses, formed by users in 180 different countries, swapping information on a variety of subjects and topics. Constantly asking questions, answering them, shareing ideas, news, pictures, files and practically anything, users are uploading 5 terabytes worth of information daily! That is 50,000 megabytes worth of news, ideas and files!
Ability to Post "Attachments" with Messages Changed UsenetThis network of newsgroups itself has no central server, nor central system owner. It is distributed among a large, constantly changing conglomeration of servers, or providers, which store and forward data to one another. To view or download these messages a user must subscribe and connect to these providers to read or download messages posted to these groups. We use the word "download" because, unlike the first day it is conceived, usenet has since
advanced its capability to include "attachments" in message posting, meaning images, films to any type of documents in any formats - techies like to call these binary files - can also be posted. Ok, let's put it this way. Let's think of such providers as a newspapers, and this Usenet world features many such newspapers, or servers, not only one. Newsgroup, on the other hand is an independent entity made up of publicized articles that is posted to it. Each newspaper can select its content by picking its favorite newsgroups and whatever articles that come along with it. The general public can choose to post (or upload),
and view (or download) an article to or from any newsgroups, provided the newspaper to which he or she has subscribed to, has selected these newsgroups.
Then, quite obviously, it would make sense to subscribe to a giant newspaper entity such as Giganews to ensure you can interact with as many good newsgroups, and good articles of information as possible - not forgetting that a posting can come with attachments such as pictures, music, films etc. As for the goodness factor, good applies to well written news, just as much as an up-to-date, perfectly rendered films or documentaries. Popularity is self-generating phenomena, the more people upload good quality articles to this paper, the more they download from it and vs versa.
and view (or download) an article to or from any newsgroups, provided the newspaper to which he or she has subscribed to, has selected these newsgroups. Then, quite obviously, it would make sense to subscribe to a giant newspaper entity such as Giganews to ensure you can interact with as many good newsgroups, and good articles of information as possible - not forgetting that a posting can come with attachments such as pictures, music, films etc. As for the goodness factor, good applies to well written news, just as much as an up-to-date, perfectly rendered films or documentaries. Popularity is self-generating phenomena, the more people upload good quality articles to this paper, the more they download from it and vs versa.