Here is how I just now figured out how to construct a non-redundant Google Groups URL to a Usenet post from years ago. If you have a better method, please share, as I post this merely to share to help others use Usenet as a reference.
I just did this today for the alt-home-repair newsgroup, so all I'm doing is documenting the steps for others to be able to leverage in the future.
- I needed to look up an old URL on how to wind garage door torsion springs so that I could cut and paste a short Google URL as a reference.
- I knew the original thread was posted to alt.home.repair by me on Usenet years ago, so I searched using this easily remembered URL. formatting link
- That easily remembered URL, of course, takes you to the canonical GG search URL which is the one to use (but it's harder to remember): formatting link
- My search was "Danny garage torsion" which came up with four thread titles: a. Lessons learned installing a torsion spring in a typical residential garage b. Update to the "lessons learned" garage door torsion spring DIY thread (new lessons learned) c. Garage door torsion spring relocation project (Status = Not going well) d. Garage door torsion spring broken ... and ... I have no questions! :)
- The initial URLs are messy because they include redundant terms: a. formatting linkb.formatting linkc.formatting linkd.formatting link
- Notice the unique ultimate characters: a. LASTID=BRHYK3X71BAJ b. LASTID=8Ff3HsrmASEJ c. LASTID=Hk0mfwDsQooJ d. LASTID=I0TP541gGk4J
- Now you need a normal short URL, where a "normal" URL can be gotten simply by looking up the *latest* page and choosing any URL found on that latest page as of the current date. formatting link
The first URL (at the moment) uses this non-redundant syntax:
- You'd think you can just cut the *last* argument out, to reconstruct the desired non-redundant Google URLs (but you can't). So these won't work:
a.
But that doesn't work.
- What you can do though, is cut TWO ID sections out: a. LAST2IDs=738YR8CPsLI/BRHYK3X71BAJ b. LAST2IDs=AGrGZc4i-RA/8Ff3HsrmASEJ c. LAST2IDs=ifuMBLOoGXY/Hk0mfwDsQooJ d. LAST2IDs=s0zBJNaT89Q/I0TP541gGk4J
- Using those two sections, you reconstruct a Google URL:
- When you go to those four URLs, you get *new* Google URLs for each: a. formatting linkb.formatting linkc.formatting linkd.formatting link
- So, one way to reconstruct a non-redundant Google Groups URL is to put these three syntactical items together: A. The base URL formatting linkB. The newsgroup (alt.home.repair) C. The penultimate ID