For the narrow-minded simpleton who believes *HIS* way is the only 'right' way:
A paid provider -- even if used only for text groups -- may well provide any, or *all*, of the following benefits: 1) longer retentions of messages 2) _faster_ responses by the servers -- because they're geographically 'closer', or less heavily loaded, or have 'bigger pipes', or higher- performing hardware, etc., etc., ad nauseum. 3) 'more extensive' lists of newsgroups (including 'text only' groups) 4) fewer falsely "filtered out" messages 5) *TELEPHONE* support, when need/desired 6) "higher reliability" in the delivery of service. *EVERY* 'free' NNTP server operator that I am aware of has had at least one 'significant' outage (as in multiple hours) within the last 5 years. As have the 'bargain-basement' paid providers like Astraweb, and individual.net Major 'commercial grade' providers-- like the former SuperNews, NewsGuy, Giganews, etc. -- have had a _combined_ 'downtime' over the last TEN YEARS, that is measured in the low tens of minutes. 7) *assurance* of availability "tomorrow". Contractual -guarantees- of at least 30-90 days notice are important to some people. 8) Better, more complete, support of 'optional' components in the NNTP protocol, which can result in _order-of-magnitude_ (or more) higher performance in a news client doing sophisticated 'selection' (or, conversely, 'filtering') of messages for display.
These things _DO_ matter to some people.
There are other people who think USENET is a valuable resource in it's own right, and are willing to spend some of their own money in an effort to ensure that it remains available for the long term.
They do log posts by IP, and will do do drop certain IPs as being valid to post from, it is pretty well run, but is just a hobby for the guy, so there is no guarantee of uptime, feed, and retention is just horrible etc.
I understand, but, when I participate in a thread, I think I know when a thread is missing messages. I have not noticed it ever with E-S.
I know they updated their spam filter in June and a few shaky posts may have been filtered, but this was known and supposedly looked into. I never noticed even a blip.
I get 14 text newsgroups from E-S and have not noticed any problems. Granted, I don't read every message, but when I participate in threads, I would sooner or later notice replies to messages I never saw. Hasn't happened to me once with E-S that I recall, but did happen just once with Astraweb.
If it doesn't happen enough for me to recall, then it is too rare to worry about.
I sure don't think my way is the only right way, BUT, I am sure Eternal-September works in every way (other than binaries) as Giganews worked when Comcast provided it.
Never been an issue for me.
None of this has been an issue for me. I send a message, I get it back almost instantly. It's been years, but I notice little difference in speed of D/l between Comcasts Giganews and E-S. If there is a difference, it is too little to notice.
8000 groups is plenty. Never looked for a non-binary group E-S didn't carry.
The only way I know you could "know" this is by noticing a difference. I have not noticed a difference, period.
E-S has a group that works well and web based support. Never needed it but looks like it would serve.
I've only has Astraweb since Sept, and no problems. E-S I've had for years, since Comcast dropped usenet, and I vaguely recall a problem with something that changed and I had to reset all my groups, don't recall what it was, but the server was never down that I know of.
Perhaps, but I recall more than once Giganews was down for many hours, and when I contacted Comcast, they had no idea what was going on, and I was told by at least one tech that they didn't provide newsgroups, when they did. After lots of BS, I found someone that did, and he simply said the server was down. I was obvious to me that comcast support staff was clueless when it came to usenet, the people at E-S are not.
I reckon, but to most people, newsgroups are just a nasty hobby.
I don't have a clue about the above, and after too many years of this stuff, whatever that means is meaningless to me, cause I haven't noticed, not with Giganews, E-S nor Astraweb.
Most of them sound like they would matter, but not one of them has been noticeable by me between Giganews, E-S or Astraweb.
Are you thinking paying money for access will increase it's longevity?
My thinking is eliminating the free access by the main providers (Comcast and Verison) damned near killed newsgroups, and the free ones like Eternal-September, and the cheap ones like Astraweb and Usenet-news.net is about all that keeps them going. If they go, then so will Usenet, imo.
The fact that it is not an issue _for_you_ does not mean that it is not a valid concern for other people. I personally, have, on rare occasions, needed to track down a posting that was several years old.
Demonstrating, again, that you "Dont know what you don't know" about what is important to other people.
_YOUR_ expectations/experiences are *NOT* universal.
"Ignorance in action." I "know" it happens because I have read posted complaints by users of various 'free' systems that they see responses, but -not- the message that is being replied to. When -multiple- users from the _same_ service complain about the absence of the SAME messages, It is pretty conclusive evidence. When one of them posts a copy of a message *from* the provider _admitting_ that those messages were dropped, That is *conclusive* proof of it happening.
Proving only that _you_ have not 'noticed' it -- it does not even prove that it 'doesn't happen" with the message threads you do read. It only
BTW, it happens that I *do* 'notice' the same thing, 'falsely dropped messages', on paid providers, as well.
I happen to use a newsreader that displays 'state' information for
-every- message 'referenced' in any 'newer' postings -- even if the message is 15 (or more) levels of response prior to the current message.
*YOUR* opinion is not -universal- on that matter.
I know people that have used Astraweb for multiple years. Within the last twelve months, there has been 'more than one' occasion where they have reported -- using alternate access methods -- that specific newsgroups, at least, have failed to display *any* new articles for periods of -days-. DESPITE other newsservers showing several hundred new messages in that newsgroup.
Again, you "don't know what you don't know".
The TOTAL downtime for either of Giganews' US server complexes since 2004 is approximately _12 minutes_, spread across 5 separate incidents.
What you were hit by was a failure of the "authentication server' -- owned, operated, and maintained by the 'reseller' (or the wholesale-services-buying ISP)
Comcast has a long-standing reputation for cluelessness. Especially if it doesn't involve Windows boxes, the world-wide-web, or their hosted email service.
*MANY* newsreader programs -cannot- filter on content in headers that are not in the 'XOVER' headers, nor accessible by XPAT'.
Those newsreaders that -can- so filter are ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE slower at so doing, Because they cannot make -one- request to the server for a certain group/class of articles, and get a list of matching IDs, but have to make a separate retrieval request for the headers of -each- article find the selected header and check the content thereof.
Proving only that you have 'limited experience' with such matters.
It is a fact that -none- of the 'free' providers would continue to exist if the pay providers went away. They simply would not be able to afford the resources -- particularly in staff, but also in 'bandwidth' costs -- to maintain the required connectivity to other nodes.
Somewhere over 90% of _all_ USENET traffic passes through one of a handful of remaining 'backbone' sites. The former widespread 'mesh' of multiply- connected sites has very nearly collapsed into a 'star' topology.
I remember talking to one of their drones and he had no idea what a newsgroup was. And he, apparently, concluded that if he did not know what is was, he did not have to help me. Not that he could anyway.
I know you're a troll - a shill for the owners of the paid usenet community (if not one of them).
The fact that you (a non-regular in this newsgroup - alt.home.repair) showed up here and shot-down the entire free usenet community makes that obvious.
This economy must be hurting you guys, but it's no excuse to storm into this group and this thread with your horse-shit guns blazing.
Why do I not take either of those claims as gospel truth this Sunday? Shame on you. k00k.
What about me? k00k. When has this thread ever turned to me? It i s _y o u_ who carnalize the topic, snipping the content relevant in order to make wood! A k00k touting a rogue server is where you began, why divert? Embarrassed at being proven so "k00k---y", k00k?
__________________ From: Some Guy Newsgroups: aioe.news.helpdesk,alt.free.newsservers Subject: Re: Aioe's filter or posting broken? Date: Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:09:38 -0500 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Lines: 29 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: ScgRlDcUBeJ/39ptzRBeTw.user.speranza.aioe.org
And before Kerman gets all bent out of shape telling us that the admin doesn't have to tell us squat (which of course is true) let me just say that if you're going to go through the trouble of offering the public an open NNTP server, it's strange to mix that spirit of philanthropy with this degree of unnecessary operational opaqueness. __________________ From: Home Guy Newsgroups: alt.home.repair Subject: Re: OT: Newsgroup client suggestions Followup-To: alt.bullshit Date: Sat, 03 Dec 2011 09:52:23 -0500 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Lines: 34 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: ScgRlDcUBeJ/39ptzRBeTw.user.speranza.aioe.org
Did you see how they tore up "news-announce" when he cross-posted this to afn? Wasn't that funny - in a sad way? Just like you?
One server claims to be run as a means of "free speech" for the oppressed masses in foreign countries, something of a misnomer as those same countries do not have "free" internet access, being largely censored feeds - AND - the operator bans whole domains when banning the newsgroup fails. _____________________________________________________________
Shuck my barnacles if that aint just pure k00k speak where you post exactly what "news-announce"[sic] posted two days earlier. Snipped out that poster's comments, placed your sickness as a question providing your own answer, k00k.
Just what caused your first cell split? Kermit haunting your ass or Dustin booting your single cell verbal diarrhea out of the ring... kookologists are watching, intrigued.
_____________________________________________________________ From: Virus Guy Newsgroups: alt.comp.virus,alt.privacy.spyware Subject: Re: BD believes I'm a founding partner of PirateBay. Followup-To: alt.bullshit Date: Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:37:57 -0400 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Lines: 27 Message-ID: References:
But you're still an asswipe, and you can come and try to pursue legal action against me if you like - because I did slander your "reputation" (if indeed you have one, which I doubt).
__________________ From: Home Guy Newsgroups: alt.home.repair Subject: Re: Just cut 30-foot tall 1.5 foot diameter oak (how long to dry out?) Date: Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:14:04 -0400 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Lines: 12 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: YHphzxCzHyAo2+GkNtg3mQ.user.speranza.aioe.org
I hope you burn in hell for that. Too bad the tree didn't knock you down and split your skull open on the way down. __________________
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