Does anyone use Usenet or Giganews?

[xelloss]

Hey, I am kinda of a newb to the Usenet system, I have always been using BT to download my missed shows becuase I can't record more then 2 shows at the same time, but sense so many people have been getting sued by MPAA or RIAA I decided to check out Giganews.

According to Giganews and some searches I did it says Giganews doesn't save any info on you and sicne your connecting to there servers you can't get tracked by RIAA or MPAA. Since I read that I thought it would be really safe to use since I just want my shows or whatever. I have Giganews atm and am happy with the speeds I am getting always 3-5 times I would get on BT, almost capping my internet connection. I am using NewsRover atm seems pretty easy to use and the searching is very easy to use.

Now is there any other programs that are better then Newsrover and also is it very unlikly to be tracked by anyone and Can people track you from you downloading the messages in giganews through newsrover? Anyway thanks for your time.

[noonebutme]

I use Usenet, though through my ISP instead of paying for Giganews. As for if they keep records or not - that's something you'll have to trust Giganews on. But if they dont keep records, then there's no way for you to be sued - nothing to show who downloaded what, or if you even downloaded it. Plus, it's pure download and no upload, so your not technically 'sharing' the file with anyone.

Oh, and Usenet/Giganews isnt about to get shut down as Usenet has uses other then piracy - it was originally a chat medium, over 20 years ago before the internet as we know it existed.

I'd recommend checking out GrabIt (www.shemes.com) or Newsleecher (www.newsleecher.com) for usenet clients. I personally use GrabIt, i know some people who swear by Newsleecher.

[metal4rock]

I dont know how to use usenet, and don't even know where to start. Apperently I can get a few gigs off usenet for free each month with Comcast.

[spin]

Yeah, I use a program called grabit (www.shemes.com/) which is pretty good imo and use some free nzbsearchers using my free newsgroup service hosted by Roadrunner,


I still mostly use torrents though

[famicoman]

If I remember correctly, Usenet requires money to use. I don't use anything of that nature, just torrent.

[f0xh0und]

I dont know how to use usenet, and don't even know where to start. Apperently I can get a few gigs off usenet for free each month with Comcast.

I use Comcast's Usenet (which is provided by Giganews, actually) as well. Although, they only give you two gigs per month, so that's not even enough to download a DVD... that I had already owned... own. Yeah. ... download a DVD for the purpose of backing it up. Yeah.

...

I used to pay for Giganews. I was a "silver" member (kinda like buying plus/premium gasoline (89 octane), and it only cost me ~$10/month for ~20GB/month, or something like that. I never really learned how to use newzbin.com. I don't think you can search on that site unless you have an account there, and I don't think you can have an account there unless you had a computer in 1989, when Usenet was still hot, and you signed up for one (signing up for an account is hard when registration is always closed--funny how that works out). So, I used sites like binsearch****** and yabse.com, but they weren't that great (neither is newzbin.com). To download binaries, I use Grabit. It's a great little program, and, in fact, it includes it's own search; but you have to pay to use it more than five times a month, or something like that.

Anyway, two gigs is enough to "backup" CDs/DVDs or "backup" that recording of your favorite TV show on HBO (which I purchase, anyway); but I don't think it's worth it. Searching for a good NZB (newzbin file (binary) is like searching for a crack whore in Rhode Island. I'd rather use Bittorrent, because I know how to search and find the files I want; and, no, they don't take five days to download like they do for Alex and "Krose." I don't know what their problem is. I can download an episode of Family Guy in like 10 minutes an hour after it's been released (which is about two hours after it airs, because it takes about an hour to get released).

Finally, I'll say this: Usenet is FAST! Faster than a bankruptcy at Enron. I can download that "backup" of my CD/DVD, TV recording, software, etc. (backup is the key word here) in about an hour on a 1MBps (8Mbps) downstream connection with no need to use my upstream connection to share it with others! Not to mention, I'm only using 10 incoming connections, and not switching between ~100+ in/out connections like I would be doing with Bittorrent, so my little, home consumer Linksys WRT54G (v3.0) router isn't freaking out and dying! It's nice not having to reset my router after downloading something (something that I have to do when using Bittorrent, because Bittorrent connects to so many people, and a lot of home consumer routers cannot handle this).

[pilgrim]

I'm looking into using Usenet instead of torrents (for some things, anyway). I'm thinking of getting a giganews account. I've been googling for a bit now, and I can't seem to find a decent usenet tutorial..could someone help me out here? I'm using Newsleecher, basically I just want to learn how to configure my client, search through the 'headers'? and download stuff. :o

Edit: NVM, found a bunch of good links.

[hegemony]

I have usenet access and I use newzbin. The speed and security can't be matched.

[noonebutme]

get an account at Newshosting (http://newshosting.com) instead of Giganews. Half as expensive, Just as fast.

And comcast limits you to 2GB per email account. But doesnt cap how many email accounts you can make ;)

[adamzx]

what is usenet.. i saw the advertisement on utorrent.com about something called usenext.. where i pay money to download stuff?
no thanks

whats the story - fill me in, i guess i don't understand

is bit torrent not the cool thing anymore ?

[striker1211]

I use newsleecher and newshosting (pm me if u are gonna sign up, i got an affiliate account lol). Just an fyi, if you are gonna use newsleecher there is a bug that i discovered, in the server list it keeps track of your downloads and if you go over 1 TB of download it corrupts the server list file.

[hegemony]

what is usenet.. i saw the advertisement on utorrent.com about something called usenext.. where i pay money to download stuff?
no thanks

whats the story - fill me in, i guess i don't understand

is bit torrent not the cool thing anymore ?

Usenext is a german Usenet provider that uses proprietary software... I've heard bad things. Usenet is the a generic term that has become synonymous with "newsgroup". Basically it's faster than torrents and about as secure as you can get. A good Usenet provider (like usenet.com or giganews) doesn't keep track of who does what so there's virtually no trail. For a small fee you get access to so much stuff you'd be shocked. Most of the stuff that comes into the p2p scene starts in usenet.

[lordfoul]

I'm using NewsLeecher (http://www.newsleecher.com/), Newhosting (http://www.newshosting.com/) and Newzbin (http://www.newzbin.com/) all together.

[noonebutme]

Usenext is scamesque - it has some aspects that really close to being a scam and does other things that arent to trustworthy. Avoid it and get a good host - Giganews or Newshosting instead. As for your client, Use Grabit. For NZB's, search on yabse.com and binsearch****** . Also, keep an eye on Newzmonster.com - its search was amazing before they went back to beta status for the past few months.

Here's (http://docs.newzbin.com/Usenet:ISP_Providers) a giant list of ISP usenet info - it covers most if not all the ISP's around and their usenet policy.

[xelloss]

I use newsleecher and newshosting (pm me if u are gonna sign up, i got an affiliate account lol). Just an fyi, if you are gonna use newsleecher there is a bug that i discovered, in the server list it keeps track of your downloads and if you go over 1 TB of download it corrupts the server list file.

Is that corrupted file on your end or there servers end?


Any I am currently using Giganews, and using News Rover, becuase there search thing is so simple, but my one question is on News Rover is that are searches going through the headings you download or some server news Rover owns?

[murphy71984]

I use Grabit and my ISP. I'm so glad I discovered Usenet. I heart NZBs! :P

[_sorrow_]

I've been doing the whole torrent thing, because its free, and i also do not download all that much... except for apps, and... :rolleyes: okay, i guess i download a good amount of stuff, lol.

I thought about getting into the whole usenet scene for a bit, but don't want to pay for privileges, because i'm just that cheap. Is there any way to get access to the servers without paying? :D

[tokenuser]

USenet - terrible for warez, great for porn ... a.b.n.* ;)

[twinbrotherdarkness]

I use usenet through easynews (10 gigs a month for $10, with unused gigs rolling to the next month) and newzbin

[trashcan]

I use usenet.com (http://usenet.com/) and newzbin (http://www.newzbin.com/) with NZB-O-Matic Plus (http://www.bunnyhug.net/nomp/)

I easily maintain 600-800kb/s on all files, so it greatly surpasses what I get with bt. I still use BT though :p

[nextgenxbox]

I dont want to pay. BT all the way!

[logant]

Powerusenet is what I use.

[striker1211]

Is that corrupted file on your end or there servers end?


Any I am currently using Giganews, and using News Rover, becuase there search thing is so simple, but my one question is on News Rover is that are searches going through the headings you download or some server news Rover owns?


Corrupted on my end.

[tokenuser]

I would just like to point out that "usenet" (NNTP - network news transport protocol) is a free service. You just need to find a news server. Most ISPs provide one. If you are at college, then the college will have access to the most reliable news server there is, since many of them act as relay points. There is a historical reason for this - usenet was the original forum and newsgroup software before the intarwebs were a twinkle in Tim Berner Lee's eye, and was used extensively by academic institutions.

Giganews is a "premium" usenet server and charges a monthly subscription. These servers typically have a longer retention time on files, so are better if you are looking for apps, movies, ISOs, etc.

There are a lot of programs out there that can access usenet - be it a free server, or a paid subscription server - including apps as lowly as Outlook Express (not great, but acceptable).

[vhalkirian666]

I use Newshosting's http://www.newshosting.com Unlimited Service for 14.99/month
You can have up to 8 connections to the server at one time.
No waiting for files, maxes out my DSL service everytime.

[tns]

Giganews just added the ability to connect via ssl. I think the service is like $5 a month and allows for 12 connections rather than 10. :cool:

[hap]

Have been using the new ssl option for the last week and can say that you will experience slower downloads even with 20 connections but that is to be expected with an encrypted connection. The nature of encryption is for protection not speed. So I switched back to the regular silver account..

[striker1211]

lol why would ssl be worth any money or thought? Only the data in the packets is encrypted, not the targets.

[newyorkyankz1]

If anyone wants to split newshosting with me, drop me an email at newyorkyankz1@yahoo.com . I was sharing with a few people, but they don't download anymore, so if you have a login, or want to share one just drop me a line via email, not by posting here

newyorkyankz1@yahoo.com

[noonebutme]

I cant see 'encrypted' usenet being any more secure then regular usenet is - and its already real secure. For starters, its download only. And then the only connections are between you and the server only. Unless your overly paranoid (to the point where you keep your OS on an encrypted partitioin within your hard drive and files encrypted within that and so on), your not going to need usenet via ssl.

[tokenuser]

Usenet is plain text. You can't get infected with plain text ... and SSL encryption gives you what? A secure channel to something that is inherently insecure?? SSL Giganews is marketing hype.

Also, usenet is two way. It is not a pure download medium. Stuff has to get there somehow. Who do you think populates usenet? The file share elves?? Posting to usenet is much the same as posting to a regular SMTP server like you would regular email - except it is going to the host server, not a mail server.

The only advantage SSL *might* have (and its a stretch) is so that network sniffer can't see what you are downloading. This might be an advantage to the paranoid P2P crowd, but it would be far easier for the RIAA/MPAA to supoena the server logs from the ISP than bother cracking your SSL.

[zoltain]

Hello, I'm very confused about this whole Usenet thing. Im looking to download files. Is there a free way I can use Usenet? Even a link to a guide where it explains all the parts to usenet like the usenet clients and usenet servers and usenet newsreaders would be really helpful. THanks so much.

[striker1211]

http://www.slyck.com/ng.php

The truth is unless you're on comcast you're going to have to pay. With comcast you get 2gb free from giganews, but it is tied to your comcast account after all.

[tokenuser]

http://www.slyck.com/ng.php

The truth is unless you're on comcast you're going to have to pay. With comcast you get 2gb free from giganews, but it is tied to your comcast account after all.Thats a great guide, and should be used as a primer for anyone inteested in this.

But many ISPs other than ComCast offer news servers. For instance, I am with RoadRunner via Time Warner Cable, and my news server is news-server.nc.rr.com - access is included in my monthly ISP fee that I am already paying for. Another member I was helping out found out that his ISP (QWEST) also had a news server. If you are on a college campus, THEY will have a news server as well.

So, before pushing people to Giganews, you shoudl ask you ISP if they have a news server and how to connect. Most of them have guides.

Now, a subscription to GigaNews does have its advantages - it retains posts longer, so there is less likelyhood of getting an incomplete set of files to rejoin, and they carry ALL the news groups - some ISPs limit the binary groups they carry due to storage ... but you need to evaluate that on a case by case basis.

As for clients, something as simple as Outlook Express (everyone with Windows has it already installed) is a basic client, but good for geting set up and testing (and its free). You will also probably want to get copies of yProxy (to decode YENC - a compression format for binary post attachment), WinRAR, and HJSplit to rejoin split files.

There is a lot to learn - and news groups really are the hidden underbelly of the internet, but you can have a lot of fun exploring down there.

Oh yeah - its the BEST place to find porn ;)

[noonebutme]

Also, usenet is two way. It is not a pure download medium. Stuff has to get there somehow. Who do you think populates usenet? The file share elves?? Posting to usenet is much the same as posting to a regular SMTP server like you would regular email - except it is going to the host server, not a mail server.

The average user that just downloads doesnt have to upload in order to download if using usenet like they do on Bittorrent, or any other P2P application by default.

Here (http://docs.newzbin.com/Usenet:ISP_Providers) is a giant list of ISP's and their USENET policy. And Comcast isnt to good for usenet. 2GB per email account. And they call you up and threaten to cap you if you create to many email accounts to download from.

As for the guide to usenet? It's really similar to bittorrent if you use NZB's - Install client (GrabIt or Newsleecher), find NZB(Yabse.com, Binsearch****** etc), open NZB with GrabIt or Newsleecher, Run quickpar if needed, then unrar. Actually, this is simpler then Bittorrent cause you dont need to forward ports to get this to work.

[striker1211]

Lol if you have uPNP on your router you dont even have to forward ports with utorrent and a couple others.

[noonebutme]

UPnP is basically useless..

[edmarriner]

my isp has a new server i can use. Can they track which files i am downloading if i use there news server?

[striker1211]

UPnP is basically useless..

How? It works fine on my router.

[noonebutme]

How? It works fine on my router.
It's done nothing on any of my 4 routers in the past 3 years. And i've spoken to people that had to disable it for their internet to not be broken (dns stopped working for example) if they had a program with UPnP messing with their router.

[frodo1]

been using giganews for a good while now, very reliable....

[AnthonyUSN]

i just started using Giganews. and its very VERY fast :D I'm using the trial though first (obviously) so still deciding on whether i want to keep it.