As long as people keep using Usenet, the service providers
will keep supplying the service, and THAT doomsday scenario
will never need to happen!
The only problem is, the text-based portion of Usenet is getting
smaller and smaller as more and more of the old regulars die
off.
I've added alt.fan.usenet to the newsgroups line.
Verily, in article <xn0pq74yk5vvqrz000@post.eweka.nl>, did >blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
As long as people keep using Usenet, the service providers
will keep supplying the service, and THAT doomsday scenario
will never need to happen!
The only problem is, the text-based portion of Usenet is getting
smaller and smaller as more and more of the old regulars die
off.
We need new people. Specifically, we need some younger people. The >difficulty is finding the right ones. If we just throw it open, it's a >repeat of 1993, and this time they'd win.
The right people are smart, disaffected young-to-middled-aged people who >understand how toxic engagement-based social media is, want the benefits
of talking to people from all over the world, and aren't afraid of free >speech. I wonder where those people are. Ten or fifteen years ago they
might have been on Reddit, but today's Reddit is a swarm of bots with
many speech restrictions.
There isn't any other network like Usenet. The right people would still >prefer it if they knew about it.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
In article <MPG.447e29c4647490ff989f0e@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
There isn't any other network like Usenet. The right people would still >prefer it if they knew about it.
And were not being deceived.
A lot of younger people are using Usenet... Usenet has seen
record traffic year after year... it's not going downwards...
people are [generally] just not using Usenet to discuss things
on text newsgroups like RADW!
We have an example on this very newsgroup of why a sane and
sensible Doctor Who fan wouldn't leave a Facebook Group, Discord
or Reddit to come here and join-in with the Doctor Who chat...
well, what "Doctor Who" chat there is!
Plus, we have an active user base here that barely reaches
double digits on a good day. We are doing rewatch sessions of
the peak era of Doctor Who - the best there was... yet only four
people can be bothered to join in... If THAT era of the show
cannot get engagement, what can?
You're better off subscribing to a proper Usenet service
provider and downloading a TV show, movie or audiobook - you'll
be doing more to keep Usenet alive by doing that than asking
Dave Yadallee what he means by __(insert random inane misspelt
sentence here)__ all the time. (And you will soon get tired of
doing that!) And, at least you'll have something entertaining
to watch or listen to! :)
When we all pass, unfortunately RADW will die too...
Verily, in article <10v1q7j$1gsq$6@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.447e29c4647490ff989f0e@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
There isn't any other network like Usenet. The right people would still
prefer it if they knew about it.
And were not being deceived.
Who's deceiving whom?
Verily, in article <10v1q7j$1gsq$6@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did >doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.447e29c4647490ff989f0e@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
There isn't any other network like Usenet. The right people would still
prefer it if they knew about it.
And were not being deceived.
Who's deceiving whom?
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote in >news:MPG.447e43a89a717fa4989f10@news.eternal-september.org:
Verily, in article <10v1q7j$1gsq$6@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did
doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.447e29c4647490ff989f0e@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
There isn't any other network like Usenet. The right people would still >>> >prefer it if they knew about it.
And were not being deceived.
Who's deceiving whom?
Hopefully those involved with a discussion can form coherant answers to >questions. Those types of discussions are getting rarer as the intelligent >ones age and die off. I miss certain people with clear heads who were >willing to share their experiences with everyone. I've always preferred >USENET to any of the so called social media platforms that came later.
Thank you all that are still around and willing to share!
Verily, in article <xn0pq7eolsvz69i000@post.eweka.nl>, did >blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
A lot of younger people are using Usenet... Usenet has seen
record traffic year after year... it's not going downwards...
people are [generally] just not using Usenet to discuss things
on text newsgroups like RADW!
Exactly. A lot of Usenet traffic is just binaries.
We have an example on this very newsgroup of why a sane and
sensible Doctor Who fan wouldn't leave a Facebook Group, Discord
or Reddit to come here and join-in with the Doctor Who chat...
well, what "Doctor Who" chat there is!
The main reason would be to find sympatico people. On Reddit, for
example, a user would risk being banned for saying that the Doctor
shouldn't be a woman. People who hold minority views, or people who want >those who hold minority views to be free to speak, might join the >conversation if they knew about it.
Plus, we have an active user base here that barely reaches
double digits on a good day. We are doing rewatch sessions of
the peak era of Doctor Who - the best there was... yet only four
people can be bothered to join in... If THAT era of the show
cannot get engagement, what can?
Who knows it's happening? Only people who are already here know about
it.
You're better off subscribing to a proper Usenet service
provider and downloading a TV show, movie or audiobook - you'll
be doing more to keep Usenet alive by doing that than asking
Dave Yadallee what he means by __(insert random inane misspelt
sentence here)__ all the time. (And you will soon get tired of
doing that!) And, at least you'll have something entertaining
to watch or listen to! :)
That won't inspire them to keep carrying the text groups, and the text >groups are real Usenet. The binary groups attached to a network of
people talking to each other.
When we all pass, unfortunately RADW will die too...
That's what I'd like to prevent.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
Verily, in article <xn0pq7eolsvz69i000@post.eweka.nl>, did blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
A lot of younger people are using Usenet... Usenet has seen
record traffic year after year... it's not going downwards...
people are [generally] just not using Usenet to discuss
things on text newsgroups like RADW!
Exactly. A lot of Usenet traffic is just binaries.
We have an example on this very newsgroup of why a sane and
sensible Doctor Who fan wouldn't leave a Facebook Group,
Discord or Reddit to come here and join-in with the Doctor
Who chat... well, what "Doctor Who" chat there is!
The main reason would be to find sympatico people. On Reddit,
for example, a user would risk being banned for saying that
the Doctor shouldn't be a woman. People who hold minority
views, or people who want those who hold minority views to be
free to speak, might join the conversation if they knew about
it.
Plus, we have an active user base here that barely reaches
double digits on a good day. We are doing rewatch sessions of
the peak era of Doctor Who - the best there was... yet only
four people can be bothered to join in... If THAT era of the
show cannot get engagement, what can?
Who knows it's happening? Only people who are already here
know about it.
You're better off subscribing to a proper Usenet service
provider and downloading a TV show, movie or audiobook -
you'll be doing more to keep Usenet alive by doing that than
asking Dave Yadallee what he means by __(insert random inane
misspelt sentence here)__ all the time. (And you will soon
get tired of doing that!) And, at least you'll have
something entertaining to watch or listen to! :)
That won't inspire them to keep carrying the text groups, and
the text groups are real Usenet. The binary groups attached to
a network of people talking to each other.
When we all pass, unfortunately RADW will die too...
That's what I'd like to prevent.
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Who's deceiving whom?
Hopefully those involved with a discussion can form
coherant answers to questions.
Those types of discussions are getting rarer as the
intelligent ones age and die off. I miss certain people
with clear heads who were willing to share their experiences
with everyone.
I've always preferred USENET to any of the so called social
media platforms that came later.
Thank you all that are still around and willing to share!
David LaRue wrote:
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Who's deceiving whom?
Hopefully those involved with a discussion can form
coherant answers to questions.
Coherent being the operative word at times...
Those types of discussions are getting rarer as the
intelligent ones age and die off. I miss certain people
with clear heads who were willing to share their experiences
with everyone.
We have lost a couple of clear-headed regulars on RADW, and
you'd miss their sane contributions. I'd like to think they just
got bored or their PC broke... but...
I've always preferred USENET to any of the so called social
media platforms that came later.
I left Usenet for those other platforms many moons ago when I
got an iPad... this was the modern era for me, no newsreader
needed, shiny web forums and social media sites, touch typing a
screen in comfort... then I realised I was the product using
these free services. I decided to reject those places and return
'home'... I was glad when I came back to Usenet and found
normality.
Plus Facebook and Reddit had become full of imbeciles that just--
karma/like farm to boost their ego...
Thank you all that are still around and willing to share!
We're still around for now anyway...
In article <MPG.447e43a89a717fa4989f10@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Verily, in article <10v1q7j$1gsq$6@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did
doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.447e29c4647490ff989f0e@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
There isn't any other network like Usenet. The right people would still >>>> prefer it if they knew about it.
And were not being deceived.
Who's deceiving whom?
The deceivers: Usenet is dying.
The True Melissa wrote:
Verily, in article <xn0pq7eolsvz69i000@post.eweka.nl>, did blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
Exactly. A lot of Usenet traffic is just binaries.
Correction: Most of Usenet traffic is binaries! We are very
much in the minority here using Usenet for its intended
purpose... discussion.
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the cess pit
that RADW is nowadays... because of one person. I have got four
or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to check out RADW over the
past few years, and after lurking - or making one or two posts -
they fucked off... because of one idiot and his trolling spam.
You will come across Doctor Who fans on other newsgroups that
just won't come here. RADW is not unknown in fandom.
And of those twenty-five to thirty people who appear on the
monthly RADW stats lists - plus unknown lurkers - only four
people are bothering to join in, and one of them is using a LLM
bot to make his contribution.
This is the top tier era of the show - ever, that we are
discussing. And only four people can bother their arse making a
contribution.
That won't inspire them to keep carrying the text groups, and
the text groups are real Usenet. The binary groups attached to
a network of people talking to each other.
To them traffic is traffic... if it's being used it's worth
keeping, if it's not, they won't carry them.
So use it or lose it.
What you call 'proper' Usenet is sleepwalking it's way into
oblivion.
I've always preferred USENET to any of the so called social
media platforms that came later.
I left Usenet for those other platforms many moons ago when I
got an iPad... this was the modern era for me, no newsreader
needed, shiny web forums and social media sites, touch typing a
screen in comfort... then I realised I was the product using
these free services. I decided to reject those places and return
'home'... I was glad when I came back to Usenet and found
normality.
Plus Facebook and Reddit had become full of imbeciles that just
karma/like farm to boost their ego...
We need new people. Specifically, we need some
younger people. The difficulty is finding the
right ones.
If we just throw it open, it's a repeat of 1993,
and this time they'd win.
The right people are smart, disaffected
young-to-middled-aged people who understand
how toxic engagement-based social media is,
want the benefits of talking to people from
all over the world, and aren't afraid of free
speech. I wonder where those people are. Ten
or fifteen years ago they might have been on
Reddit, but today's Reddit is a swarm of bots
with many speech restrictions.
There isn't any other network like Usenet. The
right people would still prefer it if they knew
about it.
Verily, in article <xn0pq8a7x6ypos3000@post.eweka.nl>, did blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
The True Melissa wrote:
Verily, in article <xn0pq7eolsvz69i000@post.eweka.nl>, did blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
Exactly. A lot of Usenet traffic is just binaries.
Correction: Most of Usenet traffic is binaries! We are very
much in the minority here using Usenet for its intended
purpose... discussion.
That's the difficulty I'm addressing. The discussion's dying.
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the cess pit
that RADW is nowadays... because of one person. I have got
four or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to check out RADW
over the past few years, and after lurking - or making one
or two posts - they fucked off... because of one idiot and
his trolling spam.
You will come across Doctor Who fans on other newsgroups that
just won't come here. RADW is not unknown in fandom.
What's the reason talk.philosphy.misc is now empty, then? Or misc.survivalism, or alt.personals? The person in question
doesn't use any of those, and all of them were once very busy.
IMO, the problem isn't a single person but that the spam years
drove so many of the good people away. The silver lining is
that most of the idjits also left. If we could attract more
good people, we could have another heyday. :-\
And of those twenty-five to thirty people who appear on the
monthly RADW stats lists - plus unknown lurkers - only four
people are bothering to join in, and one of them is using a
LLM bot to make his contribution.
This is the top tier era of the show - ever, that we are
discussing. And only four people can bother their arse
making a contribution.
That's exactly why we need more people. It's normal for most
people to lurk most of the time. If you want a dozen regular
participants, you'll need a hundred or so total members.
That won't inspire them to keep carrying the text groups,
and the text groups are real Usenet. The binary groups
attached to a network of people talking to each other.
To them traffic is traffic... if it's being used it's worth
keeping, if it's not, they won't carry them.
So use it or lose it.
What you call 'proper' Usenet is sleepwalking it's way into
oblivion.
Yes -- because there aren't enough people! That's exactly the
problem I'd like to fix.
I've noticed that the top Reddit comment is often
either a quip or a flame. People will upvote anything
which makes them laugh or feeds their righteous outrage,
and Redditors are unconsciously trained to post more of
those things.
The True Melissa wrote:
IMO, the problem isn't a single person but
that the spam years drove so many of the good
people away. The silver lining is that most of
the idjits also left. If we could attract more
good people, we could have another heyday. :-\
The problem on RADW is most definitely a single
person! I have had plenty of DM's and e-mails
over the years when I have tried to get people I
know from other places to come here, and every
single one of them gave the same reason....the
nonsense posts, spam and trolling from a certain
individual. Yads is infamous!
You're flogging a dead horse. It's been tried.
Do you want me to dig up the e-mails and messages from the
Gallifrey Base / Divergent Universe regulars who I coaxed into
trying this place out over the years?
They came, they saw, they left again... every single one of them.
[quoted text muted]
What you call 'proper' Usenet is sleepwalking it's way into
oblivion.
Yes -- because there aren't enough people! That's exactly the
problem I'd like to fix.
Go ahead. Do your best. The only way is up!
There are a fair number of people who are bummed about
the death of Stack Exchange who doen't realize that Usenet
is alive. Many of the refugees from the English forum would
fit in well in alt.usage.english, if they knew about it.
There are also Reddit users who are annoyed by all the bots
and other diguised ads. Usenet's blessedly free of
commercialism. It only stands to reason that some of them
would like it.
What you call 'proper' Usenet is sleepwalking it's way
into oblivion.
Yes -- because there aren't enough people! That's exactly
the problem I'd like to fix.
Go ahead. Do your best. The only way is up!
Up where?
If there's anyone reading this that uses Reddit - get over to
the Doctor Who sub and tell everyone that rec.arts.drwho is
still alive and open for business...
or alt.drwho even!
Verily, in article <xn0pq8imxll39001@post.eweka.nl>, did blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
If there's anyone reading this that uses Reddit - get
over to the Doctor Who sub and tell everyone that
rec.arts.drwho is still alive and open for business...
or alt.drwho even!
I tried. I was banned for "promotion."
That's modern Reddit.
The True Melissa wrote:
There are a fair number of people who are
bummed about the death of Stack Exchange who
doen't realize that Usenet is alive. Many of
the refugees from the English forum would fit
in well in alt.usage.english, if they knew
about it.
Well get on with converting them then!
Go into the world and preach the gospel of
Usenet to everyone on the internet.
David LaRue wrote:
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Who's deceiving whom?
Hopefully those involved with a discussion can form
coherant answers to questions.
Coherent being the operative word at times...
Those types of discussions are getting rarer as the
intelligent ones age and die off. I miss certain people
with clear heads who were willing to share their experiences
with everyone.
We have lost a couple of clear-headed regulars on RADW, and
you'd miss their sane contributions. I'd like to think they just
got bored or their PC broke... but...
I've always preferred USENET to any of the so called social
media platforms that came later.
I left Usenet for those other platforms many moons ago when I
got an iPad... this was the modern era for me, no newsreader
needed, shiny web forums and social media sites, touch typing a
screen in comfort... then I realised I was the product using
these free services. I decided to reject those places and return
'home'... I was glad when I came back to Usenet and found
normality.
Plus Facebook and Reddit had become full of imbeciles that just
karma/like farm to boost their ego...
Thank you all that are still around and willing to share!
We're still around for now anyway...
On 26/05/2026 5:55 pm, Blueshirt wrote:
David LaRue wrote:
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Who's deceiving whom?
Hopefully those involved with a discussion can form
coherant answers to questions.
Coherent being the operative word at times...
'discussion' should also be an operative word, too!!
Those types of discussions are getting rarer as the
intelligent ones age and die off. I miss certain people
with clear heads who were willing to share their experiences
with everyone.
We have lost a couple of clear-headed regulars on RADW, and
you'd miss their sane contributions. I'd like to think they just
got bored or their PC broke... but...
Yeap!! Gone but not forgotten .... but what does THAT say about those of
us who remain??
I've always preferred USENET to any of the so called social
media platforms that came later.
I left Usenet for those other platforms many moons ago when I
got an iPad... this was the modern era for me, no newsreader
needed, shiny web forums and social media sites, touch typing a
screen in comfort... then I realised I was the product using
these free services. I decided to reject those places and return
'home'... I was glad when I came back to Usenet and found
normality.
Came to your senses. ;-P
--Plus Facebook and Reddit had become full of imbeciles that just--
karma/like farm to boost their ego...
Thank you all that are still around and willing to share!
We're still around for now anyway...
Daniel70
On 26/05/2026 1:56 pm, The Doctor wrote:
In article <MPG.447e43a89a717fa4989f10@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Verily, in article <10v1q7j$1gsq$6@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did
doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.447e29c4647490ff989f0e@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
There isn't any other network like Usenet. The right people would still >>>>> prefer it if they knew about it.
And were not being deceived.
Who's deceiving whom?
The deceivers: Usenet is dying.
Sorry! WHAT?? Are you, asswipe(Word used by paedophiles to indicate their joy >of child sexual molestation coverup), suggesting that UseNet is dying .... or >that The Deceivers are suggesting that UseNet is dying??
--
Daniel70
Verily, in article <10v35oo$1aq5$4@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did >doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <XnsB457CACF5E8Dhueydlltampabayrrcom@157.180.91.226>,
David LaRue <huey.dll@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote in
news:MPG.447e43a89a717fa4989f10@news.eternal-september.org:
Verily, in article <10v1q7j$1gsq$6@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did
doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.447e29c4647490ff989f0e@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
There isn't any other network like Usenet. The right people would still
prefer it if they knew about it.
And were not being deceived.
Who's deceiving whom?
Hopefully those involved with a discussion can form coherant answers to
questions. Those types of discussions are getting rarer as the intelligent
ones age and die off. I miss certain people with clear heads who were
willing to share their experiences with everyone. I've always preferred >> >USENET to any of the so called social media platforms that came later.
I strongly agree. The lack of voting and awards and all that crap is a >*good* thing. The focus stays on the topic instead of the endless quest
for engagement.
I do believe there are younger people who would prefer it, but don't
know it exists. Finding them is the barrier.
Thank you all that are still around and willing to share!
Welcome newcomer!
If David were a newcomer, why would he be talking about the past?
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
Verily, in article <xn0pq8ahx6z43bm001@post.eweka.nl>, did >blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
I've always preferred USENET to any of the so called social
media platforms that came later.
I left Usenet for those other platforms many moons ago when I
got an iPad... this was the modern era for me, no newsreader
needed, shiny web forums and social media sites, touch typing a
screen in comfort... then I realised I was the product using
these free services. I decided to reject those places and return
'home'... I was glad when I came back to Usenet and found
normality.
The difference is almost shocking, isn't it? I tried Facebook and then >Reddit, and Reddit seemed pretty good after Facebook, but then I got
back on Usenet. Real people having a conversation is much better than
any curated feed with engagement buttons.
Plus Facebook and Reddit had become full of imbeciles that just
karma/like farm to boost their ego...
Those sites train us, literally *train* us, to be shallow and
narcissistic. We can't help responding to upvotes, since we're tribal >creatures and those represent the approval of the community.
I've noticed that the top Reddit comment is often either a quip or a
flame. People will upvote anything which makes them laugh or feeds their >righteous outrage, and Redditors are unconsciously trained to post more
of those things.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
The True Melissa wrote:
I've noticed that the top Reddit comment is often
either a quip or a flame. People will upvote anything
which makes them laugh or feeds their righteous outrage,
UPVOTE
and Redditors are unconsciously trained to post more of
those things.
LIKE
:)
The True Melissa wrote:
Verily, in article <xn0pq7eolsvz69i000@post.eweka.nl>, did
blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
A lot of younger people are using Usenet... Usenet has seen
record traffic year after year... it's not going downwards...
people are [generally] just not using Usenet to discuss
things on text newsgroups like RADW!
Exactly. A lot of Usenet traffic is just binaries.
Correction: Most of Usenet traffic is binaries! We are very
much in the minority here using Usenet for its intended
purpose... discussion.
We have an example on this very newsgroup of why a sane and
sensible Doctor Who fan wouldn't leave a Facebook Group,
Discord or Reddit to come here and join-in with the Doctor
Who chat... well, what "Doctor Who" chat there is!
The main reason would be to find sympatico people. On Reddit,
for example, a user would risk being banned for saying that
the Doctor shouldn't be a woman. People who hold minority
views, or people who want those who hold minority views to be
free to speak, might join the conversation if they knew about
it.
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the cess pit
that RADW is nowadays... because of one person. I have got four
or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to check out RADW over the
past few years, and after lurking - or making one or two posts -
they fucked off... because of one idiot and his trolling spam.
You will come across Doctor Who fans on other newsgroups that
just won't come here. RADW is not unknown in fandom.
You can lead a horse to water...
Plus, we have an active user base here that barely reaches
double digits on a good day. We are doing rewatch sessions of
the peak era of Doctor Who - the best there was... yet only
four people can be bothered to join in... If THAT era of the
show cannot get engagement, what can?
Who knows it's happening? Only people who are already here
know about it.
And of those twenty-five to thirty people who appear on the
monthly RADW stats lists - plus unknown lurkers - only four
people are bothering to join in, and one of them is using a LLM
bot to make his contribution.
This is the top tier era of the show - ever, that we are
discussing. And only four people can bother their arse making a
contribution.
You're better off subscribing to a proper Usenet service
provider and downloading a TV show, movie or audiobook -
you'll be doing more to keep Usenet alive by doing that than
asking Dave Yadallee what he means by __(insert random inane
misspelt sentence here)__ all the time. (And you will soon
get tired of doing that!) And, at least you'll have
something entertaining to watch or listen to! :)
That won't inspire them to keep carrying the text groups, and
the text groups are real Usenet. The binary groups attached to
a network of people talking to each other.
To them traffic is traffic... if it's being used it's worth
keeping, if it's not, they won't carry them.
So use it or lose it.
What you call 'proper' Usenet is sleepwalking it's way into
oblivion.
--When we all pass, unfortunately RADW will die too...
That's what I'd like to prevent.
Sometimes the inevitable happens.
Verily, in article <xn0pq8a7x6ypos3000@post.eweka.nl>, did >blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
The True Melissa wrote:
Verily, in article <xn0pq7eolsvz69i000@post.eweka.nl>, did
blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
Exactly. A lot of Usenet traffic is just binaries.
Correction: Most of Usenet traffic is binaries! We are very
much in the minority here using Usenet for its intended
purpose... discussion.
That's the difficulty I'm addressing. The discussion's dying.
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the cess pit
that RADW is nowadays... because of one person. I have got four
or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to check out RADW over the
past few years, and after lurking - or making one or two posts -
they fucked off... because of one idiot and his trolling spam.
You will come across Doctor Who fans on other newsgroups that
just won't come here. RADW is not unknown in fandom.
What's the reason talk.philosphy.misc is now empty, then? Or >misc.survivalism, or alt.personals? The person in question doesn't use
any of those, and all of them were once very busy.
IMO, the problem isn't a single person but that the spam years drove so
many of the good people away. The silver lining is that most of the
idjits also left. If we could attract more good people, we could have >another heyday. :-\
And of those twenty-five to thirty people who appear on the
monthly RADW stats lists - plus unknown lurkers - only four
people are bothering to join in, and one of them is using a LLM
bot to make his contribution.
This is the top tier era of the show - ever, that we are
discussing. And only four people can bother their arse making a
contribution.
That's exactly why we need more people. It's normal for most people to
lurk most of the time. If you want a dozen regular participants, you'll
need a hundred or so total members.
That won't inspire them to keep carrying the text groups, and
the text groups are real Usenet. The binary groups attached to
a network of people talking to each other.
To them traffic is traffic... if it's being used it's worth
keeping, if it's not, they won't carry them.
So use it or lose it.
What you call 'proper' Usenet is sleepwalking it's way into
oblivion.
Yes -- because there aren't enough people! That's exactly the problem
I'd like to fix.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
The True Melissa wrote:
Verily, in article <xn0pq8a7x6ypos3000@post.eweka.nl>, did
blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
The True Melissa wrote:
Verily, in article <xn0pq7eolsvz69i000@post.eweka.nl>, did
blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
Exactly. A lot of Usenet traffic is just binaries.
Correction: Most of Usenet traffic is binaries! We are very
much in the minority here using Usenet for its intended
purpose... discussion.
That's the difficulty I'm addressing. The discussion's dying.
There's plenty of discussion [on RADW] if you don't mind the odd
bible class every now and again.
Deciphering some of the gobbledygook can be quite challenging
too...
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the cess pit
that RADW is nowadays... because of one person. I have got
four or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to check out RADW
over the past few years, and after lurking - or making one
or two posts - they fucked off... because of one idiot and
his trolling spam.
You will come across Doctor Who fans on other newsgroups that
just won't come here. RADW is not unknown in fandom.
What's the reason talk.philosphy.misc is now empty, then? Or
misc.survivalism, or alt.personals? The person in question
doesn't use any of those, and all of them were once very busy.
Death comes as the end.
IMO, the problem isn't a single person but that the spam years
drove so many of the good people away. The silver lining is
that most of the idjits also left. If we could attract more
good people, we could have another heyday. :-\
The problem on RADW is most definitely a single person! I have
had plenty of DM's and e-mails over the years when I have tried
to get people I know from other places to come here, and every
single one of them gave the same reason....the nonsense posts,
spam and trolling from a certain individual. Yads is infamous!
To be fair, Tim Bruening was often mentioned as well, but the
Google Groups disconnect in February 2024 stopped his spam in
its tracks.
And of those twenty-five to thirty people who appear on the
monthly RADW stats lists - plus unknown lurkers - only four
people are bothering to join in, and one of them is using a
LLM bot to make his contribution.
This is the top tier era of the show - ever, that we are
discussing. And only four people can bother their arse
making a contribution.
That's exactly why we need more people. It's normal for most
people to lurk most of the time. If you want a dozen regular
participants, you'll need a hundred or so total members.
You're flogging a dead horse. It's been tried.
Do you want me to dig up the e-mails and messages from the
Gallifrey Base / Divergent Universe regulars who I coaxed into
trying this place out over the years?
They came, they saw, they left again... every single one of them.
That won't inspire them to keep carrying the text groups,
and the text groups are real Usenet. The binary groups
attached to a network of people talking to each other.
To them traffic is traffic... if it's being used it's worth
keeping, if it's not, they won't carry them.
So use it or lose it.
What you call 'proper' Usenet is sleepwalking it's way into
oblivion.
Yes -- because there aren't enough people! That's exactly the
problem I'd like to fix.
Go ahead. Do your best. The only way is up!
Verily, in article <xn0pq8gbd76yl4x003@post.eweka.nl>, did >blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
You're flogging a dead horse. It's been tried.
Do you want me to dig up the e-mails and messages from the
Gallifrey Base / Divergent Universe regulars who I coaxed into
trying this place out over the years?
They came, they saw, they left again... every single one of them.
No, I believe you. That's just one group, though.
There are a fair number of people who are bummed about the death of
Stack Exchange who doen't realize that Usenet is alive. Many of the
refugees from the English forum would fit in well in alt.usage.english,
if they knew about it.
There are also Reddit users who are annoyed by all the bots and other >diguised ads. Usenet's blessedly free of commercialism. It only stands
to reason that some of them would like it.
[quoted text muted]
What you call 'proper' Usenet is sleepwalking it's way into
oblivion.
Yes -- because there aren't enough people! That's exactly the
problem I'd like to fix.
Go ahead. Do your best. The only way is up!
Up where?
I hope to start a free mesh some time in the next year. It will carry >Usenet, and the mesh users will then know about it. That's my idea of
up.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
The True Melissa wrote:
There are a fair number of people who are bummed about
the death of Stack Exchange who doen't realize that Usenet
is alive. Many of the refugees from the English forum would
fit in well in alt.usage.english, if they knew about it.
Well get on with converting them then!
Go into the world and preach the gospel of Usenet to everyone
on the internet.
And while you're at it, ask them if they like Doctor Who...
;-)
There are also Reddit users who are annoyed by all the bots
and other diguised ads. Usenet's blessedly free of
commercialism. It only stands to reason that some of them
would like it.
You would think.
If there's anyone reading this that uses Reddit - get over to
the Doctor Who sub and tell everyone that rec.arts.drwho is
still alive and open for business...
or alt.drwho even!
--What you call 'proper' Usenet is sleepwalking it's way
into oblivion.
Yes -- because there aren't enough people! That's exactly
the problem I'd like to fix.
Go ahead. Do your best. The only way is up!
Up where?
Up from the four people contributing to AGA's Rewatch Parties!
This is the peak of Tom Baker's era - it should be everyone's
favourite years of the show... and if it's not, now is the
perfect for them to tell us all why!!!
Verily, in article <xn0pq8imxll39001@post.eweka.nl>, did >blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
If there's anyone reading this that uses Reddit - get over to
the Doctor Who sub and tell everyone that rec.arts.drwho is
still alive and open for business...
or alt.drwho even!
I tried. I was banned for "promotion."
That's modern Reddit.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
The True Melissa wrote:
Verily, in article <xn0pq8imxll39001@post.eweka.nl>, did
blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:
If there's anyone reading this that uses Reddit - get
over to the Doctor Who sub and tell everyone that
rec.arts.drwho is still alive and open for business...
or alt.drwho even!
I tried. I was banned for "promotion."
UPVOTE
That's modern Reddit.
DOWNVOTE
In article <MPG.447f361bd684ea5989f18@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
I do believe there are younger people who would prefer it, but don't
know it exists. Finding them is the barrier.
Train them about NNTP.
Verily, in article <10v4831$15e$5@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.447f361bd684ea5989f18@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
I do believe there are younger peoplewho would prefer it, but don't >know it
exists. Finding them is the barrier.
Train them about NNTP.
It's a pretty simple protocol. I don't think
that's the holdup.
In a nutshell, we need more attraction. No one
ever did commercials for Usenet. People found
it in a friend's basement or a classmate's
dorm room. We should make this into the sort
of place bright, disaffected people are seeking.
Verily, in article <10v4831$15e$5@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did >doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.447f361bd684ea5989f18@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
I do believe there are younger people who would prefer it, but don't
know it exists. Finding them is the barrier.
Train them about NNTP.
It's a pretty simple protocol. I don't think that's the holdup.
In a nutshell, we need more attraction. No one ever did commercials for >Usenet. People found it in a friend's basement or a classmate's dorm
room. We should make this into the sort of place bright, disaffected
people are seeking.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
The problem on RADW is most definitely a single person! I have
had plenty of DM's and e-mails over the years when I have tried
to get people I know from other places to come here, and every
single one of them gave the same reason....the nonsense posts,
spam and trolling from a certain individual. Yads is infamous!
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
[...]
The problem on RADW is most definitely a single person! I have
had plenty of DM's and e-mails over the years when I have tried
to get people I know from other places to come here, and every
single one of them gave the same reason....the nonsense posts,
spam and trolling from a certain individual. Yads is infamous!
If one doesn't have the time/patience/self control/<whatever> to
filter posts mentally, then a newsreader with good filtering/scoring >capablities can filter out posts from the 'trolls' *and* from people >responding to those posts. That can make a group quite bearable,
especially if filtering crossposts to troll-groups is added to the mix.
Of course that means if anyone wants to introduce an outsider to
Usenet, one should provide them with these tools and with instructions/ >guidance on how to use them.
As you can see from my 'User-Agent:' header, I use Hamster (a local
'proxy' news server) and tin to do the job. There are several other
options, for Windows and Linux (and probably also for Mac).
news.software.readers is over there --->
[...]
Member - Liberal
The deceivers: Usenet is dying.
The deceivers: Usenet is dying.
I find it amusing that the longest thread I have seen in my recent
UseNet history is about the death of Usenet, yet there are folks who
deny that it is happening. There still exist niche newsgroups that are >active - Dr. Who being one - but they are slowly losing active
participants and not gaining new ones at the same rate. Sometimes the >inevitable is ... inevitable.
The other thing that amuses me is the "try it, you'll like it" attitude.
Do you have any idea of the learning curve that you're asking people
to climb to "try it"? And do you have any appreciation for the fact
that the vast majority of potential users are simply incapable of
climbing that curve?
To participate in a discussion on social media or a web forum, the
potential user must paste the URL into their web browser and then create
an account. This is something that the general population does routinely.
To try out a newsgroup, the user must
-- Find a provider.
-- Set up an account on that provider.
-- Find a newsreader
-- Configure the newsreader to talk to the provider
-- Figure out how to use the newsreader, including how to subscribe to
the target group and how to actually navigate through it
Then, as several folks in the thread have observed, this new user is
likely to be turned off by trolls, spam, and/or off-topic junk. So an >additional step might be to invoke the features of the newsreader to
beat that crap into submission, but this is another layer of the >already-steep learning curve.
The only suggestion I have is that if you're interested in the longevity
of a newsgroup, scout potential participants in other places like Reddit
or Facebook, or web forums (yes, I realize the pain involved in that), >contact them personally, explain Usenet, and then help them climb the >learning curve. This is a very expensive one-on-one project, but just >telling people "try it, you'll like it" is not likely to work.
The other thing that amuses me is the "try it, you'll like it" attitude.
Do you have any idea of the learning curve that you're asking people
to climb to "try it"? And do you have any appreciation for the fact
that the vast majority of potential users are simply incapable of
climbing that curve?
To try out a newsgroup, the user must
-- Find a provider.
-- Set up an account on that provider.
-- Find a newsreader
-- Configure the newsreader to talk to the provider
-- Figure out how to use the newsreader, including how to subscribe to
the target group and how to actually navigate through it
On Fri, 29 May 2026 09:48:53 -0500, Steve Bonine wrote:
To try out a newsgroup, the user must
-- Find a provider.
-- Set up an account on that provider.
-- Find a newsreader
-- Configure the newsreader to talk to the provider
-- Figure out how to use the newsreader, including how to subscribe to the target group and how to actually navigate through it
And all the user must do to gain that incredible knowledge is ask an AI.
The Doctor wrote:
The deceivers: Usenet is dying.
I find it amusing that the longest thread I have seen in my recent
UseNet history is about the death of Usenet, yet there are folks who
deny that it is happening. There still exist niche newsgroups that are active - Dr. Who being one - but they are slowly losing active
participants and not gaining new ones at the same rate. Sometimes the inevitable is ... inevitable.
The other thing that amuses me is the "try it, you'll like it" attitude.
Do you have any idea of the learning curve that you're asking people
to climb to "try it"? And do you have any appreciation for the fact
that the vast majority of potential users are simply incapable of
climbing that curve?
To participate in a discussion on social media or a web forum, the
potential user must paste the URL into their web browser and then create
an account. This is something that the general population does routinely.
To try out a newsgroup, the user must
-- Find a provider.
-- Set up an account on that provider.
-- Find a newsreader
-- Configure the newsreader to talk to the provider
-- Figure out how to use the newsreader, including how to subscribe to
the target group and how to actually navigate through it
Then, as several folks in the thread have observed, this new user is
likely to be turned off by trolls, spam, and/or off-topic junk. So an additional step might be to invoke the features of the newsreader to
beat that crap into submission, but this is another layer of the already-steep learning curve.
The only suggestion I have is that if you're interested in the longevity
of a newsgroup, scout potential participants in other places like Reddit
or Facebook, or web forums (yes, I realize the pain involved in that), contact them personally, explain Usenet, and then help them climb the learning curve. This is a very expensive one-on-one project, but just telling people "try it, you'll like it" is not likely to work.
And we have some from 40 to 50. Not youngsters, but not old
either.
Steve Bonine <spb@pobox.com> wrote:
A newsreader is no longer needed as a first step. There are several
good, reliable Web-based Usenet sites. See this for a quick summary:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web-based_Usenet#Web-based_sites_and_popularity>
But even for a normal newsreader, the steps you mention could be made
very simple, if only someone bothered to document them and put that
document on the web, so people could point at it.
For example for Thunderbird - which many people already use for e-mail
- all the steps can be automated with one clickable URL. It could also
be done for some other newsreaders, but that would require first
installing such a newsreader, not a big hurd;e, but still one.
Then, as several folks in the thread have observed, this new user is
likely to be turned off by trolls, spam, and/or off-topic junk. So an
additional step might be to invoke the features of the newsreader to
beat that crap into submission, but this is another layer of the
already-steep learning curve.
Reader-specific howto's can help with that. It's probably not wise to document boilerplate kill/filter files, because that would need to
reveal who are the culprits.
The only suggestion I have is that if you're interested in the longevity
of a newsgroup, scout potential participants in other places like Reddit
or Facebook, or web forums (yes, I realize the pain involved in that),
contact them personally, explain Usenet, and then help them climb the
learning curve. This is a very expensive one-on-one project, but just
telling people "try it, you'll like it" is not likely to work.
I/'we' don't have that (lack of participants/traffic) problem, but by
all means, go for it.
Frank Slootweg wrote:
Steve Bonine <spb@pobox.com> wrote:
A newsreader is no longer needed as a first step. There are several good, reliable Web-based Usenet sites. See this for a quick summary:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web-based_Usenet#Web-based_sites_and_popularity>
You have a very good point. Being an old fart, I rather equate the
Usenet experience with using a traditional news reader, and I am
ignorant of what's available for web-based tools. This should at least provide an introduction to the discussion in a specific newsgroup.
But even for a normal newsreader, the steps you mention could be made very simple, if only someone bothered to document them and put that document on the web, so people could point at it.
I agree, in the sense that a step-by-step job tool would be a big help.
But the hassle of finding a provider and setting up an account there remains, and the time involved to go from zero to the desired goal is
still significant, even with good directions.
But the web-based reader
is a good first step, and may suffice for many users.
For example for Thunderbird - which many people already use for e-mail
- all the steps can be automated with one clickable URL. It could also
be done for some other newsreaders, but that would require first
installing such a newsreader, not a big hurd;e, but still one.
Reading this thread makes it clear that the--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
participation in some newsgroups is dangerously close to the critical
mass needed to maintain a meaningful discussion, and the way for the remaining participants in those groups to boost participation is the one-on-one reach-out. It's expensive.
Verily, in article <10vc90n$7h7s$1@dont-email.me>, did spb@pobox.com
deliver unto us this message:
The other thing that amuses me is the "try it, you'll like it" attitude.
Do you have any idea of the learning curve that you're asking people
to climb to "try it"? And do you have any appreciation for the fact
that the vast majority of potential users are simply incapable of
climbing that curve?
Well... for me, that has a point. When it got too easy, we had September >1993.
I have been mentioning Usenet to people, both former users and some
younger folks I think would fit in. It probably won't do any good, but
you never know for sure.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
On Fri, 29 May 2026 09:48:53 -0500, Steve Bonine wrote:
To try out a newsgroup, the user must
-- Find a provider.
-- Set up an account on that provider.
-- Find a newsreader
-- Configure the newsreader to talk to the provider
-- Figure out how to use the newsreader, including how to subscribe to
the target group and how to actually navigate through it
And all the user must do to gain that incredible knowledge is ask an AI.
----
s|b
Verily, in article <n7tvmqF67csU1@mid.individual.net>, did >me@privacy.invalid deliver unto us this message:
On Fri, 29 May 2026 09:48:53 -0500, Steve Bonine wrote:
To try out a newsgroup, the user must
-- Find a provider.
-- Set up an account on that provider.
-- Find a newsreader
-- Configure the newsreader to talk to the provider
-- Figure out how to use the newsreader, including how to subscribe to >> > the target group and how to actually navigate through it
And all the user must do to gain that incredible knowledge is ask an AI.
Good point. The user could also tell the AI to just set it up, skipping
the knowledge. Either ChatGPT or Claude could handle that. In fact, we
had a Claude instance running around Usenet a short while ago, on its
own recognizance.
The 21st century is a different era from the 20th, for sure.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
Steve Bonine <spb@pobox.com> wrote:
The Doctor wrote:
The deceivers: Usenet is dying.
I find it amusing that the longest thread I have seen in my recent
UseNet history is about the death of Usenet, yet there are folks who
deny that it is happening. There still exist niche newsgroups that are
active - Dr. Who being one - but they are slowly losing active
participants and not gaining new ones at the same rate. Sometimes the
inevitable is ... inevitable.
Well, that depends on which groups you're looking at. For example I
see a lot of traffic in the Windows groups and in the Android group and
there is some cross-activity from new Android users in the Windows
groups, because many people who have a smartphone, also have a computer.
But yes, we are literally dying out, but also gaining some new
participants. One important newcomer was 21 when I spotted him (he's now >~24). And we have some from 40 to 50. Not youngsters, but not old
either.
The other thing that amuses me is the "try it, you'll like it" attitude.
Do you have any idea of the learning curve that you're asking people
to climb to "try it"? And do you have any appreciation for the fact
that the vast majority of potential users are simply incapable of
climbing that curve?
To participate in a discussion on social media or a web forum, the
potential user must paste the URL into their web browser and then create
an account. This is something that the general population does routinely. >>
To try out a newsgroup, the user must
-- Find a provider.
-- Set up an account on that provider.
-- Find a newsreader
-- Configure the newsreader to talk to the provider
-- Figure out how to use the newsreader, including how to subscribe to
the target group and how to actually navigate through it
A newsreader is no longer needed as a first step. There are several
good, reliable Web-based Usenet sites. See this for a quick summary:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web-based_Usenet#Web-based_sites_and_popularity>
But even for a normal newsreader, the steps you mention could be made
very simple, if only someone bothered to document them and put that
document on the web, so people could point at it.
For example for Thunderbird - which many people already use for e-mail
- all the steps can be automated with one clickable URL. It could also
be done for some other newsreaders, but that would require first
installing such a newsreader, not a big hurd;e, but still one.
Then, as several folks in the thread have observed, this new user is
likely to be turned off by trolls, spam, and/or off-topic junk. So an
additional step might be to invoke the features of the newsreader to
beat that crap into submission, but this is another layer of the
already-steep learning curve.
Reader-specific howto's can help with that. It's probably not wise to
document boilerplate kill/filter files, because that would need to
reveal who are the culprits.
The only suggestion I have is that if you're interested in the longevity
of a newsgroup, scout potential participants in other places like Reddit
or Facebook, or web forums (yes, I realize the pain involved in that),
contact them personally, explain Usenet, and then help them climb the
learning curve. This is a very expensive one-on-one project, but just
telling people "try it, you'll like it" is not likely to work.
I/'we' don't have that (lack of participants/traffic) problem, but by
all means, go for it.
On 29 May 2026 17:25:37 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
8< selective snip >8
And we have some from 40 to 50. Not youngsters, but not old
either.
I turned 50 last year, it was a very depressing period, but I'm still a
young pup!
----
s|b
Steve Bonine <spb@pobox.com> wrote:
A newsreader is no longer needed as a first step. There are several
good, reliable Web-based Usenet sites. See this for a quick summary:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web-based_Usenet#Web-based_sites_and_popularity>
You have a very good point. Being an old fart, I rather equate the
Usenet experience with using a traditional news reader, and I am
ignorant of what's available for web-based tools. This should at least >provide an introduction to the discussion in a specific newsgroup.
But even for a normal newsreader, the steps you mention could be made
very simple, if only someone bothered to document them and put that
document on the web, so people could point at it.
I agree, in the sense that a step-by-step job tool would be a big help.
But the hassle of finding a provider and setting up an account there >remains, and the time involved to go from zero to the desired goal is
still significant, even with good directions. But the web-based reader
is a good first step, and may suffice for many users.
For example for Thunderbird - which many people already use for e-mail
- all the steps can be automated with one clickable URL. It could also
be done for some other newsreaders, but that would require first
installing such a newsreader, not a big hurd;e, but still one.
Most of us have installed enough applications on our workstation that
it's no longer a big deal. But there is a big gulf between "most of us"
who are here on Usenet and the general population, and for them the >installation of a piece of software is a daunting project.
Then, as several folks in the thread have observed, this new user is
likely to be turned off by trolls, spam, and/or off-topic junk. So an
additional step might be to invoke the features of the newsreader to
beat that crap into submission, but this is another layer of the
already-steep learning curve.
Reader-specific howto's can help with that. It's probably not wise to
document boilerplate kill/filter files, because that would need to
reveal who are the culprits.
Instructions on how to use the tools to provide a more enjoyable
experience would help immensely.
The only suggestion I have is that if you're interested in the longevity >>> of a newsgroup, scout potential participants in other places like Reddit >>> or Facebook, or web forums (yes, I realize the pain involved in that),
contact them personally, explain Usenet, and then help them climb the
learning curve. This is a very expensive one-on-one project, but just
telling people "try it, you'll like it" is not likely to work.
I/'we' don't have that (lack of participants/traffic) problem, but by
all means, go for it.
I have been accused of trolling based on that last paragraph, but that
was not my intent. Reading this thread makes it clear that the >participation in some newsgroups is dangerously close to the critical
mass needed to maintain a meaningful discussion, and the way for the >remaining participants in those groups to boost participation is the >one-on-one reach-out. It's expensive.
Steve Bonine <spb@pobox.com> wrote:
Frank Slootweg wrote:
Steve Bonine <spb@pobox.com> wrote:
A newsreader is no longer needed as a first step. There are several
good, reliable Web-based Usenet sites. See this for a quick summary:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web-based_Usenet#Web-based_sites_and_popularity>
You have a very good point. Being an old fart, I rather equate the
Usenet experience with using a traditional news reader, and I am
ignorant of what's available for web-based tools. This should at least
provide an introduction to the discussion in a specific newsgroup.
But even for a normal newsreader, the steps you mention could be made >> > very simple, if only someone bothered to document them and put that
document on the web, so people could point at it.
I agree, in the sense that a step-by-step job tool would be a big help.
But the hassle of finding a provider and setting up an account there
remains, and the time involved to go from zero to the desired goal is
still significant, even with good directions.
As I mentioned/implied by my (below) Thunderbird et al example,
there's no need to find a provider, nor to setup an account. For
example this URL (in a *web-browser*)
<news://news.eternal-september.org/news.software.readers>
would instruct one's *newsreader* to go to news.eternal-september.org
and open news.software.readers for reading.
The document mentioning that URL could explain how to fetch the
'Read me first' article from that group and diplay it. (There is even a >'nntp:...' URL format which can pass host, group and message-id to fetch
such an article directly.)
The 'Read me first' article could bootrap the user further, i.e. how
to get an account, so (s)he can post, how to set it up, etc..
Caveat: I've read rumors that over time Thunderbird has been broken and
no longer properly handles a 'news:' URL without some Extension, so a
hurdle, but a minor one.
But let's get back to the main point:
But the web-based reader
is a good first step, and may suffice for many users.
Indeed. And those willing to move to a normal newsreader, can get
their instructions, help, support, <whatever> by still using the
web-based reader, win-win.
For example for Thunderbird - which many people already use for e-mail >> > - all the steps can be automated with one clickable URL. It could also
be done for some other newsreaders, but that would require first
installing such a newsreader, not a big hurd;e, but still one.
[...]
Reading this thread makes it clear that the
participation in some newsgroups is dangerously close to the critical
mass needed to maintain a meaningful discussion, and the way for the
remaining participants in those groups to boost participation is the
one-on-one reach-out. It's expensive.
The Doctor wrote:
The deceivers: Usenet is dying.
I find it amusing that the longest thread
I have seen in my recent UseNet history is
about the death of Usenet, yet there are
folks who deny that it is happening. There
still exist niche newsgroups that are active -
Dr. Who being one - but they are slowly losing
active participants and not gaining new ones
at the same rate. Sometimes the inevitable is
... inevitable.
The other thing that amuses me is the "try it,
you'll like it" attitude. Do you have any
idea of the learning curve that you're asking
people to climb to "try it"? And do you have
any appreciation for the fact that the vast
majority of potential users are simply incapable
of climbing that curve?
To participate in a discussion on social media
or a web forum, the potential user must paste
the URL into their web browser and then create
an account. This is something that the general
population does routinely.
To try out a newsgroup, the user must --
Find a provider. -- Set up an account on that
provider. -- Find a newsreader -- Configure the
newsreader to talk to the provider -- Figure
out how to use the newsreader, including how
to subscribe to the target group and how to
actually navigate through it
Then, as several folks in the thread have
observed, this new user is likely to be turned
off by trolls, spam, and/or off-topic junk. So
an additional step might be to invoke the
features of the newsreader to beat that crap
into submission, but this is another layer of
the already-steep learning curve.
The only suggestion I have is that if you're
interested in the longevity of a newsgroup,
scout potential participants in other places
like Reddit or Facebook, or web forums (yes,
I realize the pain involved in that), contact
them personally, explain Usenet, and then help
them climb the learning curve. This is a very
expensive one-on-one project, but just telling
people "try it, you'll like it" is not likely
to work.
In article <n7u2iuF6nglU1@mid.individual.net>,
s|b <sb.nospam@belgacom.net> wrote:
On 29 May 2026 17:25:37 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
8< selective snip >8
And we have some from 40 to 50. Not youngsters, but not old
either.
I turned 50 last year, it was a very depressing period, but I'm still a >young pup!
You lot should join the NNTP newsgroups.
Usenet is a success! Facebook and X et are massive trainwrecks!
In article <MPG.44838374e7bca2da989f63@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Verily, in article <10vc90n$7h7s$1@dont-email.me>, did
spb@pobox.com deliver unto us this message:
The other thing that amuses me is the "try it, you'll like it"
attitude. Do you have any idea of the learning curve that you're
asking people to climb to "try it"? And do you have any
appreciation for the fact that the vast majority of potential
users are simply incapable of climbing that curve?
Well... for me, that has a point. When it got too easy, we had
September 1993.
I have been mentioning Usenet to people, both former users and
some younger folks I think would fit in. It probably won't do any
good, but you never know for sure.
A famous name in internet clutlre.
We don't just want more users; we want more
*good* users.
You lot should join the NNTP newsgroups.
Verily, in article <10vd7ua$gba$5@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did >doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <n7u2iuF6nglU1@mid.individual.net>,
s|b <sb.nospam@belgacom.net> wrote:
On 29 May 2026 17:25:37 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
8< selective snip >8
And we have some from 40 to 50. Not youngsters, but not old
either.
I turned 50 last year, it was a very depressing period, but I'm still a
young pup!
You lot should join the NNTP newsgroups.
Is the protocol the main thing? I'm genuinely asking, because it usually >isn't. I haven't paid any mind to HTTP in ages, but I could still create
a web site.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
Verily, in article <10vd7vs$gba$6@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did >doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
Usenet is a success! Facebook and X et are massive trainwrecks!
Both are ens*ttified, but IMO it's important to remember that Usenet
was also ens*ttified at one point. We've been fortunate enough to have
a recovery. We don't just want more users; we want more *good* users.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
On 30/05/2026 9:34 am, The Doctor wrote:
In article <MPG.44838374e7bca2da989f63@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Verily, in article <10vc90n$7h7s$1@dont-email.me>, did
spb@pobox.com deliver unto us this message:
The other thing that amuses me is the "try it, you'll like it"
attitude. Do you have any idea of the learning curve that you're
asking people to climb to "try it"? And do you have any
appreciation for the fact that the vast majority of potential
users are simply incapable of climbing that curve?
Well... for me, that has a point. When it got too easy, we had
September 1993.
I have been mentioning Usenet to people, both former users and
some younger folks I think would fit in. It probably won't do any
good, but you never know for sure.
A famous name in internet clutlre.
WHAT?? 'The True Melissa' is a famous name in Internet clutlre (Whatever
the Hell THAT is!!)!! Really??
Well done, Melissa.
----
Daniel70
On Fri, 29 May 2026 23:36:42 -0000 (UTC), The Doctor wrote:
You lot should join the NNTP newsgroups.
The what now?
I'm using NIN and Fort|- Agent to connect to Usenet.
----
s|b
In article <MPG.44848c5c75ad1b53989f6b@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Verily, in article <10vd7ua$gba$5@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did >doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <n7u2iuF6nglU1@mid.individual.net>,
s|b <sb.nospam@belgacom.net> wrote:
On 29 May 2026 17:25:37 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
8< selective snip >8
And we have some from 40 to 50. Not youngsters, but not old
either.
I turned 50 last year, it was a very depressing period, but I'm still a >> >young pup!
You lot should join the NNTP newsgroups.
Is the protocol the main thing? I'm genuinely asking, because it usually >isn't. I haven't paid any mind to HTTP in ages, but I could still create
a web site.
Yes NNTP (News Network Transport Protocol) is how Usenet works.
news.* comes to mind.
HTTP runs on a different port.
Verily, in article <10veoaq$2sue$1@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did >doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.44848c5c75ad1b53989f6b@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Verily, in article <10vd7ua$gba$5@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did
doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <n7u2iuF6nglU1@mid.individual.net>,
s|b <sb.nospam@belgacom.net> wrote:
On 29 May 2026 17:25:37 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
8< selective snip >8
And we have some from 40 to 50. Not youngsters, but not old
either.
I turned 50 last year, it was a very depressing period, but I'm still a >> >> >young pup!
You lot should join the NNTP newsgroups.
Is the protocol the main thing? I'm genuinely asking, because it usually >> >isn't. I haven't paid any mind to HTTP in ages, but I could still create >> >a web site.
Yes NNTP (News Network Transport Protocol) is how Usenet works.
news.* comes to mind.
Or UUCP, or something more modern. The transmission protocol isn't
really the main thing. That's just how the messages get sent.
HTTP runs on a different port.
Yes, it traditionally runs on port 80. Web page creators don't need to >understand HTTP, though. Even back in 1999, I worked on a web site team
on which I was the only person who knew HTTP. Before I came there was no >one, but the site still worked.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
Verily, in article <10vd7vs$gba$6@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
Usenet is a success! Facebook and X et are massive trainwrecks!
Both are enshittified, but IMO it's important to remember that Usenet
was also enshittified at one point. We've been fortunate enough to have
a recovery. We don't just want more users; we want more *good* users.
One person's "good" poster is another's enshittified spam troll asshole.
Good luck with this
On 2026-05-30 5:01 a.m., The True Melissa wrote:
Both are enshittified, but IMO it's important
to remember that Usenet was also enshittified
at one point. We've been fortunate enough to
have a recovery. We don't just want more users;
we want more *good* users.
One person's "good" poster is another's
enshittified spam troll asshole. Good luck
with this
Verily, in article <10vfifh$13mu6$1@dont-email.me>, did hidefromu@hushmail.com deliver unto us this message:
One person's "good" poster is another's
enshittified spam troll asshole. Good luck
with this
I can dream, can't I?
*stares nobly into the distance*
Verily, in article <10vfifh$13mu6$1@dont-email.me>, did >hidefromu@hushmail.com deliver unto us this message:^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^<-Noted alt.sex.pedophilia aggitator
--
One person's "good" poster is another's en*tified spam troll a*le.
Good luck with this
I can dream, can't I?
*stares nobly into the distance*
--
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
Who's deceiving whom?
The deceivers: Usenet is dying.
Sorry! WHAT?? Are you, asswipe, suggesting that UseNet is dying .... or
that The Deceivers are suggesting that UseNet is dying??
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the cess pit
that RADW is nowadays... because of one person. I have got four
or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to check out RADW over the
past few years, and after lurking - or making one or two posts -
they fucked off... because of one idiot and his trolling spam.
You will come across Doctor Who fans on other newsgroups that
just won't come here. RADW is not unknown in fandom.
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the
cess pit that RADW is nowadays... because of one person.
I have got four or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to
check out RADW over the past few years, and after lurking -
or making one or two posts - they fucked off... because of
one idiot and his trolling spam.
This is true. And if this were 1990 or so, someone would have
called that idiot's ISP up and he would have lost his NNTP
service.
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the
cess pit that RADW is nowadays... because of one person.
I have got four or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to
check out RADW over the past few years, and after lurking -
or making one or two posts - they fucked off... because of
one idiot and his trolling spam.
This is true. And if this were 1990 or so, someone would have
called that idiot's ISP up and he would have lost his NNTP
service.
The only problem being... Yads runs his own NNTP server
and internet service... so any complaints about his Usenet
behaviour would be going straight to him!!!
Or they thought Google Groups Was Usenet.
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the
cess pit that RADW is nowadays... because of one person.
I have got four or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to
check out RADW over the past few years, and after lurking -
or making one or two posts - they fucked off... because of
one idiot and his trolling spam.
This is true. And if this were 1990 or so, someone would have
called that idiot's ISP up and he would have lost his NNTP
service.
The only problem being... Yads runs his own NNTP server
and internet service... so any complaints about his Usenet
behaviour would be going straight to him!!!
The Doctor <doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca> wrote:
Or they thought Google Groups Was Usenet.
This is the first sane point you have never made here. I am inclined to believe that much of the destruction of Usenet was caused by Google Groups' attempts to make Usenet look like their own proprietary messaging system. Their ability to bring Usenet access to a huge number of people along with their inability to make even the most simple attempts to manage that access was a disaster for all of us. But the fact that it brought in so many people who had no idea what Usenet was and what they were on was a serious problem.
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the
cess pit that RADW is nowadays... because of one person.
I have got four or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to
check out RADW over the past few years, and after lurking
or making one or two posts - they fucked off... because
of one idiot and his trolling spam.
This is true. And if this were 1990 or so, someone would
have called that idiot's ISP up and he would have lost his
NNTP service.
The only problem being... Yads runs his own NNTP server
and internet service... so any complaints about his Usenet
behaviour would be going straight to him!!!
This is why messages have a path line in them... so you can
complain to the site upstream of his. It's a distributed
system but it's a transparent one. --scott
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
It's not about sympatico people it's more about
the cess pit that RADW is nowadays... because
of one person. I have got four or five Doctor
Who fans (at least) to check out RADW over the
past few years, and after lurking - or making
one or two posts - they fucked off... because
of one idiot and his trolling spam.
This is true. And if this were 1990 or so,
someone would have called that idiot's ISP up
and he would have lost his NNTP service. Had he
managed to get it somewhere else he would likely
have lost it again (this process of getting and
losing new accounts almost instantly is called
"Carassoing").
But we don't live in that world, and the net
got to be too big for NNTP server managers and
ISPs to police things. Then it got much smaller,
but that personal service hasn't returned yet.
That policing is part of what made Usenet great
back then, even though it didn't seem like it
at the time.
You will come across Doctor Who fans on other
newsgroups that just won't come here. RADW is
not unknown in fandom.
I just wish that particular idiot kept to RADW
instead of leaking into other newsgroups.
Verily, in article <10vrr31$mdo$1@panix2.panix.com>, did
kludge@panix.com deliver unto us this message:
The Doctor <doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca> wrote:
Or they thought Google Groups Was Usenet.
This is the first sane point you have never made here. I am inclined to
believe that much of the destruction of Usenet was caused by Google Groups' >> attempts to make Usenet look like their own proprietary messaging system.
Their ability to bring Usenet access to a huge number of people along with >> their inability to make even the most simple attempts to manage that access >> was a disaster for all of us. But the fact that it brought in so many people
who had no idea what Usenet was and what they were on was a serious problem.
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them
all at once overwhelms the system.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
It's not about sympatico people it's more about the
cess pit that RADW is nowadays... because of one person.
I have got four or five Doctor Who fans (at least) to
check out RADW over the past few years, and after lurking
or making one or two posts - they fucked off... because
of one idiot and his trolling spam.
This is true. And if this were 1990 or so, someone would
have called that idiot's ISP up and he would have lost his
NNTP service.
The only problem being... Yads runs his own NNTP server
and internet service... so any complaints about his Usenet
behaviour would be going straight to him!!!
This is why messages have a path line in them... so you can
complain to the site upstream of his. It's a distributed
system but it's a transparent one. --scott
Generally the Admins would tell you to contact the system
administrator of the source ISP for a post that has been
reported for abuse... in this case; NetKnow Inc, Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada.
I'm sure back in the day (1990/2000's) some people on Usenet
probably did try and calm Yads down by sending abuse reports...
If they did, it doesn't seem to have had much effect on his ways.
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 08:52:14 -0400, The True Melissa wrote:
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them all at once overwhelms the system.
We don't need to be like (a lot of) Linux users who consider themselves
1337 hax0rs and too good to help 'the simple folk'. At this point, l'd welcome a huge dump of newbies instead of scaring them away. With my 50
years old I'm one of the 'young guys' and those older geezers aren't go
to live forever. When they are gone we will lose tons of knowledge.
In article <MPG.447f361bd684ea5989f18@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Verily, in article <10v35oo$1aq5$4@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did >doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article <XnsB457CACF5E8Dhueydlltampabayrrcom@157.180.91.226>,
David LaRue <huey.dll@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote in
news:MPG.447e43a89a717fa4989f10@news.eternal-september.org:
Verily, in article <10v1q7j$1gsq$6@gallifrey.nk.ca>, did
doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca deliver unto us this message:
In article
<MPG.447e29c4647490ff989f0e@news.eternal-september.org>, The
True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Train them about NNTP.
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 08:52:14 -0400, The True Melissa wrote:
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them all at once overwhelms the system.
We don't need to be like (a lot of) Linux users who consider themselves
1337 hax0rs and too good to help 'the simple folk'. At this point, l'd welcome a huge dump of newbies instead of scaring them away. With my 50
years old I'm one of the 'young guys' and those older geezers aren't go
to live forever. When they are gone we will lose tons of knowledge.
I think this is the wrong approach.
There's a service called newsgrouper, it's on the web.
It puts a nice web interface on usenet and doesn't even require signing
up for an account to view. Only once you lurk and decide to post.
Also it has good tools for finding active discussions.
2. Once you get on usenet, it can be hard to find anyone at all.
On the eternal-september stats it shows people keep signing up
but they don't convert to active users. I think a lot of people
check out usenet but in the thousands of groups, they're unable
to find active discussion and they move on.
But I don't think that mainstream popularity is happening any timesoon,
we can relive some of the early relatively low-traffic glory days of the
80s, it was good enough then, it's good enough now, and the sort of
people we don't want here will have a lot greener pastures to shit up
until the usenet audience builds up enough to make shitting the place
up worth their time and LLM tokens.
Verily, in article <n8gfk7FsgvpU1@mid.individual.net>, did
me@privacy.invalid deliver unto us this message:
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 08:52:14 -0400, The True Melissa wrote:
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them >>> all at once overwhelms the system.
We don't need to be like (a lot of) Linux users who consider themselves
1337 hax0rs and too good to help 'the simple folk'. At this point, l'd
welcome a huge dump of newbies instead of scaring them away. With my 50
years old I'm one of the 'young guys' and those older geezers aren't go
to live forever. When they are gone we will lose tons of knowledge.
I also want younger users. I do mention Usenet when I meet people I
think would fit in here.
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 08:52:14 -0400, The True Melissa wrote:
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them
all at once overwhelms the system.
We don't need to be like (a lot of) Linux users who consider themselves
1337 hax0rs and too good to help 'the simple folk'. At this point, l'd >welcome a huge dump of newbies instead of scaring them away. With my 50
years old I'm one of the 'young guys' and those older geezers aren't go
to live forever. When they are gone we will lose tons of knowledge.
----
s|b
"s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> posted:
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 08:52:14 -0400, The True Melissa wrote:The dream:
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them >> > all at once overwhelms the system.
We don't need to be like (a lot of) Linux users who consider themselves
1337 hax0rs and too good to help 'the simple folk'. At this point, l'd
welcome a huge dump of newbies instead of scaring them away. With my 50
years old I'm one of the 'young guys' and those older geezers aren't go
to live forever. When they are gone we will lose tons of knowledge.
We get a bunch of newbies.
We teach them the virtues of Netiquette.
We release them back onto the Internet-At-Large.
The online world becomes a better place.
;-)
Verily, in article <n8gfk7FsgvpU1@mid.individual.net>, did >me@privacy.invalid deliver unto us this message:
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 08:52:14 -0400, The True Melissa wrote:
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them >> > all at once overwhelms the system.
We don't need to be like (a lot of) Linux users who consider themselves
1337 hax0rs and too good to help 'the simple folk'. At this point, l'd
welcome a huge dump of newbies instead of scaring them away. With my 50
years old I'm one of the 'young guys' and those older geezers aren't go
to live forever. When they are gone we will lose tons of knowledge.
I also want younger users. I do mention Usenet when I meet people I
think would fit in here.
----
The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
United States of America - North America - Earth
Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
On 2026-06-05 18:38:42 +0000, The True Melissa said:
Verily, in article <n8gfk7FsgvpU1@mid.individual.net>, did
me@privacy.invalid deliver unto us this message:
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 08:52:14 -0400, The True Melissa wrote:
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them >>>> all at once overwhelms the system.
We don't need to be like (a lot of) Linux users who consider themselves
1337 hax0rs and too good to help 'the simple folk'. At this point, l'd
welcome a huge dump of newbies instead of scaring them away. With my 50
years old I'm one of the 'young guys' and those older geezers aren't go
to live forever. When they are gone we will lose tons of knowledge.
I also want younger users. I do mention Usenet when I meet people I
think would fit in here.
That's easy. Just download a Usent newsreader app to their mobile phone
... young people never take their eyes off the phone screen, even when >walking down the footpath, crossing the road, etc.!! :-\
On 2026-06-05 5:28 p.m., Your Name wrote:
On 2026-06-05 18:38:42 +0000, The True Melissa said:
Verily, in article <n8gfk7FsgvpU1@mid.individual.net>, did
me@privacy.invalid deliver unto us this message:
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 08:52:14 -0400, The True Melissa wrote:
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them >>>>> all at once overwhelms the system.
We don't need to be like (a lot of) Linux users who consider themselves >>>> 1337 hax0rs and too good to help 'the simple folk'. At this point, l'd >>>> welcome a huge dump of newbies instead of scaring them away. With my 50 >>>> years old I'm one of the 'young guys' and those older geezers aren't go >>>> to live forever. When they are gone we will lose tons of knowledge.
I also want younger users. I do mention Usenet when I meet people I
think would fit in here.
That's easy. Just download a Usent newsreader app to their mobile phone
... young people never take their eyes off the phone screen, even when
walking down the footpath, crossing the road, etc.!!a :-\
But they don't want text, they want videos, selfies, tik tok and influencers, who has time to actually read anything?
On 2026-06-06 00:36:31 +0000, Idlehands said:
On 2026-06-05 5:28 p.m., Your Name wrote:
On 2026-06-05 18:38:42 +0000, The True Melissa said:
Verily, in article <n8gfk7FsgvpU1@mid.individual.net>, did
me@privacy.invalid deliver unto us this message:
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 08:52:14 -0400, The True Melissa wrote:
Sounds like AOL: The Next Generation.
Usenet can handle newbies -- it needs newbies -- but a huge dump of them >>>>>> all at once overwhelms the system.
We don't need to be like (a lot of) Linux users who consider themselves >>>>> 1337 hax0rs and too good to help 'the simple folk'. At this point, l'd >>>>> welcome a huge dump of newbies instead of scaring them away. With my 50 >>>>> years old I'm one of the 'young guys' and those older geezers aren't go >>>>> to live forever. When they are gone we will lose tons of knowledge.
I also want younger users. I do mention Usenet when I meet people I
think would fit in here.
That's easy. Just download a Usent newsreader app to their mobile phone >>> ... young people never take their eyes off the phone screen, even when
walking down the footpath, crossing the road, etc.!!a :-\
But they don't want text, they want videos, selfies, tik tok and
influencers, who has time to actually read anything?
Maybe someone should write a newsreader app that acts the Usenet posts
using crappy AI characters. ;-)
| Sysop: | Amessyroom |
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