So what is this Usenet thing?

So maybe you've heard about Usenet or News as it's commonly called. Below are the most common questions about Usenet. If you're still confused about Usenet after reading this, relax. Read `trn: How do I read Usenet?' and start looking at articles. You'll get the hang of it.

• What exactly is Usenet?
  Usenet is a bunch of discussion groups that you can read from your account. These groups are commonly called, oddly enough, groups, or sometimes bulletin boards. They are carried on the Internet (another subject). You read and post articles that are in turn read by other people.
• Where is Usenet?
  Hoboy, would you believe everywhere? Every Usenet site, such as the TCC, has a computer that connects to the Internet. That computer has a program that controls what groups the site will accept. It also contains the local groups, groups that can only be read at that site.
• How did Usenet get started?
  Originally, Usenet was a system started in 1980 for UNIX sites to discuss UNIX questions and system configurations. Folks started chatting about other things, and finally discussions got so large that groups were created. You've come a long way, baby.
  
• What do those long group names mean?
  As more and more people connected and wanted to join the discussion groups, folks decided that it would be easier to break up the discussions into distinctive groups. As those groups got bigger and unwieldy, the groups got split even further. The main groups (hierarchies) are:
  • nmt: New Mexico Tech. Important stuff!
  • comp: Computer stuff
  • sci: Sciences
  • soc: Social issues, socializing, cultural discussions
  • talk: Debate
  • news: Usenet (meta-discussion, if you will)
  • misc: Random issues
  • rec: Recreational discussions
  • humanities: Humanities (honest!)
  • alt: Strange, silly, sometimes serious
• Who owns/controls Usenet?
  Oddly enough, no one. The rules are based on tradition and discussion for most part. Most folks understand that these groups cannot survive it a state of chaos, so they follow the rules and conventions. And those individuals that can not follow the rules, system programmers can evoke their accounts. And the Usenet community has been known to be very vicious to those that break the major tenets: violators have had massive email attacks, fax rampages, even phone calls in the middle of the night and house egging. Remember, some of those readers are your neighbors.
• What is a moderated newsgroup?
  The readers of some newsgroups want to limit the amount of articles (traffic) and to eliminate some unwanted articles before they show up in the newsgroup. So they have a moderator go through all submissions first.
• So, how do I get started with Usenet?
  Glad you asked. Take a look at `trn: How do I read Usenet?'

Last updated: 1995/12/19 18:47:56 UT
URL: http://www.nmt.edu/tcc/help/news/what_usenet.html