To develop a new way of sending and receiving information, two students created usenet in the late 70s. usenet is a huge connection of high-grade servers containing over 100,000 newsgroups, or categories of discussions. These Newsgroup servers are commercially owned and maintained. Usenet is particularly useful for sharing information in the form of articles. Users can access as many articles as they want at the maximum speed allowed by their broadband connections.
All the servers on Usenet are interconnected. Each server constantly receives updated information from the other servers. Any user can upload an article and it will be visible to all the other users connected to the newsgroup servers. Usenet providers, or Newsgroup providers, own servers that users can access. The users pay a fee for premium service. The following points should be considered before choosing a Usenet provider.
Free and Premium Usenet Servers
Free newsgroup providers are dying out quickly. Free newsgroup providers are not as reliable as paid providers. Free Usenet providers also provide less retention, completion, speed, etc. It is worth paying for premium newsgroups as their services are much better.
Retention
As it suggests, retention is the maximum amount of time that an article is kept in a Usenet server before it is deleted. It is recommended that users choose the highest retention possible. Longer retention ensures that articles can be easily found and users can access a larger volume of historical discussions.
Completion
The ratio of articles stored on the Usenet servers compared to the maximum number of articles that can be stored is called completion rate. Users must make sure that their Usenet provider has close to 100% completion rates. High completion ensures that articles and other data on the servers are not corrupt or missing. More expensive Usenet providers have better completion rates.
Encryption
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other users on public Wi-Fi networks sometimes try to snoop on users’ Usenet access. To prevent this privacy intrusion, users must choose a Usenet Provider that offers SSL encryption. Secure Sockets Layer encryption adds a layer of protection against ISPs scanning. It is wise to pay extra for SSL encryption to ensure privacy protection.
Bandwidth and Speed
An important factor is the time required to access discussions on Usenet. A high speed Internet connection will not matter if the newsgroup server speeds are low. Users must not be fooled by high claims from Usenet providers. The speed will not always be at its highest throughout the day. It is recommended that users read reviews of various providers online before deciding on one. These reviews give honest testing results. A free trial period can also allow users to monitor speed and other factors before making a choice.
