subject: Finding A Free Usenet Server [print this page] Usenet is a bit less well-known than it ought to be, given the capacity of this technology. There are literally thousands of newsgroups to be found on the Usenet and the file-sharing capacities are excellent. If youre debating getting one of the paid versions of this service, you can try a free service first, just to get your feet wet. These services, of course, will not be quite as powerful as are the paid versions, but they provide a peek into what this service can offer and why its never really gone out of style.
Youll need a newsreader to read Usenet newsgroups. There are several different types available, many of them for free. They work a bit like an email reader. As is the case with your mail reader, youll be asked for server information when you first start the program. This is fairly straightforward. The server name is generally something along the lines of news.servername.com. Once youre hooked up, youll be given the option to download all posts. This is not advisable, as there are literally millions of posts archived on some news servers. What youll want to do is to find a particular group that piques your interest.
A newsgroup is Usenet parlance for what essentially amounts to a forum. These are collections of posts that are related to a specific topic or area of interest. Its considered poor etiquette to go off-topic on these newsgroups, so dont log onto a physics group and start asking about how you use the Usenet service. There are beginners newsgroups, and the participants are very helpful to newcomers. Like gamers and some other niche groups online, Usenet aficionados are usually very enthusiastic about getting more people interested in the service and what it can do for them.
There are numerous free servers available, but be aware that many of them will be severely limited in their capacity and speed. They do provide a way, however, for you to try out the product before you buy it. You also may have the ability to access your server through your ISP, using your username and password on any computer. Be sure to check. If you like the servicethe free offerings are essentially the companies betting that you willyou can upgrade to a paid service that offers more power and faster download speeds later on.
