Hello.

Could we generally approve creation of a new newsgroup only it has
relation to computers and IT, and approve removal of newsgroup --
generally only if it doesn't?

--
esptnk@gmail.invalid

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On 2017-04-19, Evgenii Sputnik <esptnk@gmail.invalid> wrote:

Hello.

Could we generally approve creation of a new newsgroup only it has
relation to computers and IT, and approve removal of newsgroup --
generally only if it doesn't?

The only way to 'save' Usenet is to;

- Have a decent choice of newsreaders that run on 'phones.

- Allow users to transparently move between devices (I already have
this by using the same newsreader everywhere (I don't read Usenet on
a phone) and keeping all the config files on Dropbox).

- Have embedded graphics for the "Ooh! Shiney!" generation.

- Find some way to monetise it so ISPs will run servers "for free".

The latter two would actually drive me away. Hopefully, Usenet will
revert to being what it was originally; a haven for a few geeks to talk
about geeky things. I suspect that in reality it will actually fade away,
like the BBS scene, as its users die of old age.


--
Today is Prickle-Prickle, the 36th day of Discord in the YOLD 3183
I don't have an attitude problem.
If you have a problem with my attitude, that's your problem.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 2017-04-19, Evgenii Sputnik <esptnk@gmail.invalid> wrote:

Hello.

Could we generally approve creation of a new newsgroup only it has
relation to computers and IT, and approve removal of newsgroup --
generally only if it doesn't?

Why restrict usenet to discussion only of 'computers'? The most active
and interesting groups I subscribe to have little or nothing to do with computers.

The 'Big 8' have already undertaken an exercise to remove groups that
are no longer used. It's a big job, and relies on NSPs' co-operation.
Other hierarchies have their own procedures and policies.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

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Evgenii Sputnik <esptnk@gmail.invalid> writes:

Could we generally approve creation of a new newsgroup only it has
relation to computers and IT, and approve removal of newsgroup --
generally only if it doesn't?

What problems would this address?

- Tim Skirvin (tskirvin@killfile.org)
--
https://keybase.io/tskirvin Skirv's Encryption Keys

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On Wed, 19 Apr 2017 04:05:11 CST, Evgenii Sputnik
<esptnk@gmail.invalid> wrote in
<od755b$jlu$3@esptnk.eternal-september.org>

Hello.

Could we generally approve creation of a new newsgroup only it has
relation to computers and IT, and approve removal of newsgroup --
generally only if it doesn't?

No.

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On Wed, 19 Apr 2017 15:28:04 CST, Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid>
wrote:

The only way to 'save' Usenet is to;

- Have a decent choice of newsreaders that run on 'phones.

- Allow users to transparently move between devices (I already have
this by using the same newsreader everywhere (I don't read Usenet on
a phone) and keeping all the config files on Dropbox).

Huh. I just checked the Google Play store and all of the available
newsreaders do seem pretty bad and/or awful to use. Do you have any
ideas on what such a beast would look like?
--
David Solimano
david@solimano.org

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On 2017-04-27, David Solimano <david@solimano.org> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Apr 2017 15:28:04 CST, Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid>
wrote:

The only way to 'save' Usenet is to;

- Have a decent choice of newsreaders that run on 'phones.

- Allow users to transparently move between devices (I already have
this by using the same newsreader everywhere (I don't read Usenet on
a phone) and keeping all the config files on Dropbox).

Huh. I just checked the Google Play store and all of the available newsreaders do seem pretty bad and/or awful to use. Do you have any
ideas on what such a beast would look like?

It seems there are ways to get Linux running on an Android device, once
it has been 'rooted'. If so then I'd have a go at getting slrn
installed.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

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Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> wrote:

On 2017-04-19, Evgenii Sputnik <esptnk@gmail.invalid> wrote:

Hello.

snip

The only way to 'save' Usenet is to;

- Have a decent choice of newsreaders that run on 'phones.

Makes sense since it seems to be all about phones now.
IIRC deja news nad a nice WEB interface, maybe others
exist that work OK on phones ?

- Allow users to transparently move between devices (I already have
this by using the same newsreader everywhere (I don't read Usenet on
a phone) and keeping all the config files on Dropbox).

- Have embedded graphics for the "Ooh! Shiney!" generation.

Will ruin it for the rest of us :)

- Find some way to monetise it so ISPs will run servers "for free".

see above

The latter two would actually drive me away.

I agree

Hopefully, Usenet will
revert to being what it was originally; a haven for a few geeks to talk
about geeky things.

seems we may be there.

I suspect that in reality it will actually fade away,
like the BBS scene, as its users die of old age.

Maybe, but I heard there is a group of people
trying to bring back the BBS scene.


John

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Whiskers <catwheezel@operamail.com> wrote:

On 2017-04-27, David Solimano <david@solimano.org> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Apr 2017 15:28:04 CST, Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid>
wrote:

The only way to 'save' Usenet is to;

- Have a decent choice of newsreaders that run on 'phones.

- Allow users to transparently move between devices (I already have
this by using the same newsreader everywhere (I don't read Usenet on
a phone) and keeping all the config files on Dropbox).

Huh. I just checked the Google Play store and all of the available
newsreaders do seem pretty bad and/or awful to use. Do you have any
ideas on what such a beast would look like?

It seems there are ways to get Linux running on an Android device, once
it has been 'rooted'. If so then I'd have a go at getting slrn
installed.

Both Android and iOS have SSH apps. You can connect from your phone to
remote server and run slrn there.

--
Neodome

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Neodome Admin <admin@neodome.net> wrote:

It seems there are ways to get Linux running on an Android device, once
it has been 'rooted'. If so then I'd have a go at getting slrn
installed.

Both Android and iOS have SSH apps. You can connect from your phone to
remote server and run slrn there.

This is what I have done to read Usenet news every since the year dot.
I do it from my laptop when away from home and from a tablet or 'phone
when absolutely necessary. I use tin rather than slrn but that's
simply because it was what I 'grew up with'.

--
Chris Green
·

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Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> wrote:

- Have embedded graphics for the "Ooh! Shiney!" generation.

- Find some way to monetise it so ISPs will run servers "for free".

The latter two would actually drive me away. Hopefully, Usenet will
revert to being what it was originally; a haven for a few geeks to talk
about geeky things. I suspect that in reality it will actually fade away, like the BBS scene, as its users die of old age.

I'm optimistic that Usenet and BBS will continue to roll along. It's a case
of fewer folks involved today for sure but you might already find your
desire to find online spaces here and in BBS land that already contain
geeks taking geeky things ;-)

Heck I'm a geek and set up a NNTP server for the fun of being involved in Usenet again.

I'm also rather active in the BBS scene and can assure you it's far from
dead. On the contrary there are now more active systems about now than when
I returned to the scene in 2013. If interested take a look at bbs.geek.nz
and the info about fsxNet. The info pack is at bbs.geek.nz/fsxnet.zip


--
Agency News | news.bbs.geek.nz

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On Tue, 6 Jun 2017, Avon Kerr wrote:

Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> wrote:

- Have embedded graphics for the "Ooh! Shiney!" generation.

- Find some way to monetise it so ISPs will run servers "for free".

The latter two would actually drive me away. Hopefully, Usenet will
revert to being what it was originally; a haven for a few geeks to talk
about geeky things. I suspect that in reality it will actually fade away,
like the BBS scene, as its users die of old age.

I'm optimistic that Usenet and BBS will continue to roll along. It's a case of fewer folks involved today for sure but you might already find your
desire to find online spaces here and in BBS land that already contain
geeks taking geeky things ;-)

I keep using it.

But keep in mind, it's not just that Usenet has diminished compared to all
that goes on on the internet now, but useage has diminished by itself. If traffic had remained more or less like twenty years ago, all would be
healthy. But I check the same newsgroups I did 20 years ago, and most of
the traffic is gone. Some newsgroups are relatively healthy, but not the
ones that matter most to me. SO it's no longer that people aren't coming
here, but a whole lot have left.

Even 20 years ago, Usenet was at least known by a large percentage of
users. They may not have come here, but it was still out there. Then ISPs stopped running newsservers, and people started coming to the internet in
a different way, so they didn't funnel through old time books or their
local system administrator. ANd they came for other reasons. Now they
even have a "usenet like" experience with that reddit stuff.

Michael

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20.04.2017 4:29, Tim Skirvin пишет:

What problems would this address?

There would be no spam. Most alive newsgroups in Usenet today are computer-related. Therefore, making Usenet computer-only makes sense.

--
Evgenii Sputnik esptnk@gmail.com

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On 2017-08-07, Evgenii Sputnik <esptnk@gmail.com> wrote:

20.04.2017 4:29, Tim Skirvin пишет:

What problems would this address?

There would be no spam. Most alive newsgroups in Usenet today are computer-related. Therefore, making Usenet computer-only makes sense.

Spam on Usenet is so rare as to be a problem not worth solving.


--
Today is Prickle-Prickle, the 73rd day of Confusion in the YOLD 3183
I don't have an attitude problem.
If you have a problem with my attitude, that's your problem.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 2017-08-07, Evgenii Sputnik <esptnk@gmail.com> wrote:

20.04.2017 4:29, Tim Skirvin пишет:

What problems would this address?

There would be no spam. Most alive newsgroups in Usenet today are computer-related. Therefore, making Usenet computer-only makes sense.

Only for those users who don't use usenet for other things. Usenet's
user-base is small enough already without deliberately diminishing it
further for no good reason.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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