ISPs, Newsgroups, etc. ...OH MY!!!

[Ty Unes]

Wow! Turned into a "testy" topic! I have a lot of thoughts on things 
I've read. I'm not sure I could summarize properly so I won't try.

My beef with TW directly has to do with them reducing the service I (we) 
have been paying for without reducing the cost. I don't care if YOU 
don't use Usenet News, your loss. However I do, and it's a service that 
I have enjoyed for years. But this is kinda beside the point. TW has 
been collecting (I forget exactly how much I pay monthly for TW 
Internet) ~$45.00 / month from me and eveyone else and has been able to 
maintain a News server (or pay for outsourcing this service) with our 
money just fine for years now. For them to drop this service without 
asking me (or anyone else) and then pocketing the extra money without 
dropping our rates, is what gripes me. It's certainly not fair and 
borderline stealing in my opinion. This is the reason I called and 
complained to TW and it's the reason I encourage everyone else to do the 
same. Not because you participate in Newsgroups, but because your 
getting ripped off another few dollars.

I have friends that are in the ISP business. I know that Usenet News is 
expensive either by maintaining your own server or outsourcing the 
service. Good point.

I also know that it's an old technology. This doesn't mean crap to me 
though. Drum brakes are old technology but we still put them on brand 
new cars, trucks, and semi's. FTP is old technology too.

So what then? How do you convert a whole Newsgroup from NNTP to what? 
Forums? How do you get a thousand people from all over the globe to stop 
posting to the "old" group and start posting threads to some forum 
somewhere? It's hard to see that happening but I guess it's possible.

Not enough people? Well, how many do you need man? I realize that the 
Internet is global, and it seems that your thinking about numbers 
globally. So, not that many people use (or know about) Usenet News. That 
*not so many* is still a very significant number. 1% of a billion is 
still ten million people!

If your blind or almost blind, that sucks. A decent point I agree, but 
not really the topic. I'm gonna try and stay on the topic. 'Nuff said.

rt.