NewsDemon.com Newsgroups Ultimate Dashboard

Welcome! We hope the resources on this page can you give a quick reference to everything USENET! The resources below assist with the Tools and Utilities that help automate the process of accessing Newsgroups as well as asssitance in checking your connection and finding out more about the history and culture of USENET. This page offers in-depth information on everything from Newsreaders to Newsgroups themselves. If you have a suggestion for this page,

let us know by email c…@newsdemon.com
so we can add it on.

Navigation

The below links will take you to the USENET resource section of this page. Check here often for updates and new additions.

USENET Utilities and Tools

Below, find a list of tools to assist with browsing and accessing USENET Newsgroups

7zip – A packing and unpacking utility which covers many extensions. Freeware
QuickPar – Freeware. Fixes Par, Par2. Handles SFV
MacPAR dLuxe – Freeware. Fixes Par for Mac
Video Codecs – Different codecs to playback certain types of video
MagicISO – Freeware bin/cue/iso image reader/writer
PowerPost – Small utility to post messages to USENET
QuickSFV – File Verifier
Newsreaders – List of Newsreaders available for different operating systems

FAQs

Have a question about USENET or Newsgroups? Here are a few resources to help research and understand USENET

USENET FAQs

What Is USENET – A short history of where USENET came from and what it is today.
Slyck Video Usenet Tutorials – Tutorials to assist in getting set up and connected to USENET newsgroups.
TimDoc Download Guide – The USENET bible to some; with instructions on various tools used by some of the newsgroup communities
Usenet Glossary – Definitions of commonly used acronyms and language used on USENET newsgroups
UsenetPedia – A community driven site about every aspect of USENET
NNTP Reply Codes – Common reply codes from this protocol
Security and Safety – A guide of caution when using USENET newsgroups
USENET Privacy – A guide to keep actions private on USENET

Newsgroup FAQs

Rules of Conduct – With this helpful guide, you’ll learn the rules that many newsgroup communities share in order to keep them resourceful
Newsgroup Charter Directory– An organized list of many of the most popular newsgroups with detailed descriptions of their purpose
Slyck Newsgroup Guide– An introductory lesson of how USENET newsgroups began and how to access and subscribe to them
Create a BIG-8 Newsgroup– For those who are interested in creating a unique newsgroup that will attract a community can use this guide to start the process
The BIG-8– A history and explanation as to what the BIG-8 Newsgroup heirarchies include
Request For Discussion One of the steps that needs to be done to start a new newsgroup is to properly format your request. This easy-to-use form will generate it exactly as it should be
Newsgroup Terms – Descriptions of the most commonly used terms on USENET newsgroups

Connectivity

Below are sets of diagnostic tools to help you test your internet connection and the connection to your USENET access provider

Usent Tester – The USENET Tester allows you to test your username, password and NNTP address of your USENET access membership. This works for any USENET newsgroup provider.
BroadBand DSL Reports – A forum dedicated to the discussion of Internet Service Providers. Often times, these forums will offer up to date information with the status of services provided by different ISPs
Speed Test – Test the speed of your internet connection
Traceroute – See how you are connecting and view the trail of how you access what you access online
Available Ports – View the NewsDemon.com Newsgroups ports available to members
Download Speed Information – Test the download speed of your internet connection

Newsgroup NewsReaders

Below, find a list of newsreaders that work with a variety of Operating Systems. If you don’t find a newsreader that you’re in here, let us know so we can add them in.

Windows Newsreaders

NewsBin – One of the most popular newsreaders for Windows, NewsBin is a fast and capable newsreader
Newsdemon Setup Guides Publisher Setup Guides
NewsLeecher – Combing many of the selling features of other NewsReaders, Newsleecher brings forth a dashboard type newsreader that automates USENET functions
Newsdemon Setup Guides
Forte Agent – Many graduated from Outlook Express to this newsreader when it came out. In the years since, it remains a very popular Windows based newsreader
Publisher Setup Guides
SabNZBd – New to the game, the SabNZBd newsreader gets a lot of attention because of both its cross platform support as well as the unique features it provides
Publisher Setup Guides

OS X Mac Newsreaders

Unison – To date, this shareware from Panic is the most popular newsreader for Apple systems
BinBot – Relatively new to the industry, BinBot is a cross-platform shareware newsreader that’s very quick
Hogwasher – A modest newsreader that’s been around for quite awhile
Mac Newsreader Reviews – More in-depth reviews and information about Apple newsreaders

Linux Newsreaders

BinBot – The strongest version of this cross-platform newsreader is for Linux distros
Pan – For the more experienced Linux user, this newsreader offers as many fucntions as it does features
BNR – Another advanced newsreader for experienced Linux users
Linux Newsader Reviews – NewsDemon.com Newsgroups information on Linux related newsreaders

USENET Newsgroup Resources

Other resources that can assist with your USENET Newsgroup experience

AVS Forum – Video and technology based forum. Covers video related newsgroups.
Virus Bulletin Database – Hub for information and current alerts on viruses, malware, spyware, etc.
Server Status – Check to make sure that the server is is responding
DMCA – Information on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Improve Usenet – An online community mostly focused on improving the USENET community and overall experience
The Jargon File – A helpful reference to commonly used phrases and acronyms used on USENET newsgroups
TCPIP Guide – A guide to the framework created by DARPA that has been a model for computer network protocols
SSL Encryption – What is SSL and how does it secure privacy? This detailed guide helps to understand the encryption process

History of USENET

Read the story of how the USENET began and the people that helped create the foundation of what USENET is today.

People of USENET

Tom Truscott – From his historical work with the USENET to his active role in software development, Tom Truscott is an online pioneer and entrepreneur.
Brad Templeton – He is chairman of the board of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and created the Usenet newsgroup rec.humor.funny in 1987. He moderated the newsgroup from 1987 to 1992.
Phil Lapsley – Lapsley co-authored RFC 977, Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP), an Internet standard for transmission of USENET news articles, and was the primary developer of the NNTP reference implementation, nntpd.
Geoff Collyer – He is the senior author of C News, a protocol-neutral news transport, and the designer of NOV, the News Overview database (article index) used by all modern newsreaders.
Mark – Mary Ann Horton – A Usenet and Internet pioneer. Horton contributed to Berkeley BSD UNIX, including the vi editor and Terminfo database, and led the growth of Usenet in the 1980s.
Eugene H. Spafford – A historically significant Internet figure, he is renowned for first analyzing the Morris Worm, one of the earliest computer worms, and his participation in the Usenet backbone cabal.
John Gilmore – co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Cygnus Solutions
Brian Reid – Independently he developed a distributed data-collection scheme to measure USENET flow and readership, publishing monthly results. He ran this until July 1995, producing the only worldwide aggregate readership data that exists for that era.

USENET Related Review Sites and Forums

Below is a mixed list of independent and informational sites that offers reviews and a community focused on USENET and newsgroups.

NewsgroupServers – User generated and Independent rartings on Usenet providers and Newsreaders
Broadband DSL Reports – Usenet provider forum
Comparere – Independent Usenet provider review site
UsenetAdvantage– Usenet provider review site
Google Groups – A selection of newsgroups hosted by Google
Digg – Social news website
Zeropaid – Independent technology news blog
AnchorDudes– Independent Usenet and Newsgroup news and information
Tom’s Hardware – Computer Hardware website and forum
TechReport – Headline technology news website
MaximumPC – Technology based website, magazine and forum
AnandTech – Technology based forum, including USENET newsgroup discussions
Topix – RSS generated USENET related blogs and news
Usenet-Provider.net – Terrific resource for usenet users
UsenetReviewz – Usenet provider review site
Slyck Usenet Newsgroup Forum – Dedicated forum on Usenet related item
NewsDemon Blog – USENET news and information
Newsgroup Reviews – Usenet Provider and Newsreader reviews
Newsgroup Reviews Blog – Usenet news, reviews and tutorials
How To Usenet – Beginner’s guide to Usenet
Top 10 Usenet Providers – Usenet Provider reviews