The Internet is constrained by bandwidth and incompatible platforms. Writing is the most efficient way of communicating online. Email, newsgroups, chat rooms, and most Web sites are centered around text because it downloads quickly and is understood by every browser. Writing has become the primary form of interaction because it's best suited to the limitations of the Web.

1.     What is needed to get news?

There are two things needed to "get" news in the fullest sense of the word.Ê First of all, you need a source of news, and a means of accessing that source; this will allow you to read other people's messages.Ê Secondly, you need a way to post new articles to news.Ê Many newsgroups are archived.Ê The best way to find out about thisÊ is to check the faq for that group, available at rtfm.mit.edu.

2.     Not-for-profit news providers

A good way to get banned newsgroups is to use a free news provider. Many free news providers also provide access to many other important services.Ê A partial list includes:

¤         Cyberspace

Telnet to cyberspace.org and login as "newuser".Ê From there, you can follow the menus and get a new shell account; from this account, you can access news directly, or telnet to any of the below places.

¤         Freenets

There are many freenets.Ê These are networks at which the charge for using is nothing, or very little.Ê

America Online provides access to newsgroups.Ê AOL's number is (800) 827-6364, or you can call (800) 827-5808 to use their BBS (where software is available).

¤         Internet Services List

This is not a direct way to access news, but it does list many places, and it changes often. To get the internet services list, look in alt.internet.services, comp.misc, biz.comp.services, alt.bbs.internet, news.answers, comp.answers, or alt.answers, or ftp to rtfm.mit.edu, or archie for inet.services.txt, or finger yanoff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu.

¤         Telnet

With access to telnet, you can access any of the free services providers listed above.Ê You can also access one of the many gopher servers that will allow you to read news.Ê These are listed in the internet services list.Ê

¤         Gopher

News is directly available through gopher. ÊYou can gopher to any of the above gopher sites. ÊÊIt is also possible to telnet through gopher; this can be done by going to services.more.net, or by searching for "Telnet Resources".Ê

For any group that is moderated, you can submit messages directly to the moderator (via email) instead of the normal posting method.Ê To find out which groups are moderated and the moderation address, you can ftp to rtfm.mit.edu and get /pub/usenet/news.answers/moderator-list/partX, where "X" is the number of the separate parts.

You can also subscribe to mailing lists that mirror newsgroups.Ê To get a list of these, you can ftp to rtfm.mit.edu and get /pub/usenet/news.ansers/mail/news-gateways/partX, where "X" is the number of the separate parts.

3.     What is a "banned newsgroup"?

A "banned newsgroup" is a newsgroup to which access has been denied because of the content of material in that newsgroup.Ê Any newsgroup to which access is impossible, difficult through normal methods, or restricted in any way.

4.      Are newsgroups libraries?

'Library' means a collection of a variety of books or other printed matter, audiovisual materials or other items in which knowledge is recorded; kept in a centralized place; for which a person who as knowledge of the materials, their arrangement, their use and of library skills is responsible; and which are for the use of individuals or groups in meeting their recreational, informational, educational, research or cultural needs."

"A public institution or establishment, charged with the care of a collection of books, and the duty of rendering the books accessible to those who require to use them."

5.      Newsgroup Creation

 

Newsgroup index: http://www.schuminweb.com/newsindex/low-resolution/index.htm