|
|
|
|
How does it work? First you need a newsreader program. Most web browsers have built-in newsreader software.
Next, determine which newsgroups interest you and subscribe to them.
This process is described in detail in the following articles. Because
of the sheer volume of newsgroups available on the Internet, only subscribe
to those that really interest you. Don't forget to refer to the article
on netiquette
to make sure you get off to a good start.
Keep in mind that newsgroups were once the only way to have so-called
threaded discussions, where related messages are grouped together.
Today, many websites have discussion group postings. When you are looking
for a discussion to join, be sure to check out websites as well as newsgroups.
 |
TRY THIS...
Find
the newsgroup of your dreams with Google Groups.
|
A Brief History of Newsgroups
Like many services on the Internet, newsgroups had their humble beginnings
in an academic environment. In 1979 a couple of Duke University graduate
students connected some computers together to exchange information with
the UNIX community. At the same time, another graduate student at the
University of North Carolina wrote the first version of the software used
to distribute news.
This network, called Usenet, grew
into a voluntary, cooperative exchange of newsfeeds, eventually evolving
into electronic discussion groups. While there are some places that charge
a fee for the newsfeed, Usenet continues to reflect its origins as an
academic project designed to distribute information freely to anyone who
wants it.
Usenet newsgroups are transmitted through UUCP
(a fee-based system) or NNTP, a more common and free method of
transport. The newsfeed can be held on a system until a sister site calls
up and gets it, or as is increasingly the case, direct connections remain
open between sites at all times, sending news out to other nodes on the
Net as soon as it is received.
Each system administrator decides which newsgroups will be carried on
the system. Since newsgroups take up hard drive space and transmission
bandwidth, administrators may choose not to carry all hierarchies. The
Internet carries many kinds of resources of which Usenet is only one.
Usenet is also carried on networks that are not part of the Internet.
Last update: Jan 4, 2008
Related Articles:
|
Explore More: Search the Web
|
Learn the Net (www.learnthenet.com) is
Copyright 1996-2008.
Michael Lerner Productions.
All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
|
|
Use the Site
