FYI: Verizon are jerks.... eliminating the .alt groups

"Mr.E Solved!" wrote in message
...
John Lewis wrote:
On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:43:50 -0400, Folk wrote:

On Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:37:34 -0400, "Mr.E Solved!"
wrote:

Folk wrote:
On Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:45:34 GMT, (John Lewis)
wrote:

Verizon provides me a near fault-free service with no bandwidth caps
or erratic upload bandwidth, so I have no real inclination to change
ISP providers [...] So, I say farewell to a couple of my favorite
alt. groups..
I never understood people who based their ISP decisions on the quality
of their Usenet service. Most folks long ago wised up and went with a
third-party email service so that changing ISP's or crappy ISP related
mail service wasn't a big issue, so why don't they do the same with
Usenet? If all you're interested in is text based groups, then there
are scores of independent Usenet providers who can hook you up for
next to nothing. Even premium Usenet provider who offer all the
groups and no download limits (or at least reasonable download limits)
can be had for around $10/month.

By your logic ISPs should not even offer email, nor should anyone pick
an ISP based on their email service.. since you can get email at any
third party provider.

Regardless of the breach of contract by cutting out an enumerated
service, regardless of the same old witch-hunt war-cry of child-sex
vagaries, this is an attack on the free exchange of information.

Not everyone has the same priorities as you Folk, nor do they roll over
as easily when they tell you you're in for a rogering.

Tell us Folk, what services exactly should ISPs provide for the end
user?
Looks like a couple of people already provided the answer that you
already knew (based on my post ) that I would provide.
My main point though is that using third-party providers for email and
Usenet insulates you from the eventual ISP change. Some people put up
with crappy ISP service because "it's too much of a hassle to change
my email address". To me, that's not a valid reason.


A very valid reason actually, for those of us who have long-term
memorable email addresses and excellent spam filters.


It just seems odd to me that the OP would bid farewell to a newsgroup
just because his ISP decided to do something stupid.

Traffic on the particular alt. (computer/console-hardware) groups to
which I subscribe has shrunk significantly over the past year or two,
so the loss to me is not great and there are other forums available in
which I actively participate. The Verizon decision to eliminate ALL
alt. groups from their newservers instead of selectively filtering
well-known culprit-groups - a technically trivial task - bears the
hall-marks of a truly arrogant company that does not put their
customers first.

John Lewis


Correct, as the hidden motive as always is profit. Here are Verizon's
motivations:

1) USEnet carries a huge percentage of internet traffic, proportionally
large for the number of users. (alt.binaries.*)

Yep.

2) USEnet is non-commercial by charter and any attempts to commercialize
USEnet will fail.

Yep.

3) USEnet is distributed and thusly prohibitively difficult to fall under
complete corporate or covert control.

Yep.

4) USEnet is not popular therefore its elimination will go mostly
unnoticed.

Not popular with business, you mean. Odd thing it, it should be. It
constitutes a comm line for people everywhere. aka unrestricted community.

5) USEnet can be accessed by other means, so they feel no responsibility
in maintaining access.

Perhaps, but no one seems to want to list links for that.

6) USEnet can provide cover for illegal and immoral acts

Unfortunately. That's too bad. They can hire people to monitor that.

7) Part of a larger, more sinister overarching plan to commercialize and
profit off of all human activities and output, a creativity tax if you
will.

For that they should be prohibited.

8) Verizon loses money every time someone uses the internet from their
Verizon account.

Waaaa. Tough for them. They do not understand the Internet and the
function it serves.

Many of the technical problems are trivial and already solved, even
already implemented. Laws already exist a hundred times over, the world
over to punish actual criminals of any possible human activity imaginable
including those who use USEnet.

The only real concern is bandwidth: by failing to invest in infrastructure
Verizon and other ISPs find themselves in a similar position as an airline
that has overbooked the available number of seats on a flight. When you
get bumped off a flight you are required to be overcompensated by law, to
teach the airlines to better manage their booking systems.

With Internet access, instead of getting you on the next flight and
vouchers or discounts for future travel Verizon simply cuts off a few
destinations for everyone since "You all really don't want to go there
anyway and if you do, fly with someone else since you are probably
smuggling something and you have too much luggage. Besides, we really
really need the planes elsewhere."

Invest in infrastructure.

"Frank" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:07:48 +0100, Mark Morrison said...

On Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:22:03 -0400, Folk wrote:

On Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:45:34 GMT, (John Lewis)
wrote:

Verizon provides me a near fault-free service with no bandwidth caps
or erratic upload bandwidth, so I have no real inclination to change
ISP providers [...] So, I say farewell to a couple of my favorite alt.
groups..

I never understood people who based their ISP decisions on the quality
of their Usenet service. Most folks long ago wised up and went with a
third-party email service so that changing ISP's or crappy ISP related
mail service wasn't a big issue, so why don't they do the same with
Usenet? If all you're interested in is text based groups, then there
are scores of independent Usenet providers who can hook you up for
next to nothing. Even premium Usenet provider who offer all the
groups and no download limits (or at least reasonable download limits)
can be had for around $10/month.

I switched to Giganews years ago, but I also use it for binaries.

I stopped using Roadrunner's news servers over a year ago, and hooked up
with a
paid Usenet provider also (Newsguy). Tried Giganews, and they were good,
but
frankly other providers offer comparable service and are less expensive.

I get 50 Gig through Newsguy for $8 month, and the closet account at
Giganews
was 25 Gigs for $13 month. Newsguy also has a 10 Gig / $3 month option,
compared
to 2 Gig / $8 month at Giganews. I also liked the fact that Newsguy rolls
over
my unused dload capacity each month, and Giganews didn't.

For what it's worth, Newsguy is offering a free month of newsgroup access
to
Roadrunner & Verizon customers...

http://newsguy.com/freemonth.htm

- F

Thanks. This is the first useful post in all of this whining drivel.

"Google Spams The Internet" wrote in message
news:ZLc8k.28054$Jx.482@pd7urf1no...
Another way to block Google.

Thanks sittingduck

http://usenet4all.se/

NEAT!

Information

No more google groups posts on this server.

If you want to read postings from google then use google.



Screw Google use

www.dogpile.com
www.yahoo.com
www.msn.com


http://improve-usenet.org/index.html

http://www.cydeweys.com/blog/2008/06...illing-usenet/

On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 10:16:39 -0600, "Graystar"
wrote:


My main point though is that using third-party providers for email and
Usenet insulates you from the eventual ISP change. Some people put up
with crappy ISP service because "it's too much of a hassle to change
my email address". To me, that's not a valid reason.

Horsehockey. People have email addresses for business, pal. It IS a valid
reason. Sometimes essential.
Just because it does not fit YOUR model, doesn't mean it isn't valid.

If your business email address is important to you, then you should
have your own domain. doesn't really cut
it.

On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 10:24:24 -0600, "Graystar"
wrote:


Thanks. This is the first useful post in all of this whining drivel.

Too stupid too Google for Usenet providers?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...enet+providers

"Folk" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 10:16:39 -0600, "Graystar"
wrote:


My main point though is that using third-party providers for email and
Usenet insulates you from the eventual ISP change. Some people put up
with crappy ISP service because "it's too much of a hassle to change
my email address". To me, that's not a valid reason.

Horsehockey. People have email addresses for business, pal. It IS a
valid
reason. Sometimes essential.
Just because it does not fit YOUR model, doesn't mean it isn't valid.

If your business email address is important to you, then you should
have your own domain. doesn't really cut
it.

A domain is not essential to all businesses.
Clearly, your dexterity at spelling equals triheens.

"Folk" wrote in message
On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 10:24:24 -0600, "Graystar"
wrote:


Thanks. This is the first useful post in all of this whining drivel.

Too stupid too Google for Usenet providers?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...enet+providers


Aaah yes, another case of insipid oneirataxia with a useless post.

On Sun, 6 Jul 2008 10:32:08 -0600, "Graystar"
wrote:


"Folk" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 10:16:39 -0600, "Graystar"
wrote:


My main point though is that using third-party providers for email and
Usenet insulates you from the eventual ISP change. Some people put up
with crappy ISP service because "it's too much of a hassle to change
my email address". To me, that's not a valid reason.

Horsehockey. People have email addresses for business, pal. It IS a
valid
reason. Sometimes essential.
Just because it does not fit YOUR model, doesn't mean it isn't valid.

If your business email address is important to you, then you should
have your own domain. doesn't really cut
it.

A domain is not essential to all businesses.

Read much?

Clearly, your dexterity at spelling equals triheens.

The domain name misspelling was for effect, but then...

"Folk" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 6 Jul 2008 10:32:08 -0600, "Graystar"
wrote:


"Folk" wrote in message
. ..
On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 10:16:39 -0600, "Graystar"
wrote:


My main point though is that using third-party providers for email and
Usenet insulates you from the eventual ISP change. Some people put up
with crappy ISP service because "it's too much of a hassle to change
my email address". To me, that's not a valid reason.

Horsehockey. People have email addresses for business, pal. It IS a
valid
reason. Sometimes essential.
Just because it does not fit YOUR model, doesn't mean it isn't valid.

If your business email address is important to you, then you should
have your own domain. doesn't really cut
it.

A domain is not essential to all businesses.

Read much?

Clearly, your dexterity at spelling equals triheens.

The domain name misspelling was for effect, but then...

Not much of an 'effect' and to no point.

If I wanted to talk to a vegetable, I'd have bought one at the market.

Go back to your TRS-80 pocket computer