On Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:39:44 +0000 (UTC), Tony <tony@darkstorm.invalid>
wrote:

>> have to navigate to a news server using a different means of locating
>> the server. Then one has to pay for access (even if the payment is
>> tiny). ISPs are rapidly backing away from providing news access,
>> presumably scared of he libel implications so paying for access to a
>> third party server looks like the only way.
>
>Yes, this is a definite issue.  The first possible solution there then
>is to provide an actual web interface to a local nntp server, and you
>could get away with writing the interface in javascript.  Basically,
>get the google groups solution right.  

A javascript interface would be fine.  The problem, as far as Google
is concerned is that they want to 'own' Usenet.  In fact they are
using MS style EEE tactics on it.  In many groups I read Google users
often think Usenet is the same as Google Groups so the tactic is
working.

You're right, it would be quite an undertaking to write a decent web
interface, especially when one (nearly) exists.  But it is something
that MS would do, given sufficient motivation.  Can you say Bing?
-- 
Geoff Berrow (Put thecat out to email)
It's only Usenet, no one dies.
My opinions, not the committee's, mine.
Simple RFDs www.ckdog.co.uk/rfdmaker

On 2009-11-02, Geoff Berrow  wrote:

> You're right, it would be quite an undertaking to write a decent web
> interface, especially when one (nearly) exists.  But it is something
> that MS would do, given sufficient motivation.  Can you say Bing?

But if they can't 'monetize' it, I'm not sure they'll see any value in
it, even if it means 'beating' Google.

I guess another question is, where did the 'hobby' news admins go?
Did they stop because the load just got too great, the effort required
to keep out the spam and binaries too large, and the bandwidth costs
too high?

Maybe a groundswell of 'hobby' usenet servers, with an open source
javascript interface would allow more people to get involved.

Any solution is going to require publicity and a reason why people
should switch or start using Usenet, and honestly I can't see how or
where that would come from.  Which is, I guess, why you're talking
about a major player (so I've talked myself into agreeing with you).

Usenet - the ham radio of the Internet.

-- 
Tony Evans
Saving trees and wasting electrons since 1993
blog -> http://perceptionistruth.com/
olmr -> http://www.onelinemoviereviews.co.uk/
[ anything below this line wasn't written by me ]

In uk.net.news.management, Tony <tony@darkstorm.invalid> wrote:

>Usenet - the ham radio of the Internet.

Following up my own post, in bad taste, as always.  If you subscribe to
news.software.nntp then I found this post,

Message-ID: <20090706015443.794$KD@newsreader.com>

very interesting.  It was in reply to Message-ID:
<h2rhlp$vpr$1@news.albasani.net> which raised some interesting ideas.

There's a lot of good stuff in that thread actually.

-- 
Tony Evans
Saving trees and wasting electrons since 1993
blog -> http://perceptionistruth.com/
olmr -> http://www.onelinemoviereviews.co.uk/
[ anything below this line wasn't written by me ]