Usenet - still alive

In times of Facebook, Google and YouTube, why should it still be necessary to rely on outdated technology like Usenet/NNTP? Portals like phpBB also invite you to exchange ideas with other users.

So why should you use Usenet these days?

From my point of view the question is very simple: It is a tried and tested standard, similar to emails/SMTP, it hasn’t really changed for decades. Some people may interpret this as a disadvantage, but for me it is clearly an advantage because I don’t constantly need new programs to write articles and I don’t always have to worry about having to enter my login data with the latest web browser version. There are also many people who still use Usenet on a daily basis.

Of course, you can’t just add colorful pictures to the content and you have to significantly increase your brain power to put everything into words. Ultimately, discussions with substance arise here - plain text-based and highly optimized.

I use Usenet in combination with Emacs and Gnus - it also fits seamlessly into my email communication and allows me to work productively.

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Created on February 6, 2024 by Andreas Wittmann