I’m constantly amazed that more internet users don’t use Usenet. I’ve worked for various ISPs in the UK for the last 7 years and Usenet traffic is still dwarfed by P2P. I’ve been using Usenet/Newsgroups now for about 3 years. Admittedly, when I first started using Usenet I found the whole space confusing especially when it came to managing newsgroups, combining binaries etc.

Now though, there are great newsreaders like newsleecher with built-in search engines to find files, and great applications like winrar and quickpar which make handling par and par2 files a doddle. Usenet also offers significant privacy advantages over P2P with providers like Giganews even going as far as to offer encrypted access. As Martin from gHacks notes:

It is of course illegal to download copyrighted files like the latest movies, games and tv series - but no one would know if you would do which is different from P2P networks where you seed a lot and everyone is able to find out your IP.

The major advantage of Usenet for me over any other download mechanism, is speed. With my provider Giganews, I get my max linespeed 10Mb 24×7, 365 days a year. I’m sure if and when ntl:Telewest increase my linespeed to 20Mb, I’ll still get my full speed.

If you want to give Usenet a go, then check out my Guides To Using Newsgroups.

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