Usenet
History of Usenet
Usenet, an abbreviation for "User Network," is a globally distributed discussion system that was developed in 1979 by Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis at Duke University. The system was initially conceived as a way to facilitate communication and the sharing of information between users on different computers. Usenet predates the widespread adoption of the Internet and has played a significant role in the development of online communities and the evolution of digital communication.
The original implementation of Usenet used the Unix operating system and the UUCP (Unix-to-Unix Copy) protocol to transfer messages between computers. This decentralized architecture allowed users to post articles to newsgroups, which were then propagated to other servers in the network. Usenet quickly gained popularity and expanded beyond academic and research institutions to include a wide range of topics and interests.
Technical Architecture
Newsgroups
Usenet is organized into a hierarchical structure of newsgroups, which are analogous to forums or discussion boards. Newsgroups are categorized by topic and are identified by a unique name, such as "comp.sys.mac.hardware" or "rec.arts.movies.current-films." The hierarchy of newsgroups is divided into several top-level categories, including "comp" (computers), "rec" (recreation), "sci" (science), "soc" (society), and "talk" (discussion).
Each newsgroup contains a collection of articles, which are individual messages posted by users. Articles can be plain text or include attachments, such as images or files. Users can read and respond to articles, creating threaded discussions that can span multiple posts.
NNTP Protocol
The Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) is the primary protocol used to distribute Usenet articles between servers and to provide access to users. NNTP was developed in the early 1980s to address the limitations of the UUCP protocol and to improve the efficiency of article propagation. NNTP operates over TCP/IP and allows for real-time communication between servers and clients.
NNTP defines several commands for interacting with newsgroups, such as "POST" for submitting articles, "GROUP" for selecting a newsgroup, and "ARTICLE" for retrieving a specific article. NNTP servers maintain a database of articles and their metadata, which allows users to search for and retrieve articles based on various criteria.
Article Format
Usenet articles are formatted according to the RFC 1036 standard, which defines the structure and headers of each message. An article consists of a header section and a body section. The header section contains metadata about the article, such as the subject, author, date, and message ID. The body section contains the content of the article, which can be plain text or include attachments.
Headers in Usenet articles are similar to those in email messages and include fields such as "From," "Subject," "Date," and "Message-ID." Additional headers, such as "References" and "Newsgroups," are used to manage the distribution and threading of articles.
Usenet Software
Newsreaders
Newsreaders are client applications used to access and interact with Usenet newsgroups. These programs provide a user interface for reading, posting, and managing articles. Newsreaders can be standalone applications or integrated into other software, such as email clients or web browsers.
Popular newsreaders include Gnus, Thunderbird, and Pan. These applications offer features such as article threading, filtering, and search capabilities. Some newsreaders also support binary attachments and can decode and display images or other files embedded in articles.
News Servers
News servers are the backbone of the Usenet network, responsible for storing and distributing articles. These servers communicate with each other using the NNTP protocol and propagate articles to other servers in the network. News servers can be configured to host specific newsgroups and to control the retention and expiration of articles.
There are several types of news servers, including public servers, which are open to all users, and private servers, which are restricted to specific organizations or communities. Some news servers offer additional features, such as spam filtering, article archiving, and access control.
Usenet Culture
Netiquette
Usenet has a long-standing tradition of netiquette, or network etiquette, which refers to the informal rules and guidelines for appropriate behavior in newsgroups. Netiquette emphasizes respect for other users, the importance of staying on-topic, and the avoidance of spam and disruptive behavior. Violations of netiquette can result in users being "killfiled," or ignored, by other participants.
Common netiquette practices include quoting relevant portions of the article being replied to, using descriptive subject lines, and avoiding excessive cross-posting to multiple newsgroups. Users are also encouraged to read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for a newsgroup before posting to ensure that their questions or comments are relevant and have not already been addressed.
Flame Wars
Flame wars are heated and often hostile exchanges between users in a newsgroup. These conflicts can arise from differences in opinion, misunderstandings, or deliberate trolling. Flame wars can disrupt the normal flow of discussion and lead to a toxic environment in the newsgroup.
To mitigate flame wars, users are encouraged to remain calm and respectful, to avoid personal attacks, and to use killfiles to ignore disruptive participants. Some newsgroups have moderators who can intervene to enforce netiquette and maintain a civil atmosphere.
Decline and Legacy
Impact of the Web
The rise of the World Wide Web in the 1990s had a significant impact on Usenet. The web offered a more user-friendly and visually appealing platform for online communication, leading many users to migrate to web-based forums, social media, and other online communities. As a result, the popularity of Usenet declined, and many newsgroups became less active.
Despite this decline, Usenet has left a lasting legacy on the internet. Many of the concepts and technologies developed for Usenet, such as threaded discussions, article propagation, and netiquette, have influenced the design of modern online communication platforms. Usenet also played a crucial role in the early development of open source software and the sharing of technical knowledge.
Current State
Today, Usenet continues to exist, albeit with a smaller and more specialized user base. Some newsgroups remain active, particularly those focused on niche interests or technical topics. Several commercial providers offer access to Usenet, often with enhanced features such as high retention rates, binary downloads, and secure connections.
Usenet also continues to be used for the distribution of binary files, such as software, music, and videos. This aspect of Usenet has led to ongoing discussions about copyright and the legal implications of file sharing on the network.