Re: -- a cure for spam (fwd)

On 23 Feb 2008 02:53:41 +0200, Phil Carmody
<thefatphil_demunged@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I have nothing at all to do with this site except for complete
agreement:

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


Telling Google Groups users to use a different newsreader is missing a
key point -- they must also find another news _provider_.

Since Google Groups is free, an acceptable alternative news provider
must be a _free_ news provider.

Most ISPs provide a free usenet server, but few Google Groups users
would even know enough to be able to access it. Moreover, many ISPs
provide only a very incomplete selection of usenet posts, hence
unacceptable.

In addition, many usenet users are reading usenet from work or from
other locations, hence are not even connected to their own ISP. For
accessing usenet from their work computer, a user will typically have
no option to install their own newsreader.

As far as normal home usenet access, there do exist free public news
providers, but assuming all Google Groups users agreed to switch, do
you think any of the free public news providers (or all of them
together) could handle that volume of users?

Finally, even if you were able to convince Google Groups users that
they should abandon Google in favor of some other news provider and
some other newsreader, my guess is that the majority of Google Groups
users would have no clue as to how to set up such a newsreader.

Bottom line -- trying to convince Google Groups users to abandon
Google Groups is futile unless, as a minimum, a viable alternative is
suggested.

Ok, so I'll suggest one ...

Someone should write a newsreader program that provides a newsreader
front end to the Google server. In other words, the Google server
should not be able to tell that the user is not using the normal
browser interface. To Google, it would appear that the user is using
Google Groups through the normal web browser interface, when in
actuality, the user is interfacing via a "sane" newsreader.

quasi
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Was Google not working?
    ... I am amazed at the fact that all the newsreader ... In other words, if you don't use Google Groups, you won't encounter ... Usenet was designed for use with a newsreader or email client. ... The only thing that matters is if posts show up online. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: This News Group is broken
    ... Things are horribly wrong and you newsreader people ... to navigate to Google Groups and that's it. ... If this usenet is not ... Rubbish. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: OT: Why posting 100s of OTs is rude...
    ... > many replied that I should get a good news reader. ... > access Google Groups? ... > No. Google Groups provides web based access to Usenet. ... > a regular newsreader to access our service. ...
    (alt.guitar.amps)
  • Re: Clarification needed
    ... which is a suite of programs that includes a newsreader. ... and let people post messages to usenet by posting ... "Google groups" are just newsgroups in drag. ...
    (alt.html)
  • Re: beginners question about building a desktop
    ... Might I give you some advice with regard to Usenet? ... Try using a real newsreader, connected to a real newsserver - there are ... Google Groups posters tend to be quite clueless and think that Usenet *is* ... then use crossposting instead of multiposting. ...
    (comp.os.linux.hardware)
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