Google Groups

[David]

I'm sorry. I just can't get interested in accessing this newsgroup
using Google Groups. Their reader format is atrocious. I can't mark
posts as read. I don't like the way I have to wade through material
I've already read and it just isn't working for me. I've really
enjoyed participating in this forum but government interferance has
all but destroyed the fun of it. The only other option I can find is
to subscribe to a pay service, like Giganews. But I don't want to pay
anything. That completely goes against my grain. Usenet should be
free to everyone. That's the way usenet was designed and I refuse to
pay a monthly fee for it. Does anybody have a suggestion? Or am I
the only one that feels this way?
David Foster

[David Simpson]

[Default] On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 07:04:01 CST, David

Post by David
I'm sorry. I just can't get interested in accessing this newsgroup
using Google Groups. Their reader format is atrocious. I can't mark
posts as read. I don't like the way I have to wade through material
I've already read and it just isn't working for me. I've really
enjoyed participating in this forum but government interferance has
all but destroyed the fun of it. The only other option I can find is
to subscribe to a pay service, like Giganews. But I don't want to pay
anything. That completely goes against my grain. Usenet should be
free to everyone. That's the way usenet was designed and I refuse to
pay a monthly fee for it. Does anybody have a suggestion? Or am I
the only one that feels this way?
David Foster

Google for "free news servers". There are a number of them. I
subscribe to datemas.de. One that is often recommended is motzarella
but that has changed its name recently to (I think) eternalseptember.
Another is aioe.org. Most require registration but no further contact
other than through nntp is required. Some you pay an initial account
fee and no further payment at all.

[Janet Wintermute]

Post by David
I'm sorry. I just can't get interested in accessing this newsgroup
using Google Groups. Their reader format is atrocious. I can't mark
posts as read. I don't like the way I have to wade through material
I've already read and it just isn't working for me. I've really
enjoyed participating in this forum but government interferance has
all but destroyed the fun of it. The only other option I can find is
to subscribe to a pay service, like Giganews. But I don't want to pay
anything. That completely goes against my grain. Usenet should be
free to everyone. That's the way usenet was designed and I refuse to
pay a monthly fee for it. Does anybody have a suggestion? Or am I
the only one that feels this way?
David Foster

I don't know anything about Google Groups, but it sounds bad.

Scotty Fitzgerald, one of the originators of sof, set me up from the
beginning to receive the messages by e-mail. This works perfectly, but
I don't know how to tell anybody else to get set up that way.

--Janet
Eastern Order of International Co-Freemasonry, Atlanta Lodge No. 21

[Bill M]

In article

Post by David
I'm sorry. I just can't get interested in accessing this newsgroup
using Google Groups. Their reader format is atrocious. I can't mark
posts as read. I don't like the way I have to wade through material
I've already read and it just isn't working for me. I've really
enjoyed participating in this forum but government interferance has
all but destroyed the fun of it. The only other option I can find is
to subscribe to a pay service, like Giganews. But I don't want to pay
anything. That completely goes against my grain. Usenet should be
free to everyone. That's the way usenet was designed and I refuse to
pay a monthly fee for it. Does anybody have a suggestion? Or am I
the only one that feels this way?
David Foster

Sadly, most folk now have never even heard of usenet and I think it will
quietly die off. Ah, I remember the early 90's, a 33K6 modem that
sometimes managed about 24K on a good day, offline newsreaders, proper
use of snip, three line max .sigs, spelling and grammar flamewars,
newspaper headlines when someone sent a spam message, and snuh!

Much online discussion is done on various web-based forums. Threads are
linear rather than branched, but they still work reasonably well.

I'm a regular poster on http://lodgeroomuk.com/forum which, for the
first time I can remember, is down just now :-( and has been for a
couple of hours, which also hosts lodgeroomus and lodgeroominternational
and has a great many UK, European, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and
US posters.

http://TheMasonicSociety.com has a closed forum for members only that's
OK too.

.... and several hundred more.

FWIW, I agree that Google's groups is terrible.

Best,
Bill.

P.S. snuh!

[Larry W]

Post by David
I'm sorry. I just can't get interested in accessing this newsgroup
using Google Groups.

I had no big qualms with Google Groups. Unread message titles were always
in bold face, but there are no junk filters.

If you don't want to pay to access Usenet, you're not alone. But I
understand the cost of providing Usenet access and so I am willing to pay.
Anyway, I can recommend a web forum called The Blue Lodge
(www.thebluelodee.org). This web forum carries SOF (and AFM) feeds and,
once registered as a member of the forum, you can read and post messages.

This isn't a perfect solution because after just now checking the feed I see
that it is not up to date. I will be asking the forum admin to look into that.

Another option is to look for a free Usenet provider. They are few in
number, but they do support SOF. One such is AIOE (www.aioe.org). It
requires no authentication but has user limits, but they would be hard to
reach giving the traffic volume on SOF.

A cheap paid option is Individual.net (www.individual.net). They charge a
paltry 10 euros per year, or USD14.41 based on the current rate.

I hope one of these will fill your needs.

Regards,
Larry

[David Simpson]

[Default] On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 12:30:56 CST, Larry W

Post by Larry W

Post by David
I'm sorry. I just can't get interested in accessing this newsgroup
using Google Groups.

I had no big qualms with Google Groups. Unread message titles were always
in bold face, but there are no junk filters.

Not quite correct.

http://holysmoke.org/ggfbho/index.htm

carries a helper object for Internet Explorer which will allow you to
filter Google Groups.

http://www.penney.org/ggkiller.html

Carries a javascript extension for Firefox, GreaseMonkey etc.

[Doug Freyburger]

...  The only other option I can find is
to subscribe to a pay service, like Giganews.  But I don't want to pay
anything ... Does anybody have a suggestion?

More than one no-charge NSP was suggested in your previous
thread. Which of them have you tried other than google?

Or am I the only one that feels this way?

That UseNet is supposed to be no-charge? No. It never has
been no-charge as the cost was bundled with other services,
but your perception is what it is and you aren't the only one
with it.

That government interference actually had anything to do with
what happened? No. Again a matter of perception as ISPs
were already dropping their NSP function long before that so
the news stories just made the existing trend more visible.

That the google interface blows and that the way google
handles complaints makes them a pox on UseNet? No. It's
a majority opinion.

Where I am in the minority is viewing a browser as a "real
newsreader". For historical reasons I am no longer willing to
go with other newsreader software. I'll jump from google as
soon as I find an NSP that offers browser viewing with working
filters but so far the only one I've found only carries one of the
newsgroups I follow and they haven't updated their list of
groups in years.

[Chris H]

Post by David
I'm sorry. I just can't get interested in accessing this newsgroup
using Google Groups. Their reader format is atrocious. I can't mark
posts as read. I don't like the way I have to wade through material
I've already read and it just isn't working for me. I've really
enjoyed participating in this forum but government interferance has
all but destroyed the fun of it. The only other option I can find is
to subscribe to a pay service, like Giganews. But I don't want to pay
anything. That completely goes against my grain. Usenet should be
free to everyone. That's the way usenet was designed and I refuse to
pay a monthly fee for it. Does anybody have a suggestion? Or am I
the only one that feels this way?
David Foster

I think that anyone who has used a real news reader hates google groups
with a vengeance. It is, I am told, appalling as you say.

Trouble is usenet costs people money to run (server space and CPU time)
and generates no income. It would be better all round if they dropped
the binary news groups. 90% of it is ripped off copyright material
anyway.

That would reduce a lot of the cost associated with running a news
server.

[Mudge]

Post by Chris H
I think that anyone who has used a real news reader hates google groups
with a vengeance. It is, I am told, appalling as you say.

'swot I said earlier - Google is not your friend !!!

Post by Chris H
Trouble is usenet costs people money to run (server space and CPU time)
and generates no income. It would be better all round if they dropped
the binary news groups. 90% of it is ripped off copyright material
anyway.

My ISP, Telus, dropped "binary" service a couple of years ago even
though the binary groups remain listed - and it is adding newsgroups
(about 10 per week) even though there appears to be little use being
made of them.

Post by Chris H
That would reduce a lot of the cost associated with running a news
server.

And save wear and tear on our poor wee electron buddies !!

[Stuart H.]

Post by Chris H

Post by David
I'm sorry. I just can't get interested in accessing this newsgroup
using Google Groups. Their reader format is atrocious. I can't mark
posts as read. I don't like the way I have to wade through material
I've already read and it just isn't working for me. I've really
enjoyed participating in this forum but government interferance has
all but destroyed the fun of it. The only other option I can find is
to subscribe to a pay service, like Giganews. But I don't want to pay
anything. That completely goes against my grain. Usenet should be
free to everyone. That's the way usenet was designed and I refuse to
pay a monthly fee for it. Does anybody have a suggestion? Or am I
the only one that feels this way?
David Foster

I think that anyone who has used a real news reader hates google groups
with a vengeance. It is, I am told, appalling as you say.
Trouble is usenet costs people money to run (server space and CPU time)
and generates no income. It would be better all round if they dropped
the binary news groups. 90% of it is ripped off copyright material
anyway.
That would reduce a lot of the cost associated with running a news
server.

I am still using free.teranews.com as my usenet server with no problems.

S & F,

Stuart H.