Astraweb usenet provider $96/year

cool, I was using the 10 dollar a month special. now i guess it is 8 dollars a month
 
burningrave101 said:
Usenet is beginning to get too much exposure with threads like these posted over at places like SlickDeals when services like Astraweb are offering monthly charges of only $8/month. Especially in the area of teens that have never even heard of usenet before. The publicity will sooner or later send Usenet the way of Kazaa via RIAA and MPAA.

With that said I chose the $11/month plan over $96/year ($8/month). If something should happen over the next several months you'd just be out the rest of the months you paid for.
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I feel the same way. Rule #1 about Usenet, don't talk about it. ;-)
 
Tolyngee said:
You've been using it for a half-decade and didn't realize it was invite-only? Newzbin makes it clear it's a select club...

But most newsreaders aren't free. I just want to know the advantages of your way, as others cost the same but are an all-in-one package.

What newsreader do you use, etc?

I still question the "recruiting" angle, and it doesn't appear you're selling it too well...

Don't worry, being a members-only club doesn't sell it too well, either, especially since it appears its members don't know it's members-only...

But, you're willing to pay more and be defensive about it. The website isn't explaining to me how it's an advantage, and I cannot try it as I'm not invited.

So, please explain how it's worth the extra dough. Seriously. Honestly.

Otherwise why would they expect anyone to plunk down extra dough for it?

I've been using the usenet successfully for about a dozen years. I don't see the advantage to Newzbin after reading what info's available, and my attempt to try it out was met with "ZZZZtttt! Sorry, you're not invited..."

Wouldn't you honestly smirk if I suggested Newsleecher and its website greeted you this way?

"Oh, oops, I wasn't invited, sorry, I'll go away now..."

One thing I didn't like on reading about it is that it appears you lose some anonymity as to what you're snooping around for on usenet... Sounds like it might take a little bit of the fun out of it.

Also, has Newzbin really been around five years? Their own website suggests only a little more than two...
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Give the guy a break, the invite only was recently started. I didnt know it was that way until a few months ago and I've been using it for 3 years. You dont get anything for sending an invite out. Its not like he is getting a free month or anything. Newzbin is just fairly easy to use. The NZB is right there and its organized better than most usenet search engines. It was also started back when there were few indexing services. So if you jumped on early you probably stuck with it since we are all creatures of habit.

I think the OP's deal is a good one btw!

And for those that are still figuring out wtf we are all talking about, refer to post above about the 1st rule of usenet!
 
Low Roller said:
I'm not downoading as much as I used to so I'm thinking about Astraweb's $25/180GB offer.

And yes, the RIAA is starting to go after Usenet services. They just shut down Usenet.com with a recent lawsuit.
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They did not shut down Usenet.com (It's still up by the way). A court magistrate has to weigh in and decide whether Usenet.com pays a fine or is shut down. I don't see the courts shutting down the Usenet.com unless they found that the business completely revolved around illegal activities. Besides, this wasn't decided in the US Supreme Court so Usenet.com could appeal the ruling. I haven't seen any updates on the matter, since judge Baer's ruling was announced last week(?).

Oh, and OP's deal is pretty freaking good.
 
So that $96/year deal includes SSL? That is an excellent deal either way giganews is $25/month without SSL and $30/month with.
 
LurkerLito said:
So that $96/year deal includes SSL? That is an excellent deal either way giganews is $25/month without SSL and $30/month with.
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I'm not sure staying loyal to Giganews at the rates I'm currently paying is the right thing to do. I have a 50Mb connection that I can max out with Giganews. If that can be done anytime with Astraweb, I may have to switch.
 
tesfaye said:
I'm not sure staying loyal to Giganews at the rates I'm currently paying is the right thing to do. I have a 50Mb connection that I can max out with Giganews. If that can be done anytime with Astraweb, I may have to switch.
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Easy answer if it's worth $11 to you to find out. Buy an Astraweb monthly, test it, convert it to the $96.
 
tesfaye said:
I feel the same way. Rule #1 about Usenet, don't talk about it. ;-)
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Usenet has been around for years... if it was going to get over exposed it would have by now. The fact that it cost money to use will deter most people from using it so there isn't much to really worry about. I remember back in the day ISPS used to offer uncensored access for free, well at least mine did for the first several years I used it. If that was still going on then it would be different but I don't think a great deal of people are going to be willing to shell out even 8 bucks a month for something that most people fell they can get elsewhere for free. I myself like the easy and reliability of it so I don't mind paying a small premium, but I wouldn't fret over "the word" getting out.
 
Tolyngee said:
You've been using it for a half-decade and didn't realize it was invite-only? Newzbin makes it clear it's a select club...

But most newsreaders aren't free. I just want to know the advantages of your way, as others cost the same but are an all-in-one package.

What newsreader do you use, etc?

I still question the "recruiting" angle, and it doesn't appear you're selling it too well...

Don't worry, being a members-only club doesn't sell it too well, either, especially since it appears its members don't know it's members-only...

But, you're willing to pay more and be defensive about it. The website isn't explaining to me how it's an advantage, and I cannot try it as I'm not invited. :(

So, please explain how it's worth the extra dough. Seriously. Honestly.

Otherwise why would they expect anyone to plunk down extra dough for it?

I've been using the usenet successfully for about a dozen years. I don't see the advantage to Newzbin after reading what info's available, and my attempt to try it out was met with "ZZZZtttt! Sorry, you're not invited..."

Wouldn't you honestly smirk if I suggested Newsleecher and its website greeted you this way?

"Oh, oops, I wasn't invited, sorry, I'll go away now..."

One thing I didn't like on reading about it is that it appears you lose some anonymity as to what you're snooping around for on usenet... Sounds like it might take a little bit of the fun out of it.

Also, has Newzbin really been around five years? Their own website suggests only a little more than two...
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No i didnt know, cause when i singed up it was free to register to anyone. so that goes to show you how much "recruiting" i do for them

There may be better stuff out there but it works for me. I like the fact that their searches co-incide with giganews' retention. They also have the watchdog feature that will let you search for something and get an email if/when it is posted. Not defending newzbin by any means, just saying that it works well as one of the others posted as well.

And as far as i know you dont get any kind of reward for inviting somoeone anyway.

To Me its a google for newsgroup, i have tried others and this is the best and easiest to use.

I use Grabit which is free as this is also been the best grabbing program for me as well, and yes have i have tried newsleecher and newsbin/newsbinpro alomg with other Nzb Search sites.

Yes Newzbin is being sued, but they have been sued before and Won just last year or the year before , this is nothing new to them. this will be the 3rd or 4th time being sued.

I wasnt getting defensive, i dont being called out for suggesting something that others may find enjoyable or easy to use. I didnt know it was inivite only, and my UN and PW are saved on the PC sooooooooo
 
Well. I still didn't got converted to the new plan.

Wonder how many request they got.
 
masterosok said:
Usenet has been around for years... if it was going to get over exposed it would have by now.
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The RIAA has gone after a USENET provider and got a judgement in their favor so it's safe to say that USENET is exposed and other providers can and will be targets.

masterosok said:
The fact that it cost money to use will deter most people from using it so there isn't much to really worry about.
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Well regardless of who uses the system, it's the providers that have to be worried for now.

masterosok said:
I remember back in the day ISPS used to offer uncensored access for free, well at least mine did for the first several years I used it.
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All of the broadband providers I've ever used provided newsgroup access for free and it was great(source for pr0n!). In the early days you could find most groups, especially the binary groups, although retention was always an issue. Retention became a huge issue once the binary groups became really popular then came the removal of those groups and in some cases binary access was either eliminated or speeds were severely capped. Time Warner was one of the worst when it came to capping along with their shitty retention.

masterosok said:
If that was still going on then it would be different but I don't think a great deal of people are going to be willing to shell out even 8 bucks a month for something that most people fell they can get elsewhere for free.
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I think if the USENET providers sell cheap enough access then the cheapskates will bite and it's getting to that point.

masterosok said:
I myself like the easy and reliability of it so I don't mind paying a small premium, but I wouldn't fret over "the word" getting out.
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Exactly why I've been sticking with Giganews. I've noticed these cheaper services and what kept me from even giving them a second look was the retention. Giganews was/is growing with a promise to have over a year of retention by the end of this year but it looks like Astraweb may have beat them to it. I'll probably get a small monthly account to try them out and see how well it works. Hey, $204 saved could go towards an upgrade or something. The word has been out, but I'd prefer people (and providers) not say things like it's for downloading music and movies, that's actually even to this day far from the truth.
 
So yay or nay on moving giganews, seems some people think its a good idea... others (like me) are in the middle?
 
I did it. $200 a year in savings is well worth it to me, and people I've talked to say Astraweb is a good provider. Good speeds and long retention. I'll let you know if I have any issues.
 
dhahlen said:
So yay or nay on moving giganews, seems some people think its a good idea... others (like me) are in the middle?
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I moved from giganews a few months ago. Its has been the same speeds/service/reliability + SSL and cheaper.

I put in my upgrade order from the $11/month to $96 a year 3 hours ago and they just refunded my balance plus fixed my account for the new plan a few mins ago. Great service.
 
Nettwerk said:
I moved from giganews a few months ago. Its has been the same speeds/service/reliability + SSL and cheaper.

I put in my upgrade order from the $11/month to $96 a year 3 hours ago and they just refunded my balance plus fixed my account for the new plan a few mins ago. Great service.
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Did u file a ticket to get them to upgrade it?

What did you wrote in your message.

I send a ticket like 8 hours ago and still not upgraded.
 
ok i just got my account upgraded. so it is by ticketing system
 
Staples said:
Discussions do not really occur in usenet anymore. You would not use usenet for anything legal anymore.
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Before the failspree of ISPs dropping usenet access, I used it for distributing all sorts of things. It's fast. If things keep up the way they are, I may yet again.
 
Astraweb has no problem pegging my fios at a constant 2400KBps, I've talked to people with 30-50mbps connections and they say they get maxed out as well. On a good day astraweb can give me 1500-2300KBps off of just one connection(their accounts give you 10). Right now I'm getting 1200KBps off of a single connection, so theoretically if I had a fast enough connection I could be downloading at 93mbps.
 
Nice! I download 5-7 GB/month at most, so I opted for the 180GB/$25 one-time-fee plan. That'll last me well over 2 years. :D
 
MrBojangels said:
Astraweb has no problem pegging my fios at a constant 2400KBps, I've talked to people with 30-50mbps connections and they say they get maxed out as well. On a good day astraweb can give me 1500-2300KBps off of just one connection(their accounts give you 10). Right now I'm getting 1200KBps off of a single connection, so theoretically if I had a fast enough connection I could be downloading at 93mbps.
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Awesome! I have to give them a shot, maybe tonight when I get home from billiard practice.
 
I appreciate the post but just like someone said, I wish we never talk about Usenet. I do not even tell my best friends about it, heck nor even my bro, this is for the "guys that know" only everyone else should use torrents, etc....
 
I used to go with Giganews but I switched to AstraWeb since it's substantially cheaper for the unlimited, and I've had no problem getting 9-10MB/sec (yes, megabytes) on my connection at school. I've been nothing but happy with them, and this is a pretty killer deal that I think I'll jump on.
 
I've been using Astraweb since 2000. I love the speed I get from them, and the retention is great.
 
Mr. Wolf said:
Nice! I download 5-7 GB/month at most, so I opted for the 180GB/$25 one-time-fee plan. That'll last me well over 2 years. :D
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I'm in the same boat...was paying newhosting.com about $12/month for unlimited...just canceled it!
 
can someone please explain something to me.... I used to have Cox for my cable and used to use their newsgroups years ago before they started sucking. Now we have Verizon FIOS, and I see that they say they got rid of everyhting except the big 8, and now I guess access to usenet is blocked.

What exactly does this mean? Does this mean you just cant use it through their own newsgroup service? So if you purchase from a third party, like astraweb, that you WILL be able to access all that good stuff, or is it the other way, that even if you purchase a third party account, you still won't be able to get on usenet and have access to alt.* groups for example. Sorry if this is a stupid question but I'm quite confused.
 
newgroups all the same everywhere, its like one huge network, the only difference is who holds longer retention, and which provider has better speeds.

alt.binaries.gaycowboyporn is going to be the same from giganews as it is astraweb as it is easynews, etc, the only difference is speed and the retention limit of the provider.

The newgroups that you get from cox have a lot of filters and restrictions, to keep people from pirating software, etc. You can use giganews or astraweb with FiOS, as I've done it.

Best option is to find a provider (as this post is advertising) and get a news application to download or read what you want.
 
Usenet is killer, 743.8GB in 3 months is pretty horrible, Dam those blu-rays
 
I have been using usenetserver for a while now and they have been good. As for newzbin, ive used them for many years(6 so far) and it was also news to me that it was invite only. I choose to use newsbin because its very cheap if you buy in December and it provides incredibly easy access to nzb files. It not only gives nzb files but is able to search Usenet raw or conditioned. So if a editor has not uploaded a nzb yet, you can just search conditioned Usenet and you will still see the header and newzbin will create the nzb for you.


The sad truth is, that usenet will eventually go down. Not because of warez and illegal media, but due illegal porn.
 
Usenet has been around since the early 1970s, and it ain't going anywhere. It is as decentralized as the Internet itself, and the two sides that work together aren't going anywhere either... it'll be around for a long long time to come, regardless of idiots and what people "think" should be done.
 
So is there anything on said usenet that can't be found on BT sites?

If everything can be found already, then the main reason would be for the anonymity and speeds?
 
lowteckh said:
So is there anything on said usenet that can't be found on BT sites?

If everything can be found already, then the main reason would be for the anonymity and speeds?
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Not just speeds, availability. No worrying about seeds, leechers, seed ratios, etc. If the NZB's there on most index sites, you can get it as fast as your connection can suck it down.

When Ubuntu 8.10 came out, the servers were hideously slow, even Argonne, so I sucked the DVD down off of Usenet and compared checksums with Ubuntu's mirrors. Happy camper.

I just signed up for Astraweb. Doesn't seem to be as fast as Giganews for me, unfortunately.

ETA: Nvm, it *is* just as fast, my cable is just being slow.
 
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What I don't get is, where are the supposed files stored? A big black hole somewhere?
 
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