(using Tor Browser 13.0.6)
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/15/google-groups-is-dropping-usenet-support-and-that-is-a-good-thing/
>Google Groups is dropping Usenet support, and that is a good thing
>Martin Brinkmann
>Dec 15, 2023
>Google
>Listen to article 2 minutes
>Google announced this week that it plans to cut the ties to the Usenet in
>Google Groups. Starting February 22, 2024, Google Groups users can no longer
>post content to Usenet groups, subscribe to Usenet groups or view Usenet
>content published after February 22.
>Native Google Groups content and communities continue to be available, as the
>change does not impact them. Google notes further that it will disband its
>Usenet infrastructure. These servers can not be used anymore to interact with
>the Usenet according to the announcement.
>Google explains that activity in text-based Usenet groups has declined over
>the years. Large parts of the userbase have moved on to "more modern
>technologies and formats". The majority of content that is available on the
>Usenet is either binary files or spam, according to Google.
>The Spam problem
>While Google mentions that spam is a problem, it fails to point out that most
>of the spam posted to text-based Usenet groups originates from Google Groups.
>In fact, many Usenet regulars started to use filters to weed out anything
>that comes from Google Groups as a method to eliminate spam in their
>subscribed groups.
>The tie cutting is therefore a welcome change for many Usenet users who are
>subscribed to text-based groups on the Usenet. Come February 2024, spam will
>drop to levels that are significantly lower than current levels.
>What users can do about it
>The shutting down of the news server is the main problem for users. They need
>to find another service that offers newsgroup access. One free option to
>access text-based groups is provided by Eternal September.
>Besides having to find a new provider, users need to find a new client as well.
>Several free clients are available, including Mozilla Thunderbird, which
>supports newsgroups. You can check out Wikipedia's list of Usenet readers here.
>Content posted before February 22, 2024 continues to be available on Google
>Groups, according to Google.
>Closing Words
>Google ending support for Usenet in Google Groups and disbanding its
>infrastructure is certainly disruptive for users who used the service to
>interact with the Usenet. On the other hand, it resolves a long-standing spam
>problem that Google did nothing about.
>Now You: do you use the Usenet?
[end quote]

for example double-clicking <news:alt.free.newsservers> works great using
a dedicated newsreader, but experts say this does not work in Thunderbird;
also, many usenet news servers have retained all or part of "googlegroups"
posted articles, so they too will have "content posted before 22 february
2024" and with the looming spam void expected after google cuts the chord,
some spam has always come from other servers so who can predict that they
won't do their level best to pick up the slack? troll farms are pervasive

On 12/17/2023 1:57 PM, D wrote:
> (using Tor Browser 13.0.6)
> https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/15/google-groups-is-dropping-usenet-support-and-that-is-a-good-thing/
>> Google Groups is dropping Usenet support, and that is a good thing
>> Martin Brinkmann
>> Dec 15, 2023
>> Google
>> Listen to article 2 minutes
>> Google announced this week that it plans to cut the ties to the Usenet in
>> Google Groups. Starting February 22, 2024, Google Groups users can no longer
>> post content to Usenet groups, subscribe to Usenet groups or view Usenet
>> content published after February 22.
>> Native Google Groups content and communities continue to be available, as the
>> change does not impact them. Google notes further that it will disband its
>> Usenet infrastructure. These servers can not be used anymore to interact with
>> the Usenet according to the announcement.
>> Google explains that activity in text-based Usenet groups has declined over
>> the years. Large parts of the userbase have moved on to "more modern
>> technologies and formats". The majority of content that is available on the
>> Usenet is either binary files or spam, according to Google.
>> The Spam problem
>> While Google mentions that spam is a problem, it fails to point out that most
>> of the spam posted to text-based Usenet groups originates from Google Groups.
>> In fact, many Usenet regulars started to use filters to weed out anything
>> that comes from Google Groups as a method to eliminate spam in their
>> subscribed groups.
>> The tie cutting is therefore a welcome change for many Usenet users who are
>> subscribed to text-based groups on the Usenet. Come February 2024, spam will
>> drop to levels that are significantly lower than current levels.
>> What users can do about it
>> The shutting down of the news server is the main problem for users. They need
>> to find another service that offers newsgroup access. One free option to
>> access text-based groups is provided by Eternal September.
>> Besides having to find a new provider, users need to find a new client as well.
>> Several free clients are available, including Mozilla Thunderbird, which
>> supports newsgroups. You can check out Wikipedia's list of Usenet readers here.
>> Content posted before February 22, 2024 continues to be available on Google
>> Groups, according to Google.
>> Closing Words
>> Google ending support for Usenet in Google Groups and disbanding its
>> infrastructure is certainly disruptive for users who used the service to
>> interact with the Usenet. On the other hand, it resolves a long-standing spam
>> problem that Google did nothing about.
>> Now You: do you use the Usenet?
> [end quote]
>
> for example double-clicking <news:alt.free.newsservers> works great using
> a dedicated newsreader, but experts say this does not work in Thunderbird;
> also, many usenet news servers have retained all or part of "googlegroups"
> posted articles, so they too will have "content posted before 22 february
> 2024" and with the looming spam void expected after google cuts the chord,
> some spam has always come from other servers so who can predict that they
> won't do their level best to pick up the slack? troll farms are pervasive

So far, all I've managed to make work, is this:

thunderbird.exe news://nntp.aioe.org/alt.free.newsservers

That format seems to work. And it works as long as you have already set up
AIOE, have already subscribed to that particular group. "It has routing software
but, it's not a mind reader." It's just not clever enough for this. It won't
subscribe you to a new server automatically, or subscribe you to that
newsgroup if you weren't already subscribed.

You have to put a full course meal on the plate, and lower its
face into the meal, to get it to eat :-/

In the old thunderbird source code, the program "supports four URIs"
or Uniform Resource Indicators. That's how I was able to use this
format, as when Thunderbird throws an error about "sending to two servers",
you edit the newsgroup line to look like this. This is one of the
alternate formats.

Change this: alt.free.newsservers

To this: nntp.aioe.org/alt.free.newsservers <=== tells TBird, use a specific server

Then, lashing together a command line, just meant figuring out
that news:// is a URI type in the same sense as Firefox likes http://
as its kind of indicator.

thunderbird.exe news://nntp.aioe.org/alt.free.newsservers

firefox.exe https://www.archive.org/index.htm

To get all the wiring to work, so clicking this <news:alt.free.newsservers>
leads to joy, I don't think that's going to happen. Thunderbird would
need the notion of a "default" newsserver, in order for the lack
of a newsserver portion to be handled automatically.

In other words, this

thunderbird.exe news://alt.free.newsservers

should really work, but when the window opens, Thunderbird will highlight
no newsserver from the list, because it does not have a "default choice"
used to accept all queries of that type. If there was a way to declare
AIOE as my "default server", we would be getting closer to making it work.

Thunderbird also cannot be steered via MID, because it does not have
a unified header store. The intention is, to make the (old) thunderbird
work on "small" machines (only open a portion of the dataset at any
one time). The RAM footprint would go up, if you wanted Thunderbird to work
properly and have a competitive feature set. Because it does not have a
unified header store, you have to mark a crosspost to three groups as read,
three times. Instead of reading the message once, and it disappears from the
other two groups it was crossed to. I'm not saying a unified header store
is a good thing, but, it's a reason the thing creaks a bit.

Thunderbird is an acquired taste, like a Vegemite.

Paul

On Sun, 17 Dec 2023 17:27:15 -0500, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
>On 12/17/2023 1:57 PM, D wrote:
>> (using Tor Browser 13.0.6)
>> https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/15/google-groups-is-dropping-usenet-support-and-that-is-a-good-thing/
>>> Google Groups is dropping Usenet support, and that is a good thing
snip
>>
>> for example double-clicking <news:alt.free.newsservers> works great using
>> a dedicated newsreader, but experts say this does not work in Thunderbird;
>> also, many usenet news servers have retained all or part of "googlegroups"
>> posted articles, so they too will have "content posted before 22 february
>> 2024" and with the looming spam void expected after google cuts the chord,
>> some spam has always come from other servers so who can predict that they
>> won't do their level best to pick up the slack? troll farms are pervasive
>
>So far, all I've managed to make work, is this:
> thunderbird.exe news://nntp.aioe.org/alt.free.newsservers
>That format seems to work. And it works as long as you have already set up
>AIOE, have already subscribed to that particular group. "It has routing software
>but, it's not a mind reader." It's just not clever enough for this. It won't
>subscribe you to a new server automatically, or subscribe you to that
>newsgroup if you weren't already subscribed.
>You have to put a full course meal on the plate, and lower its
>face into the meal, to get it to eat :-/
>In the old thunderbird source code, the program "supports four URIs"
>or Uniform Resource Indicators. That's how I was able to use this
>format, as when Thunderbird throws an error about "sending to two servers",
>you edit the newsgroup line to look like this. This is one of the
>alternate formats.
> Change this: alt.free.newsservers
> To this: nntp.aioe.org/alt.free.newsservers <=== tells TBird, use a specific server
>Then, lashing together a command line, just meant figuring out
>that news:// is a URI type in the same sense as Firefox likes http://
>as its kind of indicator.
> thunderbird.exe news://nntp.aioe.org/alt.free.newsservers
> firefox.exe https://www.archive.org/index.htm
>To get all the wiring to work, so clicking this <news:alt.free.newsservers>
>leads to joy, I don't think that's going to happen. Thunderbird would
>need the notion of a "default" newsserver, in order for the lack
>of a newsserver portion to be handled automatically.
>In other words, this
> thunderbird.exe news://alt.free.newsservers
>should really work, but when the window opens, Thunderbird will highlight
>no newsserver from the list, because it does not have a "default choice"
>used to accept all queries of that type. If there was a way to declare
>AIOE as my "default server", we would be getting closer to making it work.
>Thunderbird also cannot be steered via MID, because it does not have
>a unified header store. The intention is, to make the (old) thunderbird
>work on "small" machines (only open a portion of the dataset at any
>one time). The RAM footprint would go up, if you wanted Thunderbird to work
>properly and have a competitive feature set. Because it does not have a
>unified header store, you have to mark a crosspost to three groups as read,
>three times. Instead of reading the message once, and it disappears from the
>other two groups it was crossed to. I'm not saying a unified header store
>is a good thing, but, it's a reason the thing creaks a bit.
>Thunderbird is an acquired taste, like a Vegemite.
> Paul

very informative reply . . . i've tested tbird before, mainly because of
the Omnimix tutorial <https://danner-net.de/omom> section on Thunderbird
<https://danner-net.de/omom/tutorconfigclienttbird.htm>, but was already
using 40tude Dialog which does everything a newsreader could be used for;
yet Thunderbird is very popular these days (especially with "google2news"
gracefully bowing out from the burgeoning usenet scene), so any tips for
using it (tbird) to connect with usenet news servers can only be helpful