Verizon Dumping Usenet Servers

I'm using it right now, and from the end-user (me) POV, it's indistinguishable from Verizon, except I can get a.b.s.e, albeit I haven't seen any schematics yet. I also get a potload of other alt.* groups, but, as they say, no 'pr0n'. That's not a problem, because I'm pretty happy with my 'pr0n' collection as it stands. ;-P

Cheers! Rich

And I've just verified that a.b.s.e DOES work. I'm happy as a clam!

Cheers! Rich

Nice. Most news servers don't have it anymore, my new ones doesn't either :-(

Question: Roughly how much in valuable posts with schematics, scope plots and stuff was there in, say, the last month?

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Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

Just a few, mostly by John Fields, who could have posted a link, since I see his website is still there.

...Jim Thompson

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|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.

That's what I had thought would happen after the big binary bashing in

2008. John, you and very few others can still get there but the masses can't. That kind of kills it off as a tool for information exchange.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

I only downloaded the most recent 150 headers, and, sadly, the signal-to- noise ratio was kind of miserable.

Maybe a lot of people have given up on it because of ISPs just dropping alt.* entirely. I didn't check if google will post there, but I kinda doubt it - and in any case, they don't archive anything.

But I'm optimistic - at least it's still there!

Another group I've found quite valuable is alt.os.linux.slackware, albeit I was so jazzed about being able to get on it, that I didn't bother to critique the S/N ratio (which has been historically quite high), because I was so eager to come here and rave. :-)

All in all, I'd say "thumbs up!"

Cheers! Rich

the

haven't

but,

happy

Both Forte APN and Astraweb carry it. I have a trial account with APN and a block account with Astraweb.

[...]

I switched to news.individual.de after AT&T ditched Usenet. No binaries :-(

But Jim said there ain't much going on anymore so why bother?

[...]

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

I noted that... had to make an exception filter for you ;-)

Nope. Seems very rare any more. John Fields puts all his stuff there, but I've stopped using it for posts, because so many people can't see it. ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
Eight years ago, on September 11, around 6AM, 4 telephone calls in
rapid succession, "Mom, Where's Dad, Is he flying?"
My wife woke me and turned on the television.
                               ****
                       We will NEVER forget!
                         We WILL get even!
                 Apply salt to the Obama-slug ;-)

What? You even filtered the Berlin University server? Never seen any spam from there. AFAICT they keep pretty good tabs on abuse, they'd give spammers or rogue people the boot. Plus the default setting is 100 posts/day. Enough for me and I can always ask for that to be set higher, but this requires a personal email and I am sure they'd look at my "footprint" before granting the request.

The really nice thing: I already had peace and quiet from Google spam but once in a while the occasional far east peddlers came through with new domains. Since I am on the news server in Berlin this stuff literally dropped to zero.

"... can't see it". That's exactly what does a forum in, and fast :-(

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

Joerg, I know things somewhat from the Telco end. I was an CO tech for seven years, back 20 years ago, but we had the coziest break room on the mountain, so the I&R guys all hung out there. This was in the mountains just below Lake Arrowhead, so it wasn't easy terrain.

What Mike has been talking about was that the Telco biz has standards out the yazoo, and if you don't follow them, heads roll. (or, at least they did... ;-) ) However, the cable folks have always been pretty slap-dash in their methods whenever they could get away with it.

Now, in Mike's backyard, the telcos and utility commisions were able to keep a handle on the cable folks, and make them meet the local standards. That hasn't happened as much here in CA, because we were going through a lot of deregulation right when the cable companies were coming on the scene. Especially out in the boonies, like where you and I are located, the cable plant was often originally installed by Bozo and his team of clowns who were the cheapest bidders when the local franchizee got finished spreading his bribes around to the local commisioners and other officials. In more densly populated areas, they eventually had to go back and make it meet some sort of standard to get it all to work, but in the hinterlands, it was all cowboy.

Now, as to ladders and bucket trucks, in the mountains only the cable splicers got bucket trucks. All the everyday guys had to use ladders to reach the poles and string drops. And, you put the ladder on the side of the pole AWAY from the street. A lot less traffic out there!

8-)

Charlie

Oh yeah, When we were going to build on some land down in Borrego, it was educational taking a good look at all the easements and setbacks. There was actually a designated equestrian trail on one side of the property!

And, the power, phone and electric all ran down an easement behind the property. Heaven help you if you put up a fence back there...

Charlie

They would leave respectfully, and return an hour later with the sheriff, and he would 'explain' things to uncle leroy...

And, even today, on the street above me, there is this little 'alley' (actually, a walkway about three feet wide) where a line of poles goes behind the fences of the older house above our development, and the retaining walls of our neighborhood. If they ever need to replace any of those pole, it will get real interesting...

Charlie

Hi Rich, I have joined you. Seems to have been working so far this week...

Charlie

me.

It was always interesting to me that you could always spot the central offices when you looked - no windows! We were told that they were afraid that the locals would shoot us through them, or something.

But then, I got to work in the one CO that not onlly had windows, they were around a two story staircase located in a beautiful part of the mountains. Great for watching it snow, or rain, or just looking out of.

Several folks asked us how we kept them, without them being covered or painted over. We told them that no second line or higher manager ever came by. When they would call to say they were coming up, we would reply "Yes, they should have that landslide clear by the time you get up here..." or, in winter "Yes, as long as you have chains."

Now, up above us, in Lake Arrowhead, they actually had a penthouse apartment above the CO that the VP's and above would come and use for a week or two. The guys up there had to be on their guard, because you could have a high muckety muck decide to take an unannounced 'tour' of the office on a saturday, when you were down in the break room listening to the game...

Charlie

Spray cans? You mean the can covers for the switches? Don't remember having that many extras around...

Yes, I was a certifed SxS Equipment Maintainer.

Charlie

Just be glad you weren't part of the crew that built & operated the 'White Alice' network. :)

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You can\'t have a sense of humor, if you have no sense!

Charlie, United Video was privately owned. (The same United Video that uplinked WOR & WGN and offered the Electronic Program Guide to all cable operators.) No stock holders screaming about spending too much money to do things right. He paid well, bought the best equipment and expected the employees to do things right the first time. Part of my job was to examine or test samples of equipment and hardware. Some was so poorly designed or built that I never plugged it in. Like supposed commercial grade C-band Satellite receivers with a built in Ch. 3/4 modulator or machined brass 'F' connectors with no plating. Road salt would have eaten them in a couple months, and they would have corroded to the aluminum ports on the taps. Some equipment was crap, but traded on their company name, like Scientific Atlanta or Rockwell/Collins. Both cost four times what the Microdyne 1100 LPR did, and had a lot higher noise figure. Both drew a lot more power, as well. When you have relay racks full of them, that adds up.

We worked so well with the primary pole owner that we had the home phone number for their 'Cable Liaison' that we could call if we had trouble getting to the right people when we had problems. Most of the time all it took was the mention of calling his office or home got immediate results.

--
You can\'t have a sense of humor, if you have no sense!

I forgot, the sanitary sewer was back there too (storm sewer, water, and gas was at the front).