Newsgroups are good because downloads from them are virtually untraceable. Sure, it could be done, but the companies who provide newsgroup access aren’t in the business of selling out their customers. The only other way would be if the RIAA/MPAA got a court order to look at the logs and with dozens if not hundreds of Usenet providers, they’d have quite a job on their hands. They also allow you to directly communicate with the uploader of a file, request help, ask questions, make requests, etc.

No, newsgroups aren’t as easy to use as P2P networks, but they’re not THAT difficult when you understand how they work. First, you need to understand that newsgroups were never meant to carry files and doing so is basically a kludge. The files are encoded to something the newsgroups will accept, then decoded on the other end. If this wasn’t done, the files would be mangled by the posting process. Most servers have a limit to the size of each individual post, so all posting software will split the files up into smaller parts, which are then re-assembled by the downloader. In any modern program, this happens automatically, so you only need to worry about files and not separate parts.

Large files are split into smaller files, usually with Rar, to make them easier to work with. Otherwise your newsreader would need to decode 1,400+ parts for a 700MB file. By downloading 48-50 Rar files, it makes it much easier to handle. The Rar files are then unpacked to get the original file. Of course, some parts may go missing since Usenet is made up of a serious of separate servers that talk to each other and TRY to pass along everything. This is where Par2 files come in. They can replace missing or bad parts of a file, provided that the poster included enough Par2 blocks. If not, a polite request for additional blocks is often honored.

As for finding all the individual parts, many modern programs have the option to group files together based on the subject line so that each post appears as a single line in the list. If not, you can always use a search site like Binsearch. They usually, but not always, group all the files of a post together as a collection. Or you’ll see 2-3 collections from the same auther, one has the Rar files, one has the Par2 files, one has the subs, etc. You just tag the ones you want, create an NZB file, load it into your program of choice and it downloads whatever you’ve selected from whatever server you entered the logon details for.

Newsreaders can typically be divided into two types; Text oriented and binary downloaders. Most do a little of both, but generally a program will specialize in one or the other. I like Agent for reading the text groups and browsing binary ones, and Binary News Reaper 2 for downloading with NZB files. Actually, I should say that I like BNR2’s features, the program itself is buggy and sometimes just stops working.

Many first time usenet users are tempted to use Outlook Express since they already have it on their system. People with Vista may have Windows Mail or Windows Mail Live. DON’T! You might think “I’ll just use it to take a look at what the newsgroups have to offer.” DON’T! Despite what MS might claim, these programs are not newsreaders. They have never been newsreaders. They will never be newsreaders. They are email programs that were kludged to work with newsgroups. They have so many limitations compared to modern newsreaders, especially for binary downloading, that they’re like using a pencil and paper compared to a word processor. If you use them to go on the newsgroups, you will be met with derision by most other users because almost all the problems you will experience will be caused by their lack of features.

Also, occasionally in the newsgroups, you might see people complaining about the use of an encoding method known as “yEnc”. Despite it having been in use for years now and working quite well, there are still a few hard-core fanatics who will claim that it doesn’t work properly, that it carries spyware/viruses, that it will kill your dog, etc. Ignore these idiots. I try not to be judgemental, but these people are idiots who ignore established facts and cling to outdated programs that haven’t been updated in years. Thankfully, they seem to be just about extinct now.

Read the Slyck guide linked to by a couple users above. It has more detailed explanations, comparison of newsreaders and news providers and links to all the software you need.

I used to think like that, but it’s so much easier with usenet. I just buy a block account from usenet-news.net where you get 300GB for $66, no time limit on it, bought it last year will last me a good few more months aswel
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No worrying about ratios like I did with torrents, (public trackers too slow to use) and now downloading maxes out my connection. Works out at 22 cents per gigabyte, which is nothing if you have a job.

And btw AltBinz is the best newsreader.

Many thanks! I am reading through it now.

How is that company’s with newsservers farms can sell illegal stuff, and not be sued?
While torrent site who just post links are threatened.

http://www.iusenet.com hant tried yet but 10 a month unlimited 110 days connections ?