Posts made to Newsgroups are exchanged worldwide between News Servers. These servers carry a list of Newsgroups and anything posted to those specific groups are exchanged to other servers that carry the same groups. However, there are several factors that determine the quality of a News Server.
Retention
Some binary groups pick up literally Gigabytes of data on a daily basis. Now, imagine that a News Server carries hundreds of busy binary groups, and you will see that storage space is really a problem when it comes to running a News Server. Retention is basically the amount of days that binary files remain on a News Server after they are first added to the server. For some News Servers, like free public servers that might carry a small few binary groups, this won't be a very long time at all. Some other servers however, like a premium-rate News Server, could have a retention anywhere from 30 to 90 days.
However, even though a News Server might advertise a retention of 40+ days, that doesn't mean that it applies to all binary groups, it is simply an average figure. Therefore the most active groups, like alt.binaries.multimedia, might have a much lower retention rate than a less active binary group. However, even though a News Server might appear to have excellent retention, it's completion rates might be another story.
Completion
Think of a 15MB file that is posted to alt.binaries.multimedia on a News Server. That data will spread rapidly but it is a very very delicate process because that 15MB file is actually thousands of text posts. If even one of these posts is missing on a server, the file is technically incomplete. With the availability of PAR and PAR2 files (we will see more about these later) most often on a decent News Server, incomplete files can be repaired, but Completion Rates is a very big issue to take into account when looking for a News Server.
Premium services advertise rates of up to 99.9%+ but if you are using a free server, or one provided by your ISP, you will probably not get a completion rate for whatever binary groups they carry, you will instead just have to look and see for yourself. A good News Server with a high retention rate and high completion is ideal. Here are some pro's and con's of News Servers.
Free Public News Servers
Pros
It's free
Cons
Very unlikely to carry many binary groups
Low Completion rates likely
Low Retention rates likely
Slow download speeds
Privacy not guaranteed
Uptime not guaranteed
Low Download limit
You will; probably be able to find lists of free News Servers you can use online, but they won't have most of the binary groups and downloading from them will generally be a bad Usenet experience. Privacy on an open public News Server is not guaranteed.
ISP Provided Servers
Pros
News Server access is often included in the cost of your Internet access
Many ISP-provided News Servers carry Binary groups
News Server is likely well maintained
Cons
Most ISP servers don't carry all Binary groups
Retention is often low to moderate
Completion is often low to moderate
Some limits may be in effect (see your ISP's website
Not all ISPs provide a News Server to subscribers but many do. Really the quality of the server depends entirely on your ISP, as it varies from provider to provider. You should read your ISPs usage and privacy policies before you use their News Server.
Premium Service
Pros
Premium servers carry the vast majority if not all binary groups
Completion is usually very good to excellent
Retention is usually very good to excellent
Servers are well maintained
High speed downloads are the norm
Uptime is No.1 Priority for premium service
Unlimited downloads services are available
Cons
Picking a service can be hard
Some are over-priced
Some Premium Services generally provide a bad service
Premium services are generally paid for by credit card at a monthly rate. Providers offer packages to customers. For example you could find a service with a 10GB download limit to all binary groups with 40+ days retention and 99% completion for less than $10 per month, and can also find unlimited download services with much higher retention and completion rates for up to $30 per month.
Giganews: A Prime Example
Many people regard Giganews.com as providing the best Usenet service online. I have been using Giganews for quite a while now and I have to say they do live up to what they promise. Here is what they offer.
Some Stats
Access too all binary newsgroups uncensored
140+ days of binary retention, 1400+ days of text retention
99% completion rate
Privacy guaranteed
Tremendous Uptime
Very high-speed access
Optional SSL for further privacy ensures.
Current package offers
Giganews Bronze
For light users of mainly text groups
2GB download limit per month
10 concurrent connections
Optional SSL for $5 extra per month
$7.99 per month
Giganews Bronze is for light Usenet users
Giganews Silver
For intermediate users of Binary groups
25GB download limit per month
10 concurrent connections
Optional SSL for $5 extra per month
$12.99 per month
Giganews Silver is for an intermediate user of Newsgroups. It's a good place to start for newbies and upgrading account is simple if needed.
Giganews Platinum
For heavy users of Binary groups
Unlimited download (unless overly excessive)
10 concurrent connections
Optional SSL for $5 extra per month
$25.99 per month
Giganews Platinum is for users who will be downloading regularly from Binary groups.
Giganews Diamond
For heavy users of binary groups
Unlimited download (unless overly excessive)
20 concurrent connections for highest speeds
SSL included
$29.99 per month
This is the best package from Giganews. Giganews is a fine service and we highly recommend it but there are many more flexible rates around. You just sort of have to shop around when looking for a premium News Server. However, before you go entering credit card details, do use Google to see if you can find any user experiences with particular services first. Anyway, it's pointless to get a News Server right now without learning more about Usenet so let's continue and talk about Newsgroups themselves
So, you need to find a News Server. You should look around, but be careful. If you use Google, you will be able to find many reviews and recommendations for News Servers, it's a bad idea to pick one on blind faith alone. In this example, I have signed up for Giganews and received my account details by email. Time for me to setup a News Reader and get started.
Posts made to Newsgroups are exchanged worldwide between News Servers. These servers carry a list of Newsgroups and anything posted to those specific groups are exchanged to other servers that carry the same groups. However, there are several factors that determine the quality of a News Server.