Long before the World Wide Web came Usenet, a sprawling universe of content that could only be accessed through specialised software and by a handful of people back in the days.
Fast forward to 2018 and Usenet, which turns 40 next year, has evolved into a massive repository of content and discussion that’s easily accessible with the right tools with incredible speeds that put data exchange solution to shame.
Like the latter, you can find plenty of legal downloads (movie trailers, Linux distro, public domain software, abandonware, out of copyright content) but in addition, you can also indulge in conversations with some of the brightest minds around (no, you won’t find these on social networks).
Techradar readers can benefit from an exclusive 30-day free trial to UseNeXT with up to 600GB download for free (including a 30GB download at 800Mbps). Get 25% off when you take a paid-for package which allows you to download at up to 800Mbps.
What is Usenet?
Some describe it as a cross between an online forum and a data exchange platform but outside the usual WWW paradigm that has shaped our world. For a start, it doesn’t rely on the hypertext transfer protocol to work and doesn’t use URL (Uniform Resource Locator) as is commonly done online.
Then you would usually use a newsreader to access the content rather than a web browser. Finally, you have to pay for good, sustainable, access to Usenet; there are free Usenet servers but they tend to be less reliable, unprotected and far slower.
Why is Usenet still relevant
Usenet is far more secure as well since it doesn’t rely on cookies or adverts to live. Getting rid of these makes Usenet far more secure and anonymous. Its decentralised infrastructure, with its roots infused in academia, means that user tracking (and logging) are de facto non-existent.
That means less censorship and putting security at its core, for example, using 256-bit SSL encryption by default. Don’t forget the fact that Usenet can make full use of your internet speed and is often only bottlenecked by how fast your computer can download files: UseNeXT for example, allows you to download at up to 800Mbps!
Why you should use UseNeXT for Usenet
UseNeXT, one of the most popular providers on the market, has introduced millions of users to the world of Usenet, one that not only predates the World Wide Web that we know but also lives in parallel in the underbelly of the Internet.
Just as Internet providers give access to the Internet, UseNeXT makes access to the Usenet easy. The services provided by UseNeXT and its use are completely legal!
It offers access to 25 million GB of data, that’s one of the largest data repositories of any provider worldwide. Files, equivalent to about 100,000 iPhone X (256GB model), are scattered amongst more than 110,000 uncensored newsgroups and have a retention time of 3400 days (more than nine years).
UseNeXT also has six server farms in Europe and the USA and ensures maximum download speed thanks to up to 30 simultaneous connections. And don’t worry about your privacy; UseNeXT doesn’t store your IP address and data log.
And should you encounter a snag, their professional support team is available over the phone or online.
Grab that exclusive 25% off when you take a paid-for package which allows you to download at up to 800Mbps.
