Pretty much the question. I heard about Usenet a while back but never managed to wrap my head around it.

  • Mossy Feathers (She/They)
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    10 months ago

    It’s federated? Okay, that makes a lot more sense. I thought usenet providers were like isps, connecting to a single, central host or something. I didn’t realize they were federated systems.

    • kender242@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      It’s really neat to think of Usenet as ‘federated’ considering that’s a new term for most of us.

      My preferred options are: Binsearch, astraweb, and newsbin

      You get what you pay for, a bargain IMHO

    • damnthefilibuster@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      If I recall correctly, ISPs were often running their own Usenet servers. This meant that traffic didn’t leave their networks and thus they paid less network interchange fees.

      These days maybe only niche ISPs in some parts of the world might be running Usenet servers. Majority of them are run by specific companies created specifically for the purpose.