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I used to access newsgroups via the Berlin university's facilities - they provided free acccounts, but that stopped a few years ago. Since then I have been using Google groups to access newsgroups but it's not the same thing as accessing Usenet via a newsreader like Pan.

If any of you still access newsgroups via news readers, where is your account? Please mention if it's free or paid, if paid, how much do you pay, as well as how satisfied you are with the service.

Edit: While binaries may be a reason to have a Usenet account, that's not the motivation for me. It is the ability to use the newsreader client features that Google groups doesn't provide.

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Could you explain what you want this for? Since what I used to have a paid usenet account for was downloading from binary groups. But I could be mistaking off course – Ivo Flipse♦ Jul 30 '09 at 8:40
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I need this because I would prefer to read newsgroups via newsreader desktop clients rather than via Google groups, there are facilities like killfiles, watches filters, subscription grouping that Google groups doesn't provide. Nothing to do with binaries. – alok Jul 30 '09 at 11:03
@Ivo - Once you get accustomed to a newsreader (a real one, not something like GGroups, or MS Outlook) there is simply no going back. Watch message, kill filters, ignore message, ... try it. I recommend Agent as reader, since I've been using it for somewhat around 10-15 years, so am clinically unable to work with anything else. Too bad usenet is losing popularity. It is far the best and easiest way of getting information off the net. @alok - Imagine if we could have SO and SU mirrored to a usenet server ! – ldigas Aug 15 '09 at 23:14
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3 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

It's a paid service, but I love giganews. Their main claim to fame is having over a year's retention for binaries groups (which is insane) but their "normal" text groups support is excellent as well - six years and change worth of retention.

I'm paying five bucks a month, and it's worth every penny. Uptime is great, speed is great, and the text groups work great with Thunderbird.

(And then, the few times a year I feel the need to pull something out of a binaries group, I've got that option as well.)

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up vote 5 down vote

Out of the free ones, Eternal September (previously known as Motzarella.org), and Aioe.org.

There are many lists of "free usenet servers" on the web, but many of them are either outdated, or include all servers even if they don't carry the comp/misc/sci/rec/etc groups.

But if you just want Usenet for *.binaries, I can't help you then.

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Editing the question since *.binaries references keep popping up in responses! :) – alok Jul 30 '09 at 11:08
Do both of them allow users to post messages too? I've found one before, but it did not let me post or reply back on the newsgroups I subscribe to. – Isxek Jul 30 '09 at 13:28
EternalSeptember allows posting. Aioe.org does too, but since it's a public server, posts coming from it are occassionally routed to \Device\Null. – grawity Jul 30 '09 at 18:10
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up vote 3 down vote

Was it the University of Berlin that you are thinking of? (used to be called news.cis.dfn.de)

Their free service has now been replaced with a paid €10 a year service - see: news.individual.net.

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+1 I use that too – Nifle Jul 30 '09 at 10:42
Yes you're right. Correcting the question to reflect this. – alok Jul 30 '09 at 10:50
I'm using this as well, and it's well worth the small annual payment. – Lars Haugseth Jul 30 '09 at 11:08
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