I’m not asking about how it is used for warez, since that is what it mostly hosting at this point… Nor am I asking why anyone should or should not start a community on USENET (many reasons why you wouldn’t/couldn’t).

Instead, I am asking why someone would only decide to engage with the textual, traditional, conversational aspects of USENET over modern tools like lemmy?

I could name a few I suppose:

  • Relative anonymity
  • Access to a large amount of history
  • Nostalgia
  • Communication with those who still frequent newsgroups

I don’t know how many more there are but I would like to hear your guys’ opinions in regards to those listed above and any others I may have missed.

    • dontgogettingtooclever@piefed.socialEnglish
      13·
      2 days ago

      This may it sound like a silly question but what kind of high quality conversations? It’s been so long since I’ve used USENET. I’m not even sure how you connect with conversations on there.

      • resterWink@lemmy.darkc0de.oneOPEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        Its honestly about connecting with the conversation, reading everyone’s replies and seeing if it is something you would want to comment on and think you could bring something to the table in doing so. Or you could just join in the memery

        Just like these forums you see now.

        However, I do think the format substantially encouraged a higher level of engagement since you’re comments and thoughts weren’t squished in between everyone elses’. If someone wanted to read your thoughts on the thread it was exclusively your’s that they would look at. Like I said in other comments, its a more intimate experience compared to normal comment sections.

      • one_old_coder@piefed.socialEnglish
        121·
        2 days ago

        I remember talking to real experts in programming and C++. Hacker News used to be like that, but they became stupid with AI.

        • NABDad@lemmy.worldEnglish
          18·
          2 days ago

          Back in the before time, I was having a problem getting a new ethernet card working in Linux. I posted a question in USENET, and got a reply from the guy who wrote the driver for the NIC. I supplied the info he asked for and he got the driver working for the new NIC.

    • resterWink@lemmy.darkc0de.oneOPEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      the lack of JS is one of my fave features about it. I don’t have to really worry about running remotely provided code when I just want to read a discussion.

      Also, I do agree. Usually the conversations are rather insightful, though thats probably just the people