A really really basic guide to USENET downloading
mannybolone
Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
Keep in mind - someone could probably do a more articulate job than I in breaking this down but I'll give it a shot.WHY USENET? It's faster. MUCH faster then torrents and don't even try to compare it with traditional P2P networks like Soulseek. I'm on DSL, which isn't as fast as cable let alone T1 or T3 speeds and I still get upwards 250/kps. HOWEVER - Usenet files tend not to stay around as long as torrents do - it's very much "of the moment" and few files will stay around for longer than 30 days from posting. Usenet also tends to be more mainstream - you're not likely to find obscure music or movies via this way. You want a camcorder burn of "40 Year Old Virgin" or a superior telesync version of [name big Hollywood movie here] or major music releases? Usenet's got that.They also have video games, books (including audio books), PC software (don't see much Mac stuff though), anime, and of course, porn out the wazoo (since, as we all know, the internet is basically all MP3s and porn). WHAT'S THE ISSUE? I don't understand the technical reasons why but people don't upload a single GB file to the Usenet. They break it down into smaller fragments. The most common for movies is a convention known as RAR which breaks large files into roughtly 20MB fragments. Keep reading, we'll come back to this in a second. Since a large file is going to have many fragments, it's not really convenient to sit down and download 89 files by hand. Therefore, someone created another convention, known as NZB, that is an automated script you download which is then processed and will download all the files you need to then reassemble the master file. An NZB file, however, is NOT an assembly guide. It's more like a table of contents but it won't actually recreate the master file for you. OK, SO WHAT THE FUCK NOW? Here's what you're going to need:1) You need to be able to search the Usenet for the content you want and for NZB files that link to them. I use newzbin.com. You pay then about $4 every two months for unlimited access. The website is both a search engine and an NZB generator. In other words, say you want to download "Broken Flowers". Newzbin.com will find the files you need and then create an NZB file for you that will help you download all the parts you need.2) You need a program that can read an NZB file. You need a newsreader program in other words, of which there are many to choose from. As a Mac user, I use a program called IGrabnews. Bad name, good program. When you open an NZB file in it, it will go to the Usetnet and download all the files that the NZB tells it to.2a) Here's a catch. Most of your ISPs - whether DSL, cable, etc. - has a built-in maximum for what you're allowed to download a month. This varies from company to company. However, the ceiling tends to be rather low and if you're going to be downloading files one GB at a time, you're quickly going to exceed that ceiling. That's where web sites like usenetserver.com and others come in. They increase that ceiling for you. The service I use has an unlimited ceiling and costs me $15/month. Not crazy cheap but considering the convenience, it's worth it. (I'm a shut-in, stay-at-home dad so this is the only way I get to see 90% of the movies I do). 3) Ok...so you've opened accounts on both newzbin.com (to search) and usenetserver.com (to download). You've downloaded a newsreader program to process the NZB files. What's left?You need something to reassemble the RAR files into the master file. For Mac, it's a program called UnRAR. What you do is feed (click and drag) all your RAR files into it and then it will go through an reassemble it back into the master file. Voila! (This can take a while for a big file however so you shouldn't do it if you have other work that needs to be done). 4) So what's the math again?2 accounts2 software programsThis may not seem crazy intuitive but once you get into the habit, it's really not hard at all but yeah, it requires a little more footwork and it's not for the techno-phobes out there. Oh, I'm leaving out the whole thing about PAR files and how they can repair damaged RAR files but frankly, I don't even want to go there. Maybe someone else can break it down.
Comments
I like the lossless groups.
for mp3 they already have the binary mp3 file up there that you click on and download to your harddrive. As for video's you can download them as a group of rar files or you can download the whole 600Meg -> 1Gig chunk which is autounrar'ed into its native MPG, AVI or ASF format. The only thing you really need to worry about putting together are the applications that are broken up into multiple rar files. 10 dollars a month saves you a lot of hassel. One account and WinRar for those on the PC and you are straight.
If you come from a time I did like when you had to download the text file and then use UUDecode to take that text and decode it into a binary for use on the PC then going through a little trouble is no big deal. That shit was a nightmare sometimes.
I have also read that www.giganews.com is a good site as well.
You don't have to do that anymore???
what groups do you browse? i've only found a general one and a jazz one on my server.
I guess the entire idea for people new to Usenet is think of it as a giant worldwide bulletin board where people can post downloadable files (binaries) as well as text for specific groups that have very specific topics. This bulletin board can be hosted on many servers and posting to one server will propagate throughout the entire network. Some groups are moderated, some aren't, and generally if you ask a dumb question or if it doesn't belong in the group's section, someone will be kind enough to let you know. The original groups were alt, comp, sci...etc but have evolved into many more. You then follow the starting group by a .[more specific group]. A random example would be sci.electronics.design. Here you would find people posting messages relating to electronics and what not. The "good" stuff is in the alt.binaries.* sections...so check that out. Google provides a "groups" section but they do not carry every group. You can check it out here .
First off...make sure you have a good program for browsing around newsgroups. I personally recommend GrabIt because its pretty easy to use. You can use browsers such as Outlook but downloading files can become an insane mess especially when you are trying to keep track of 50 rar files sometimes scattered throughout a busy feed.
Having the right program is key but also having a reliable server is important as well. With must high speed internet companies, they supply a conncetion to their NNTP server (Network News Transfer Protocol) but they typically don't carry many groups as well as their "retention" (amount of time they keep posts on the server) is very low. For instance, at home I have Comcast and while their retention is about 1 month, which is decent, they cap you at 2 gigs of information per month. For mp3 albums thats no sweat. For...alt.binaries.dvd-r, 2 gigs is nothing. I highly recommend UseNet Server if you want to pay a monthly fee of 15 bucks and unlimited downloads. This is also a good list of providers.
Par files can't be fucked with. They are amazing things and I even don't really understand how its done. I need to look into it but I do understand the concept. Say this album you want to download is up on a newsgroup server but since your server has limited retention, maybe half of it is already gone. By downloading the par file for your particular album and running some programs, it will essentially fill in the blanks (somehow) and you have your album. Read here for a very good tutorial on how to use par files as well as Usernet.
Hope this helps...
ps. is there a free way to "use" USENET?
Unlike the torrent networks, you do not need to upload to download. People that post these files do it at their own risk and mostly for the joy of sharing. Granted though, it is extremely hard to trace back an IP address from an NNTP server because of all the bouncing around it will go through as servers get updated.
As far as free newsgroup providers, you can run searches on google and you should be able to come up with something. It is very hard to find a free, reliable, fast, good retention newsgroup server, so it really does pay to subscribe to a better service. Think of it this way...unlimited downloads for 15 bucks will easily be paid off by the DVD copy of 3 movies that are currently playing in theaters, that PS2 game you downloaded for your modded PS2 and a couple jazz and psych albums you got that you probably will never find on vinyl. (Theoretically speaking)
ODub
I just saw your post on BitTorrents. When will you master FTP and IRC?
A few side notes...
For free.. You can probably access through ur ISP.. But it's kinda a biatch searching for shit if u don't know what ur doing. Pay the dollars and go through a good group if u got some cash to spare.
You don't need to mod ur PS2 anymore... Swap Magic is dope....
Yeah, ODub XDCC MASTAH next? 0Sec access w00t!
I think I remember you posting something about going to Indiana University. My school (Michigan State) has a news server but doesn't carry the cool groups. You should check out yours though and see what they got.
If you do go to school down there I may have to visit sometime! My friend teaches over there.
im going back to school on friday, so i will ask around to see what people know about the news server shit, i think i remember it existing, then people finding out it was going on and taking it down, im not sure though...
definately let me know if you are visiting IU, we can hit the Gnaw Bone fleas