Basic Newsgroup Binary Info
Basic Newsgroup Binary InfoThe alt.* Hierarchy
The alt.* hierarchy was created soon after the Big 8 as a reaction to the restrictions that the Usenet community placed on newsgroups within the Big 8. The alt.* hierarchy was created to be outside of those restrictions as a place where no topic is prohibited and the creation of newsgroups is truly open to anyone who has the technical abilities to do so.
The alt.binaries* Sub-hierarchy
The alt.binaries* sub-hierarchy is the same unregulated place that the alt.* hierarchy is. alt.binaries* differs from other hierarchies because it contains only binary newsgroups, and almost all binary newsgroups across all of Usenet are found in the sub-hierarchy.
Binaries
Usenet binaries are any type of file which is attached onto newsgroup articles across the alt.binaries.* hierarchy or in other newsgroups that support binary articles. Because of the nature of binaries, if you want to get access to binary articles you need to have access to a news server that supports binaries and to a news reader which will read binaries. Not all news servers or news clients will let you easily access binary newsgroups, so keep your eye out.
To access newsgroup binaries, you will probably need to pay for Usenet access and a news reader. Most of the popular providers offer very reasonable prices, especially considering the value of newsgroup binary access. Some popular, high quality providers include:
Some popular news readers that support binary newsgroups include:
To find newsgroup binary articles, you can choose a news reader with a powerful newsgroup search engine, you can use NZB files, or you can manually browse your favorite binary newsgroups.
Quality news readers will have some sort of search feature, even if it just searches a particular group for the article you want, but some are more powerful than others. Check out the features of your chosen news reader to see what they offer and whether a search engine is an add on service.
NZB files are popular with some Usenet users because they help make it easy to find specific articles without having to search via your news reader. Do an Internet search for "NZB search" or a similar key phrase and you'll find a bunch of sites that let you search and use NZB files for free.
Manually browsing newsgroups is practical if you have a few newsgroups that you know you really enjoy. Some news servers have lists of the newsgroups they carry, and you can find lists of popular binary newsgroups on the Internet. You can find binary newsgroups that might interest you by looking at the name of the newsgroups.