Duke shut down its Usenet server yesterday, which is significant because Duke’s server was the original home of Usenet. I think this means that Usenet is now available only to about a dozen people with panix accounts.
I note this here because Usenet was an important part of my life. I started reading the rec.arts.sf.* hierarchy in 1993, was involved in the creation of rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan, and spent a lot of time there and on rec.sport.basketball.college as a graduate student and post-doc. It was my introduction to text-based interaction on the Internet, and led directly to blogdom and my current C-list Internet fame. I made a lot of friends through Usenet, including Kate, so it’s really been a major influence on my personal life.
Of course, I haven’t looked at any of those groups in years, and my first reaction to the Duke story, like a lot of other people’s, was “Wow. That’s still going?” But it is, and it’s sad but sort of fitting to see that nine of the last ten posts to r.a.s.w.r-j are by Tim Bruening.
So long, Usenet. You will be remembered fondly, and in jokes that nobody gets any more.
I only found out about these things called “blogs” when I stumbled into alt.dolls.barbie.collectors.anarchy.media.technology.useless last month. After reading my first blog this morning (it took a couple of weeks for the group’s FAQ to get posted again) I can now go back and talk about my experiences in this “blogging” world…
As I understand, Usenet access remains (for now) via groups.google.com.
That being said, yes, Usenet is well into it’s fade into oblivion. And as someone whose own debt to rasfwr-j is quite substantial: Ave ataque vale.
There are still lots and lots of other Usenet servers, but it is indeed sad that the first one is gone. 🙁 Luckily, my ISP still runs one.
The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills.
Aww, Auntie Erica never turned off the Timmy-bot? Poor thing must be so confused…
Alt.soc.neutopia, the canary in the coal mine.
I’m pretty sure my cable company still offers Usenet as a feature, which would maybe be handy if BitTorrent didn’t work and I needed to steal something, I guess.