"Andrew H. Carter" > wrote in message
...
> On 24 Jan 2005 15:00:20 -0800, "nancree" >
> scribbled some thoughts:

[...]

More info:


http://www.betanews.com/article/AOL_...ice/1106664611

AOL Pulls Plug on Newsgroup Service

By Brian McWilliams, Guest Columnist
January 25, 2005, 9:50 AM

"The world's largest ISP is cutting off direct access to one of the
oldest, coolest -- and strangest -- parts of the Internet.

America Online has quietly announced that it will discontinue providing
member
access to Usenet newsgroups next month. In recent days, AOL subscribers who
access keyword "Newsgroups" are greeted with a pop-up message informing them
of
the change: "Please Note: The AOL Newsgroup service will be discontinued in
early 2005."

According to a notice on AOL's Web site, the newsgroup shut-off will occur
in
February, severing subscribers from the thousands of discussion groups that
make
up Usenet.

AOL officials weren't immediately available to explain the newsgroup
shutdown.
The ISP's pop-up message advises subscribers that newsgroup services are
available from third-party providers. The message also notes that users with
separate high-speed connections may be able to arrange newsgroup access
through
their broadband provider. AOL users can read newsgroups over the Web using
Google Groups, the message said.

The Usenet dates back to around 1980. Now that blogs and instant messaging
have
supplanted older Internet technologies such as newsgroups and IRC, it's
unlikely
that AOL users will create much of an uproar over the decision. But the
event
nonetheless represents a milestone in Internet history.

The AOL newsgroup shutdown comes almost exactly eleven years after the
service
first unleashed its members on the Usenet. In early 1994, seasoned newsgroup
participants complained of the sudden influx of AOL newbies, who appeared to
know little of Usenet etiquette. One dismayed user likened AOL members to
drunk
drivers on the Information Super Highway."

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