Re: Search for missing newsgroup archive : comp.binaries.apple2

[et472@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michael Black)]

"FTA" (webmaster@freetoolsassociation.com) writes:
> Hi Folks,
> 
> I was searching the newsgroup archive using Google, and was surprised to see
> that some newsgroups (such as comp.binaries.apple2) did not appear on that
> search.
> 
They don't archive binary newsgroups because they take up too much space.
This is the same reason many news sites don't carry binary newsgroups either
(and for that matter, why binary posts should only be posted to binary
newsgroups).

Binary newsgroups are a waste of bandwidth.  A relative handful of people
will make use of the large file, but in order for it to propogate,
the large message has to take up space on every news server that carries
the binary newsgroup.  So if you start witha a 1meg file, the size
gets multiplied by however many newsservers take the message.

If someone does it properly, they will stash it somewhere online,
and then point people to it.  Everyone gets the message on where to get
it, but the actual file only gets transferred by the relative handful who
actuall want it.

Binary newsgroups likely made sense twenty years ago, when Usenet
was done over phone lines, the few binary posts had relevance to the
rest of the limited number of newsgroups, and the files were relatively
small.  Many people did not have full internet access, so if the binary
wasn't carried with the rest of the messages, they would never get it.

But now, virtually nobody who reads the newsgroups has less than full
internet access. They will have no problem visiting a webpage, or an
ftp site, to get the binary if they want it.

Binaries clutter Usenet, putting a significant load on the system,
with relatively little return.  

Take note also that binaries tend to be a dumping ground.  People
who don't want to bother spending some space to make a file available,
or who are posting some illegally copied file and doesn't want to be
caught, make significant use of the binaries.  Indeed, the two
times the local paper has mentioned newsgroups in the past year, it's
been in reference to binaries, as if the only thing newsgroups are
good for is illegal material.  In a discussion of bootleg music,
one caller to a local radio station talked about "subscribing to a service"
to get his music.  Further questions uncovered that he was paying for
a news server, so he could get those illegally copied binaries that otherwise
might be difficult to get ahold of.  He has no interest in newsgroups
by themselves, only in the binaries he can harvest.  Likewise, a regular
topic in the oldtime radio newsgroup is finding a server that has "good
binaries", because they need it in order to get their illegal copies
of their old radio shows.

   Michael