Chapter 3 Usenet Although it is still true that most Usenet discussion groups are related to computers, there is also a large variety of discussion on many other topics of much more general interest. Access to Usenet is freely available to anyone on the FSU campus network with almost even kind of computer - even a PC or a Mac. You should call the Computer Center if you need information. The following article is periodically posted in the news.announce.newusers newsgroup and explains what Usenet is (and is not). Numerous other explanatory postings regularly appear in that group, so new Usenet users should always subscribe to it first. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What is Usenet? by Chip Salzenberg (chip@count.tct.com) The first thing to understand about Usenet is that it is widely misunderstood. Every day on Usenet, the "blind men and the elephant" phenomenon is evident, in spades. In my opinion, more flame wars arise because of a lack of understanding of the nature of Usenet than from any other source. And consider that such flame wars arise, of necessity, among people who are on Usenet. Imagine, then, how poorly understood Usenet must be by those outside! Any essay on the nature of Usenet cannot ignore the erroneous impressions held by many Usenet users. Therefore, this article will treat falsehoods first. Keep reading for truth. (Beauty, alas, is not relevant to Usenet.) WHAT USENET IS NOT ------------------ 1. Usenet is not an organization. No person or group has authority over Usenet as a whole. No one controls who gets a news feed, which articles are propagated where, who can post articles, or anything else. There is no "Usenet Incorporated," nor is there a "Usenet User's Group." You're on your own. Granted, there are various activities organized by means of Usenet newsgroups. The newsgroup creation process is is one such activity. But it would be a mistake to equate Usenet with the organized activities it makes possible. If they were to stop tomorrow, Usenet would go on without them. 2. Usenet is not a democracy. Since there is no person or group in charge of Usenet as a whole -- i.e. there is no Usenet "government" -- it follows that Usenet cannot be a democracy, autocracy, or any other kind of "-acy." (But see "The Camel's Nose?" below.) 3. Usenet is not fair. After all, who shall decide what's fair? For that matter, if someone is behaving unfairly, who's going to stop him? Neither you nor I, that's certain. 4. Usenet is not a right. Some people misunderstand their local right of "freedom of speech" to mean that they have a legal right to use others' computers to say what they wish in whatever way they wish, and the owners of said computers have no right to stop them. Those people are wrong. Freedom of speech also means freedom not to speak. If I choose not to use my computer to aid your speech, that is my right. Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one. 5. Usenet is not a public utility. Some Usenet sites are publicly funded or subsidized. Most of them, by plain count, are not. There is no government monopoly on Usenet, and little or no government control. 6. Usenet is not an academic network. It is no surprise that many Usenet sites are universities, research labs or other academic institutions. After all, Usenet originated with a link between two universities, and the exchange of ideas and information is what such institutions are all about. But the passage of years has changed Usenet's character. Today, by plain count, most Usenet sites are commercial entities. 7. Usenet is not an advertising medium. Because of Usenet's roots in academia, and because Usenet depends so heavily on cooperation (sometimes among competitors), custom dictates that advertising be kept to a minimum. It is tolerated if it is infrequent, informative, and low-hype. The "biz" hierarchy and the "comp.newprod" newsgroup are exceptions that prove this rule. They provide homes (ghettos?) for marketdroids who know how to touch-type or use an OCR reader. 8. Usenet is not the Internet. The Internet is a wide-ranging network, parts of which are subsidized by various governments. It carries many kinds of traffic, of which Usenet is only one. And the Internet is only one of the various networks carrying Usenet traffic. 9. Usenet is not a UUCP network. UUCP is a protocol (actually a "protocol suite," but that's a technical quibble) for sending data over point-to-point connections, typically using dialup modems. Sites use UUCP to carry many kinds of traffic, of which Usenet is only one. And UUCP is only one of the various transports carrying Usenet traffic. 10. Usenet is not a United States network. It is true that Usenet originated in the United States, and the fastest growth in Usenet sites has been there. Nowadays, however, Usenet extends worldwide. The heaviest concentrations of Usenet sites outside the U.S. seem to be in Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan. Keep Usenet's worldwide nature in mind when you post articles. Even those who can read your language may have a culture wildly different from yours. When your words are read, they might not mean what you think they mean. 11. Usenet is not a UNIX network. Don't assume that everyone is using "rn" on a UNIX machine. Among the systems used to read and post to Usenet are Vaxen running VMS, IBM mainframes, Amigas, and MS-DOS PCs. 12. Usenet is not an ASCII network. Those IBM mainframes used to participate in Usenet use (shudder) EBCDIC. Other sites use special character sets for non-English postings. Ignore non-ASCII sites if you like, but they exist. 13. Usenet is not software. There are dozens of software packages used at various sites to transport and read Usenet articles. So no one program or package can be called "the Usenet software." Software designed to support Usenet traffic can be (and is) used for other kinds of communication, usually without risk of mixing the two. Such private communication networks are typically kept distinct from Usenet by the invention of newsgroup names different from the universally-recognized ones. Well, enough negativity. WHAT USENET IS -------------- Usenet is the set of people who exchange articles tagged with one or more universally-recognized labels, called "newsgroups" (or "groups" for short). (Note that the term "newsgroup" is correct, while "area," "base," "board," "bboard," "conference," "round table," "SIG," etc. are incorrect. If you want to be understood, be accurate.) DIVERSITY --------- If the above definition of Usenet sounds vague, that's because it is. It is almost impossible to generalize over all Usenet sites in any non-trivial way. Usenet encompasses government agencies, large universities, high schools, businesses of all sizes, home computers of all descriptions, etc, etc. CONTROL ------- Every administrator controls his own site. No one has any real control over any site but his own. The administrator gets her power from the owner of the system she administers. As long as her job performance pleases the owner, she can do whatever she pleases, up to and including cutting off Usenet entirely. Them's the breaks. Sites are not entirely without influence on their neighbors, however. There is a vague notion of "upstream" and "downstream" related to the direction of high-volume news flow. To the extent that "upstream" sites decide what traffic they will carry for their "downstream" neighbors, those "upstream" sites have some influence on their neighbors' participation in Usenet. But such influence is usually easy to circumvent; and heavy-handed manipulation typically results in a backlash of resentment. PERIODIC POSTINGS ----------------- To help hold Usenet together, various articles (including this one) are periodically posted in newsgroups in the "news" hierarchy. These articles are provided as a public service by various volunteers. They are few but valuable. Learn them well. Among the periodic postings are lists of active newsgroups, both "standard" (for lack of a better term) and "alternative." These lists, maintained by Gene Spafford, reflect his personal view of Usenet, and as such are not "official" in any sense of the word. However, if you're looking for a description of subjects discussed on Usenet, or if you're starting up a new Usenet site, Gene's lists are an eminently reasonable place to start. PROPAGATION ----------- In the old days, when UUCP over long-distance dialup lines was the dominant means of article transmission, a few well-connected sites had real influence in determining which newsgroups would be carried where. Those sites called themselves "the backbone." But things have changed. Nowadays, even the smallest Internet site has connectivity the likes of which the backbone admin of yesteryear could only dream. In addition, in the U.S., the advent of cheaper long-distance calls and high-speed modems has made long-distance Usenet feeds thinkable for smaller companies. There is only one pre-eminent UUCP transport site today in the U.S., namely UUNET. But UUNET isn't a player in the propagation wars, because it never refuses any traffic -- it gets paid by the minute, after all; and besides, to refuse based on content would jeopardize its legal status as an enhanced service provider. All of the above applies to the U.S. In Europe, different cost structures favored the creation of strictly controlled hierarchical organizations with central registries. This is all very unlike the traditional mode of U.S. sites (pick a name, get the software, get a feed, you're on). Europe's "benign monopolies," long uncontested, now face competition from looser organizations patterned after the U.S. model. NEWSGROUP CREATION ------------------ The document that describes the current procedure for creating a new newsgroup is entitled "How To Create A New Newsgroup." Its common name, however, is "the guidelines." If you follow the guidelines, it is probable that your group will be created and will be widely propagated. HOWEVER: Because of the nature of Usenet, there is no way for any user to enforce the results of a newsgroup vote (or any other decision, for that matter). Therefore, for your new newsgroup to be propagated widely, you must not only follow the letter of the guidelines; you must also follow its spirit. And you must not allow even a whiff of shady dealings or dirty tricks to mar the vote. In other words, don't tick off system administrators; they will get their revenge. So, you may ask: How is a new user supposed to know anything about the "spirit" of the guidelines? Obviously, he can't. This fact leads inexorably to the following recommendation: >> If you are a new user, don't try to create a new newsgroup. << If you have a good newsgroup idea, then read the "news.groups" newsgroup for a while (six months, at least) to find out how things work. If you're too impatient to wait six months, then you really need to learn; read "news.groups" for a year instead. If you just can't wait, find a Usenet old hand to run the vote for you. Readers may think this advice unnecessarily strict. Ignore it at your peril. It is embarrassing to speak before learning. It is foolish to jump into a society you don't understand with your mouth open. And it is futile to try to force your will on people who can tune you out with the press of a key. THE CAMEL'S NOSE? ----------------- As was observed above in "What Usenet Is Not," Usenet as a whole is not a democracy. However, there is exactly one feature of Usenet that has a form of democracy: newsgroup creation. A new newsgroup is unlikely to be widely propagated unless its sponsor follows the newsgroup creation guidelines; and the current guidelines require a new newsgroup to pass an open vote. There are those who consider the newsgroup creation process to be a remarkably powerful form of democracy, since without any coercion, its decisions are almost always carried out. In their view, the democratic aspect of newsgroup creation is the precursor to an organized and democratic Usenet Of The Future. On the other hand, some consider the democratic aspect of the newsgroup creation process a sham and a fraud, since there is no power of enforcement behind its decisions, and since there appears little likelyhood that any such power of enforcement will ever be given it. For them, the appearance of democracy is only a tool used to keep proponents of flawed newsgroup proposals from complaining about their losses. So, is Usenet on its way to full democracy? Or will property rights and mistrust of central authority win the day? Beats me. IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY... --------------------- Property rights being what they are, there is no higher authority on Usenet than the people who own the machines on which Usenet traffic is carried. If the owner of the machine you use says, "We will not carry alt.sex on this machine," and you are not happy with that order, you have no Usenet recourse. What can we outsiders do, after all? That doesn't mean you are without options. Depending on the nature of your site, you may have some internal political recourse. Or you might find external pressure helpful. Or, with a minimal investment, you can get a feed of your own from somewhere else. Computers capable of taking Usenet feeds are down in the $500 range now, and UNIX-capable boxes are going for under $2000, and there are at least two UNIX lookalikes in the $100 price range. No matter what, though, appealing to "Usenet" won't help. Even if those who read such an appeal are sympathetic to your cause, they will almost certainly have even less influence at your site than you do. By the same token, if you don't like what some user at another site is doing, only the administrator and owner of that site have any authority to do anything about it. Persuade them that the user in question is a problem for them, and they might do something -- if they feel like it, that is. If the user in question is the administrator or owner of the site from which she posts, forget it; you can't win. If you can, arrange for your newsreading software to ignore articles from her; and chalk one up to experience. WORDS TO LIVE BY #1: USENET AS SOCIETY -------------------- Those who have never tried electronic communication may not be aware of what a "social skill" really is. One social skill that must be learned, is that other people have points of view that are not only different, but *threatening*, to your own. In turn, your opinions may be threatening to others. There is nothing wrong with this. Your beliefs need not be hidden behind a facade, as happens with face-to-face conversation. Not everybody in the world is a bosom buddy, but you can still have a meaningful conversation with them. The person who cannot do this lacks in social skills. -- Nick Szabo WORDS TO LIVE BY #2: USENET AS ANARCHY -------------------- Anarchy means having to put up with things that really piss you off. -- Unknown --------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are well over 1,000 newsgroups available, as listed below. There is no guarantee, however, that all the groups are available locally. Which groups are locally available is a question of site policy. List of Active Newsgroups The following is a list of currently active USENET newsgroups as of 8 Sep 1991. The groups distributed worldwide are divided into seven broad classifications: "news", "soc", "talk", "misc", "sci", "comp" and "rec". Each of these classifications is organized into groups and subgroups according to topic. "comp" Topics of interest to both computer professionals and hobbyists, including topics in computer science, software source, and information on hardware and software systems. "sci" Discussions marked by special and usually practical knowledge, relating to research in or application of the established sciences. "misc" Groups addressing themes not easily classified under any of the other headings or which incorporate themes from multiple categories. "soc" Groups primarily addressing social issues and socializing. "talk" Groups largely debate-oriented and tending to feature long discussions without resolution and without appreciable amounts of generally useful information. "news" Groups concerned with the news network and software themselves. "rec" Groups oriented towards hobbies and recreational activities. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Newsgroup Description ---------------------------------------------------------------------- comp.admin.policy Discussions of site administration policies. comp.ai Artificial intelligence discussions. comp.ai.neural-nets All aspects of neural networks. comp.ai.nlang-know-rep Natural Language and Knowledge Representation. (Moderated) comp.ai.philosophy Philosophical aspects of Artificial Intelligence. comp.ai.shells Artificial intelligence applied to shells. comp.arch Computer architecture. comp.archives Descriptions of public access archives. (Moderated) comp.archives.admin Issues relating to computer archive administration. comp.benchmarks Discussion of benchmarking techniques and results. comp.binaries.acorn Binary-only postings for Acorn machines. (Moderated) comp.binaries.amiga Encoded public domain programs in binary. (Moderated) comp.binaries.apple2 Binary-only postings for the Apple II computer. comp.binaries.atari.st Binary-only postings for the Atari ST. (Moderated) comp.binaries.ibm.pc Binary-only postings for IBM PC/MS-DOS. (Moderated) comp.binaries.ibm.pc.archives Annoucements related to IBM PC archive sites. comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d Discussions about IBM/PC binary postings. comp.binaries.ibm.pc.wanted Requests for IBM PC and compatible programs. comp.binaries.mac Encoded Macintosh programs in binary. (Moderated) comp.binaries.os2 Binaries for use under the OS/2 ABI. (Moderated) comp.bugs.2bsd Reports of UNIX* version 2BSD related bugs. comp.bugs.4bsd Reports of UNIX version 4BSD related bugs. comp.bugs.4bsd.ucb-fixes Bug reports/fixes for BSD Unix. (Moderated) comp.bugs.misc General UNIX bug reports and fixes (incl V7, uucp) comp.bugs.sys5 Reports of USG (System III, V, etc.) bugs. comp.cog-eng Cognitive engineering. comp.compilers Compiler construction, theory, etc. (Moderated) comp.compression Data compression algorithms and theory. comp.databases Database and data management issues and theory. comp.dcom.fax Fax hardware, software, and protocols. comp.dcom.lans Local area network hardware and software. comp.dcom.modems Data communications hardware and software. comp.dcom.sys.cisco Info on Cisco routers and bridges. comp.dcom.telecom Telecommunications digest. (Moderated) comp.doc Archived public-domain documentation. (Moderated) comp.doc.techreports Lists of technical reports. (Moderated) comp.dsp Digital Signal Processing using computers. comp.edu Computer science education. comp.emacs EMACS editors of different flavors. comp.fonts Typefonts -- design, conversion, use, etc. comp.graphics Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing. comp.graphics.research Highly technical computer graphics discussion. (Moderated) comp.graphics.visualization Info on scientific visualization. comp.groupware Hardware & software for facilitating group interaction. comp.human-factors Issues related to human-computer interaction (HCI). comp.infosystems Any discussion about information systems. comp.ivideodisc Interactive videodiscs -- uses, potential, etc. comp.lang.ada Discussion about Ada*. comp.lang.apl Discussion about APL. comp.lang.c Discussion about C. comp.lang.c++ The object-oriented C++ language. comp.lang.clos Common Lisp Object System discussions. comp.lang.eiffel The object-oriented Eiffel language. comp.lang.forth Discussion about Forth. comp.lang.fortran Discussion about FORTRAN. comp.lang.functional Discussion about functional languages. comp.lang.hermes The Hermes language for distributed applications. comp.lang.idl-pvwave IDL and PV-Wave language discussions. comp.lang.lisp Discussion about LISP. comp.lang.lisp.mcl Discussing Apple's Macintosh Common Lisp. comp.lang.misc Different computer languages not specifically listed. comp.lang.modula2 Discussion about Modula-2. comp.lang.modula3 Discussion about the Modula-3 language. comp.lang.objective-c The Objective-C language and environment. comp.lang.pascal Discussion about Pascal. comp.lang.perl Discussion of Larry Wall's Perl system. comp.lang.postscript The PostScript Page Description Language. comp.lang.prolog Discussion about PROLOG. comp.lang.scheme The Scheme Programming language. comp.lang.sigplan Info & announcements from ACM SIGPLAN. (Moderated) comp.lang.smalltalk Discussion about Smalltalk 80. comp.lang.vhdl VHSIC Hardware Description Language, IEEE 1076/87. comp.laser-printers Laser printers, hardware & software. (Moderated) comp.lsi Large scale integrated circuits. comp.lsi.testing Testing of electronic circuits. comp.mail.elm Discussion and fixes for ELM mail system. comp.mail.headers Gatewayed from the Internet header-people list. comp.mail.maps Various maps, including UUCP maps. (Moderated) comp.mail.mh The UCI version of the Rand Message Handling system. comp.mail.misc General discussions about computer mail. comp.mail.mush The Mail User's Shell (MUSH). comp.mail.sendmail Configuring and using the BSD sendmail agent. comp.mail.uucp Mail in the uucp network environment. comp.misc General topics about computers not covered elsewhere. comp.multimedia Interactive multimedia technologies of all kinds. comp.newprod Announcements of new products of interest. (Moderated) comp.object Object-oriented programming and languages. comp.org.acm Topics about the Association for Computing Machinery. comp.org.decus Digital Equipment Computer Users' Society newsgroup. comp.org.fidonet FidoNews digest, official news of FidoNet Assoc. (Moderated) comp.org.ieee Issues and announcements about the IEEE & its members. comp.org.issnnet The International Student Society for Neural Networks. comp.org.sug Talk about/for the The Sun User's Group. comp.org.usenix USENIX Association events and announcements. comp.org.usenix.roomshare Finding lodging during Usenix conferences. comp.os.coherent Discussion and support of the Coherent operating system. comp.os.cpm Discussion about the CP/M operating system. comp.os.mach The MACH OS from CMU & other places. comp.os.minix Discussion of Tanenbaum's MINIX system. comp.os.misc General OS-oriented discussion not carried elsewhere. comp.os.msdos.apps Discussion of applications that run under MS-DOS. comp.os.msdos.desqview QuarterDeck's Desqview and related products. comp.os.msdos.misc Miscellaneous topics about MS-DOS machines. comp.os.msdos.programmer Programming MS-DOS machines. comp.os.os2.apps Discussions of applications under OS/2. comp.os.os2.misc Miscellaneous topics about the OS/2 system. comp.os.os2.programmer Programming OS/2 machines. comp.os.os9 Discussions about the os9 operating system. comp.os.research Operating systems and related areas. (Moderated) comp.os.vms DEC's VAX* line of computers & VMS. comp.os.xinu The XINU operating system from Purdue (D. Comer). comp.parallel Massively parallel hardware/software. (Moderated) comp.periphs Peripheral devices. comp.periphs.scsi Discussion of SCSI-based peripheral devices. comp.protocols.appletalk Applebus hardware & software. comp.protocols.ibm Networking with IBM mainframes. comp.protocols.iso The ISO protocol stack. comp.protocols.kerberos The Kerberos authentication server. comp.protocols.kermit Info about the Kermit package. (Moderated) comp.protocols.misc Various forms and types of FTP protocol. comp.protocols.nfs Discussion about the Network File System protocol. comp.protocols.ppp Discussion of the Internet Point to Point Protocol. comp.protocols.tcp-ip TCP and IP network protocols. comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc TCP/IP for IBM(-like) personal computers. comp.realtime Issues related to real-time computing. comp.research.japan The nature of research in Japan. (Moderated) comp.risks Risks to the public from computers & users. (Moderated) comp.robotics All aspects of robots and their applications. comp.simulation Simulation methods, problems, uses. (Moderated) comp.society The impact of technology on society. (Moderated) comp.society.development Computer technology in developing countries. comp.society.folklore Computer folklore & culture, past & present. (Moderated) comp.society.futures Events in technology affecting future computing. comp.software-eng Software Engineering and related topics. comp.sources.3b1 Source code-only postings for the AT&T 3b1. (Moderated) comp.sources.acorn Source code-only postings for the Acorn. (Moderated) comp.sources.amiga Source code-only postings for the Amiga. (Moderated) comp.sources.apple2 Source code and discussion for the Apple2. (Moderated) comp.sources.atari.st Source code-only postings for the Atari ST. (Moderated) comp.sources.bugs Bug reports, fixes, discussion for posted sources. comp.sources.d For any discussion of source postings. comp.sources.games Postings of recreational software. (Moderated) comp.sources.games.bugs Bug reports and fixes for posted game software. comp.sources.hp48 Programs for the HP48 and HP28 calculators. (Moderated) comp.sources.mac Software for the Apple Macintosh. (Moderated) comp.sources.misc Posting of software. (Moderated) comp.sources.reviewed Source code evaluated by peer review. (Moderated) comp.sources.sun Software for Sun workstations. (Moderated) comp.sources.unix Postings of complete, UNIX-oriented sources. (Moderated) comp.sources.wanted Requests for software and fixes. comp.sources.x Software for the X windows system. (Moderated) comp.specification Languages and methodologies for formal specification. comp.specification.z Discussion about the formal specification notation Z. comp.std.c Discussion about C language standards. comp.std.c++ Discussion about C++ language, library, standards. comp.std.internat Discussion about international standards. comp.std.misc Discussion about various standards. comp.std.mumps Discussion for the X11.1 committee on Mumps. (Moderated) comp.std.unix Discussion for the P1003 committee on UNIX. (Moderated) comp.sw.components Software components and related technology. comp.sys.3b1 Discussion and support of AT&T 7300/3B1/UnixPC. comp.sys.acorn Discussion on Acorn and ARM-based computers. comp.sys.alliant Info and discussion about Alliant computers. comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Why an Amiga is better than XYZ. comp.sys.amiga.announce Announcements about the Amiga. (Moderated) comp.sys.amiga.applications Miscellaneous applications. comp.sys.amiga.audio Music, MIDI, speech synthesis, other sounds. comp.sys.amiga.datacomm Methods of getting bytes in and out. comp.sys.amiga.emulations Various hardware & software emulators. comp.sys.amiga.games Discussion of games for the Commodore Amiga. comp.sys.amiga.graphics Charts, graphs, pictures, etc. comp.sys.amiga.hardware Amiga computer hardware, Q&A, reviews, etc. comp.sys.amiga.introduction Group for newcomers to Amigas. comp.sys.amiga.marketplace Where to find it, prices, etc. comp.sys.amiga.misc Discussions not falling in another Amiga group. comp.sys.amiga.multimedia Animations, video, & multimedia. comp.sys.amiga.programmer Developers & hobbyists discuss code. comp.sys.amiga.reviews Reviews of Amiga software, hardware. (Moderated) comp.sys.apollo Apollo computer systems. comp.sys.apple2 Discussion about Apple II micros. comp.sys.atari.8bit Discussion about 8 bit Atari micros. comp.sys.atari.st Discussion about 16 bit Atari micros. comp.sys.atari.st.tech Technical discussions of Atari ST hard/software. comp.sys.att Discussions about AT&T microcomputers. comp.sys.cbm Discussion about Commodore micros. comp.sys.concurrent The Concurrent/Masscomp line of computers. (Moderated) comp.sys.dec Discussions about DEC computer systems. comp.sys.dec.micro DEC Micros (Rainbow, Professional 350/380) comp.sys.encore Encore's MultiMax computers. comp.sys.hp Discussion about Hewlett-Packard equipment. comp.sys.hp48 Hewlett-Packard's HP48 and HP28 calculators. comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Discussion about IBM personal computers. comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest The IBM PC, PC-XT, and PC-AT. (Moderated) comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware XT/AT/EISA hardware, any vendor. comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt Topics related to IBM's RT computer. comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware Microchannel hardware, any vendor. comp.sys.intel Discussions about Intel systems and parts. comp.sys.isis The ISIS distributed system from Cornell. comp.sys.laptops Laptop (portable) computers. comp.sys.m6809 Discussion about 6809's. comp.sys.m68k Discussion about 68k's. comp.sys.m68k.pc Discussion about 68k-based PCs. (Moderated) comp.sys.m88k Discussion about 88k-based computers. comp.sys.mac.announce Important notices for Macintosh users. (Moderated) comp.sys.mac.apps Discussions of Macintosh applications. comp.sys.mac.comm Discussion of Macintosh communications. comp.sys.mac.digest Apple Macintosh: info&uses, but no programs. (Moderated) comp.sys.mac.games Discussions of games on the Macintosh. comp.sys.mac.hardware Macintosh hardware issues & discussions. comp.sys.mac.hypercard The Macintosh Hypercard: info & uses. comp.sys.mac.misc General discussions about the Apple Macintosh. comp.sys.mac.programmer Discussion by people programming the Apple Macintosh. comp.sys.mac.system Discussions of Macintosh system software. comp.sys.mac.wanted Postings of "I want XYZ for my Mac." comp.sys.mips Systems based on MIPS chips. comp.sys.misc Discussion about computers of all kinds. comp.sys.ncr Discussion about NCR computers. comp.sys.next NeXT's workstations, peripherals, and software. comp.sys.next.announce Announcements related to the NeXT computer system. (Moderated) comp.sys.next.misc General discussion about the NeXT computer system. comp.sys.next.programmer NeXT related programming issues. comp.sys.next.sysadmin Discussions related to NeXT system administration. comp.sys.nsc.32k National Semiconductor 32000 series chips. comp.sys.novell Discussion of Novell Netware products. comp.sys.palmtops Super-powered calculators the palm of your hand. comp.sys.prime Prime Computer products. comp.sys.proteon Proteon gateway products. comp.sys.pyramid Pyramid 90x computers. comp.sys.ridge Ridge 32 computers and ROS. comp.sys.sequent Sequent systems, (Balance and Symmetry). comp.sys.sgi Silicon Graphics's Iris workstations and software. comp.sys.sun Sun "workstation" computers. (Moderated) comp.sys.tahoe CCI 6/32, Harris HCX/7, & Sperry 7000 computers. comp.sys.tandy Discussion about TRS-80's. comp.sys.ti Discussion about Texas Instruments. comp.sys.transputer The Transputer computer and OCCAM language. comp.sys.xerox Xerox 1100 workstations and protocols. comp.sys.zenith.z100 The Zenith Z-100 (Heath H-100) family of computers. comp.terminals All sorts of terminals. comp.text Text processing issues and methods. comp.text.desktop Technology & techniques of desktop publishing. comp.text.sgml ISO 8879 SGML, structured documents, markup languages. comp.text.tex Discussion about the TeX and LaTeX systems & macros. comp.theory.info-retrieval Information Retrieval topics. (Moderated) comp.unix.admin Administering a Unix-based system. comp.unix.aix IBM's version of UNIX. comp.unix.amiga Minix, SYSV4 and other *nix on an Amiga. comp.unix.aux The version of UNIX for Apple Macintosh II computers. comp.unix.internals Discussions on hacking UNIX internals. comp.unix.large UNIX on mainframes and in large networks. comp.unix.misc Various topics that don't fit other groups. comp.unix.msdos MS-DOS running under UNIX by whatever means. comp.unix.programmer Q&A for people programming under Unix. comp.unix.questions UNIX neophytes group. comp.unix.shell Using and programming the Unix shell. comp.unix.sysv286 UNIX System V (not XENIX) on the '286. comp.unix.sysv386 Versions of System V (not Xenix) on Intel 80386-based boxes. comp.unix.ultrix Discussions about DEC's Ultrix. comp.unix.wizards Questions for only true Unix wizards. comp.unix.xenix.misc General discussions regarding XENIX (except SCO). comp.unix.xenix.sco XENIX versions from the Santa Cruz Operation. comp.windows.interviews The InterViews object-oriented windowing system. comp.windows.misc Various issues about windowing systems. comp.windows.ms Window systems under MS/DOS. comp.windows.ms.programmer Writing apps for MS Windows. comp.windows.news Sun Microsystems' NeWS window system. comp.windows.open-look Discussion about the Open Look GUI. comp.windows.x Discussion about the X Window System. comp.virus Computer viruses & security. (Moderated) misc.activism.progressive Information for Progressive activists. (Moderated) misc.books.technical Discussion of books about technical topics. misc.consumers Consumer interests, product reviews, etc. misc.consumers.house Discussion about owning and maintaining a house. misc.education Discussion of the educational system. misc.emerg-services Forum for paramedics & other first responders. misc.entrepreneurs Discussion on operating a business. misc.fitness Physical fitness, exercise, etc. misc.forsale Short, tasteful postings about items for sale. misc.forsale.computers Computers and computer equipment for sale. misc.handicap Items of interest for/about the handicapped. (Moderated) misc.headlines Current interest: drug testing, terrorism, etc. misc.invest Investments and the handling of money. misc.jobs.contract Discussions about contract labor. misc.jobs.misc Discussion about employment, workplaces, careers. misc.jobs.offered Announcements of positions available. misc.jobs.resumes Postings of resumes and "situation wanted" articles. misc.kids Children, their behavior and activities. misc.legal Legalities and the ethics of law. misc.misc Various discussions not fitting in any other group. misc.news.southasia News from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, etc. (Moderated) misc.rural Devoted to issues concerning rural living. misc.security Security in general, not just computers. (Moderated) misc.taxes Tax laws and advice. misc.test For testing of network software. Very boring. misc.wanted Requests for things that are needed (NOT software). misc.writing Discussion of writing in all of its forms. news.admin Comments directed to news administrators. news.announce.conferences Calls for papers and conference announcements. (Moderated) news.announce.important General announcements of interest to all. (Moderated) news.announce.newgroups Calls for newgroups & announcements of same. (Moderated) news.announce.newusers Explanatory postings for new users. (Moderated) news.config Postings of system down times and interruptions. news.groups Discussions and lists of newsgroups. news.lists News-related statistics and lists. (Moderated) news.lists.ps-maps Maps relating to USENET traffic flows. (Moderated) news.misc Discussions of USENET itself. news.newsites Postings of new site announcements. news.newusers.questions Q & A for users new to the Usenet. news.software.anu-news VMS B-news software from Australian National Univ. news.software.b Discussion about B-news-compatible software. news.software.nn Discussion about the "nn" news reader package. news.software.notes Notesfile software from the Univ. of Illinois. news.software.readers Discussion of software used to read network news. news.sysadmin Comments directed to system administrators. rec.aquaria Keeping fish and aquaria as a hobby. rec.arts.animation Discussion of various kinds of animation. rec.arts.anime Japanese animation fen discussion. rec.arts.bodyart Tattoos and body decoration discussions. rec.arts.books Books of all genres, and the publishing industry. rec.arts.cinema Discussion of the art of cinema. (Moderated) rec.arts.comics Comic books and strips, graphic novels, sequential art. rec.arts.dance Any aspects of dance not covered in another newsgroup. rec.arts.disney Discussion of any Disney-related subjects. rec.arts.drwho Discussion about Dr. Who. rec.arts.erotica Erotic fiction and verse. (Moderated) rec.arts.fine Fine arts & artists. rec.arts.int-fiction Discussions about interactive fiction. rec.arts.misc Discussions about the arts not in other groups. rec.arts.movies Discussions of movies and movie making. rec.arts.movies.reviews Reviews of movies. (Moderated) rec.arts.poems For the posting of poems. rec.arts.sf-lovers Science fiction lovers' newsgroup. rec.arts.sf-reviews Reviews of science fiction/fantasy/horror works. (Moderated) rec.arts.startrek Star Trek, the TV shows and the movies. rec.arts.startrek.info Information about the universe of Star Trek. (Moderated) rec.arts.theatre Discussion of all aspects of stage work & theatre. rec.arts.tv The boob tube, its history, and past and current shows. rec.arts.tv.soaps Postings about soap operas. rec.arts.tv.uk Discussions of telly shows from the UK. rec.arts.wobegon "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show discussion. rec.audio High fidelity audio. rec.audio.car Discussions of automobile audio systems. rec.audio.high-end High-end audio systems. (Moderated) rec.autos Automobiles, automotive products and laws. rec.autos.driving Driving automobiles. rec.autos.sport Discussion of organized, legal auto competitions. rec.autos.tech Technical aspects of automobiles, et. al. rec.autos.vw Issues pertaining to Volkswagon products. rec.aviation Aviation rules, means, and methods. rec.backcountry Activities in the Great Outdoors. rec.bicycles Bicycles, related products and laws. rec.birds Hobbyists interested in bird watching. rec.boats Hobbyists interested in boating. rec.boats.paddle Talk about any boats with oars, paddles, etc. rec.climbing Climbing techniques, competition announcements, etc. rec.collecting Discussion among collectors of many things. rec.crafts.brewing The art of making beers and meads. rec.crafts.misc Handiwork arts not covered elsewhere. rec.crafts.textiles Sewing, weaving, knitting and other fiber arts. rec.equestrian Discussion of things equestrian. rec.folk-dancing Folk dances, dancers, and dancing. rec.food.cooking Food, cooking, cookbooks, and recipes. rec.food.drink Wines and spirits. rec.food.recipes Recipes for interesting food and drink. (Moderated) rec.food.restaurants Discussion of dining out. rec.food.veg Vegetarians. rec.gambling Articles on games of chance & betting. rec.games.backgammon Discussion of the game of backgammon. rec.games.board Discussion and hints on board games. rec.games.board.ce The Cosmic Encounter board game. rec.games.bridge Hobbyists interested in bridge. rec.games.chess Chess & computer chess. rec.games.design Discussion of game design related issues. rec.games.empire Discussion and hints about Empire. rec.games.frp Discussion about Role Playing games. rec.games.go Discussion about Go. rec.games.hack Discussion, hints, etc. about the Hack game. rec.games.misc Games and computer games. rec.games.moria Comments, hints, and info about the Moria game. rec.games.mud Various aspects of multi-users computer games. rec.games.pbm Discussion about Play by Mail games. rec.games.pinball Discussing pinball-related issues. rec.games.programmer Discussion of adventure game programming. rec.games.rogue Discussion and hints about Rogue. rec.games.trivia Discussion about trivia. rec.games.video Discussion about video games. rec.games.video.arcade Discussions about coin-operated video games. rec.gardens Gardening, methods and results. rec.guns Discussions about firearms. (Moderated) rec.humor Jokes and the like. May be somewhat offensive. rec.humor.d Discussions on the content of rec.humor articles. rec.humor.funny Jokes that are funny (in the moderator's opinion). (Moderated) rec.hunting Discussions about hunting. (Moderated) rec.mag Magazine summaries, tables of contents, etc. rec.martial-arts Discussion of the various martial art forms. rec.misc General topics about recreational/participant sports. rec.models.rc Radio-controlled models for hobbyists. rec.models.rockets Model rockets for hobbyists. rec.motorcycles Motorcycles and related products and laws. rec.music.afro-latin Music with afro-latin influences. rec.music.beatles Postings about the Fab Four & their music. rec.music.bluenote Discussion of jazz, blues, and related types of music. rec.music.cd CDs -- availability and other discussions. rec.music.christian Christian music, both contemporary and traditional. rec.music.classical Discussion about classical music. rec.music.country.western C&W music, performers, performances, etc. rec.music.dementia Discussion of comedy and novelty music. rec.music.dylan Discussion of Bob's works & music. rec.music.early Discussion of pre-classical European music. rec.music.folk Folks discussing folk music of various sorts. rec.music.funky Funk, rap, hip-hop, house, soul, r&b and related. rec.music.gaffa Discussion of Kate Bush & other alternative music. (Moderated) rec.music.gdead A group for (Grateful) Dead-heads. rec.music.industrial Discussion of all industrial-related music styles. rec.music.makers For performers and their discussions. rec.music.misc Music lovers' group. rec.music.newage "New Age" music discussions. rec.music.reviews Reviews of music of all genres and mediums. (Moderated) rec.music.synth Synthesizers and computer music. rec.music.video Discussion of music videos and music video software. rec.nude Hobbyists interested in naturist/nudist activities. rec.org.sca Society for Creative Anachronism. rec.pets Pets, pet care, and household animals in general. rec.pets.cats Discussion about domestic cats. rec.pets.dogs Any and all subjects relating to dogs as pets. rec.photo Hobbyists interested in photography. rec.puzzles Puzzles, problems, and quizzes. rec.pyrotechnics Fireworks, rocketry, safety, & other topics. rec.radio.amateur.misc Amateur radio practices, contests, events, rules, etc. rec.radio.amateur.packet Discussion about packet radio setups. rec.radio.amateur.policy Radio use & regulation policy. rec.radio.cb Citizen-band radio. rec.radio.noncomm Topics relating to noncommercial radio. rec.radio.shortwave Shortwave radio enthusiasts. rec.radio.swap ffers to trade and swap radio equipment. rec.railroad Real and model train fans' newsgroup. rec.roller-coaster Roller coasters and other amusement park rides. rec.running Running for enjoyment, sport, exercise, etc. rec.scuba Hobbyists interested in SCUBA diving. rec.skiing Hobbyists interested in snow skiing. rec.skydiving Hobbyists interested in skydiving. rec.sport.baseball Discussion about baseball. rec.sport.basketball.college Hoops on the collegiate level. rec.sport.basketball.misc Discussion about basketball. rec.sport.basketball.pro Talk of professional basketball. rec.sport.cricket Discussion about the sport of cricket. rec.sport.disc Discussion of flying disc based sports. rec.sport.football.college US-style college football. rec.sport.football.misc Discussion about American-style football. rec.sport.football.pro US-style professional football. rec.sport.golf Discussion about all aspects of golfing. rec.sport.hockey Discussion about hockey. rec.sport.misc Spectator sports. rec.sport.pro-wrestling Discussion about professional wrestling. rec.sport.rugby Discussion about the game of rugby. rec.sport.soccer Discussion about soccer (Association Football). rec.sport.tennis Things related to the sport of tennis. rec.sport.triathlon Discussing all aspects of multi-event sports. rec.sport.volleyball Discussion about volleyball. rec.travel Traveling all over the world. rec.video Video and video components. rec.video.satellite Getting shows via satellite. rec.windsurfing Riding the waves as a hobby. rec.woodworking Hobbyists interested in woodworking. sci.aeronautics The science of aeronautics & related technology. sci.aquaria Only scientifically-oriented postings about aquaria. sci.archaeology Studying antiquities of the world. sci.astro Astronomy discussions and information. sci.bio Biology and related sciences. sci.chem Chemistry and related sciences. sci.crypt Different methods of data en/decryption. sci.econ The science of economics. sci.edu The science of education. sci.electronics Circuits, theory, electrons and discussions. sci.energy Discussions about energy, science & technology. sci.engr Technical discussions about engineering tasks. sci.engr.chem All aspects of chemical engineering. sci.environment Discussions about the environment and ecology. sci.geo.fluids Discussion of geophysical fluid dynamics. sci.geo.geology Discussion of solid earth sciences. sci.geo.meteorology Discussion of meteorology and related topics. sci.lang Natural languages, communication, etc. sci.lang.japan The Japanese language, both spoken and written. sci.logic Logic -- math, philosophy & computational aspects. sci.math Mathematical discussions and pursuits. sci.math.stat Statistics discussion. sci.math.symbolic Symbolic algebra discussion. sci.med Medicine and its related products and regulations. sci.med.aids AIDS: treatment, pathology/biology of HIV, prevention. (Moderated) sci.med.physics Issues of physics in medical testing/care. sci.military Discussion about science & the military. (Moderated) sci.misc Short-lived discussions on subjects in the sciences. sci.nanotech Self-reproducing molecular-scale machines. (Moderated) sci.optics Discussion relating to the science of optics. sci.philosophy.tech Technical philosophy: math, science, logic, etc. sci.physics Physical laws, properties, etc. sci.physics.fusion Info on fusion, esp. "cold" fusion. sci.psychology Topics related to psychology. sci.psychology.digest PSYCOLOQUY: Refereed Psychology Journal and Newsletter. (Moderated) sci.research Research methods, funding, ethics, and whatever. sci.skeptic Skeptics discussing pseudo-science. sci.space Space, space programs, space related research, etc. sci.space.shuttle The space shuttle and the STS program. sci.virtual-worlds Modelling the universe. (Moderated) soc.college College, college activities, campus life, etc. soc.college.grad General issues related to graduate schools. soc.college.gradinfo Information about graduate schools. soc.couples Discussions for couples (cf. soc.singles). soc.culture.african Discussions about Africa & things African. soc.culture.african.american Discussions about Afro-American issues. soc.culture.arabic Technological & cultural issues, *not* politics. soc.culture.asean Countries of the Assoc. of SE Asian Nations. soc.culture.asian.american Issues & discussion about Asian-Americans. soc.culture.australian Australian culture and society. soc.culture.bangladesh Issues & discussion about Bangladesh. soc.culture.british Issues about Britain & those of British descent. soc.culture.canada Discussions of Canada and its people. soc.culture.china About China and Chinese culture. soc.culture.celtic Group about Celts (*not* basketball!). soc.culture.europe Discussing all aspects of all-European society. soc.culture.filipino Group about the Filipino culture. soc.culture.french French culture, history, and related discussions. soc.culture.german Discussions about German culture and history. soc.culture.greek Group about Greeks. soc.culture.hongkong Discussions pertaining to Hong Kong. soc.culture.indian Group for discussion about India & things Indian. soc.culture.iranian Discussions about Iran and things Iranian/Persian. soc.culture.italian The Italian people and their culture. soc.culture.japan Everything Japanese, except the Japanese language. soc.culture.jewish Jewish culture & religion. (cf. talk.politics.mideast) soc.culture.korean Discussions about Korean & things Korean. soc.culture.latin-america Topics about Latin-America. soc.culture.lebanon Discussion about things Lebanese. soc.culture.magyar The Hungarian people & their culture. soc.culture.mexican Discussion of Mexico's society. soc.culture.misc Group for discussion about other cultures. soc.culture.nepal Discussion of people and things in & from Nepal. soc.culture.new-zealand Discussion of topics related to New Zealand. soc.culture.nordic Discussion about culture up north. soc.culture.pakistan Topics of discussion about Pakistan. soc.culture.polish Polish culture, Polish past, and Polish politics. soc.culture.soviet Topics relating to Russian or Soviet culture. soc.culture.spain Discussion of culture on the Iberian peninsula. soc.culture.sri-lanka Things & people from Sri Lanka. soc.culture.taiwan Discussion about things Taiwanese. soc.culture.thai Thai people and their culture. soc.culture.turkish Discussion about things Turkish. soc.culture.vietnamese Issues and discussions of Vietnamese culture. soc.culture.yugoslavia Discussions of Yugoslavia and its people. soc.feminism Discussion of feminism & feminist issues. (Moderated) soc.history Discussions of things historical. soc.men Issues related to men, their problems & relationships. soc.misc Socially-oriented topics not in other groups. soc.motss Issues pertaining to homosexuality. soc.net-people Announcements, requests, etc. about people on the net. soc.politics Political problems, systems, solutions. (Moderated) soc.politics.arms-d Arms discussion digest. (Moderated) soc.religion.christian Christianity and related topics. (Moderated) soc.religion.eastern Discussions of Eastern religions. (Moderated) soc.religion.islam Discussions of the Islamic faith. (Moderated) soc.rights.human Human rights & activism (e.g., Amnesty International). soc.roots Genealogical matters. soc.singles Newsgroup for single people, their activities, etc. soc.veterans Social issues relating to military veterans. soc.women Issues related to women, their problems & relationships. talk.abortion All sorts of discussions and arguments on abortion. talk.bizarre The unusual, bizarre, curious, and often stupid. talk.environment Discussion the state of the environment & what to do. talk.origins Evolution versus creationism (sometimes hot!). talk.philosophy.misc Philosophical musings on all topics. talk.politics.drugs The politics of drug issues. talk.politics.guns The politics of firearm ownership and (mis)use. talk.politics.mideast Discussion & debate over Middle Eastern events. talk.politics.misc Political discussions and ravings of all kinds. talk.politics.soviet Discussion of Soviet politics, domestic and foreign. talk.politics.space Non-technical issues affecting space exploration. talk.politics.theory Theory of politics and political systems. talk.rape Discussions on stopping rape; not to be crossposted. talk.religion.misc Religious, ethical, & moral implications. talk.religion.newage Esoteric and minority religions & philosophies. talk.rumors For the posting of rumors. -------------------- Alternative Newsgroup Hierarchies, Part I Introduction ------------ The Usenet software allows the support and transport of hierarchies of newsgroups not part of the "traditional" Usenet through use of the distribution mechanism. These hierarchies of groups are available to sites wishing to support them and finding a feed. In general, these groups are not carried by the entire network because of their volume, restricted spheres of interest, or a different set of administrative rules and concerns. Alt --- "alt" is a collection of newsgroups which are being distributed by a collection of sites that choose to carry them. Many Usenet sites are not interested in these groups. Here is a recent list of the 'alt" newsgroups: alt.activism Activities for activists. alt.activism.d A place to discuss issues in alt.activism. alt.alien.visitors Space Aliens on Earth! Abduction! Gov't Coverup! alt.angst Anxiety in the modern world. alt.aquaria The aquarium & related as a hobby. alt.artcom Artistic Community, arts & communication. alt.atheism Discussions of atheism. alt.backrubs Lower...to the right...aaaah! alt.bbs Computer BBS systems & software. alt.bbs.ads Ads for various computer BBS's. alt.bbs.internet BBS systems accessible via the Internet. alt.bbs.lists Postings of regional BBS listings. alt.bbs.lists.d Discussion about regional BBS listings. alt.bbs.waffle The Waffle UUCP BBS. alt.beer Good for what ales ya. alt.binaries.multimedia Sound, text and graphics data rolled in one. alt.binaries.pictures Additional volume in the form of huge image files. alt.binaries.pictures.d Discussion of postings to alt.binaries.pictures. alt.books.technical Discussion of technical books. alt.boomerang Technology and use of the boomerang. alt.brother-jed The born-again minister touring US campuses. alt.california The state and the state of mind. alt.callahans Callahan's bar for puns and fellowship. alt.cd-rom Discussions of optical storage media. alt.censorship Discussion about restricting speech/press. alt.child-support Raising children in a split family. alt.co-ops Discussion about co-operatives. alt.cobol Use of the programming language COBOL. alt.comp.acad-freedom.news Academic freedom issues related to computers. (Moderated) alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk Academic freedom issues related to computers. alt.config Alternative subnet discussions and connectivity. alt.conspiracy Be paranoid -- they're out to get you. alt.cosuard Council of Sysops & Users Against Rate Discrimination. alt.cult-movies Movies with a cult following (e.g., Rocky Horror PS). alt.cyb-sys Cybernetics and Systems. alt.cyberpunk High-tech low-life. alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo Literary virtual reality in a cyberpunk hangout. alt.cyberpunk.movement Cybernizing the Universe. alt.cyberpunk.tech Cyberspace and Cyberpunk technology. alt.cyberspace Cyberspace and how it should work. alt.dcom.telecom Discussion of telecommunications technology. alt.desert-shield Events in the Middle East, esp. Kuwait. alt.desert-storm The war against Iraq in Kuwait. alt.desert-storm.facts For factual information on The Gulf War. alt.desert-thekurds What's happening to the Kurds in Iraq. alt.dev.null The ultimate in moderated newsgroups. (Moderated) alt.discrimination Quotas, affirmative action, bigotry, persecution. alt.dreams What do they mean? alt.drugs Recreational pharmaceuticals and related flames. alt.emusic Ethnic, exotic, electronic, elaborate, etc. music. * alt.evil Tales from the dark side. alt.exotic-music Exotic music discussions. * alt.fan.dave_barry Electronic fan club for humorist Dave Barry. alt.fan.dice-man Fans of Andrew Dice Clay. alt.fan.furry Fans of funny animals, ala Steve Gallacci's book. alt.fan.howard-stern Fans of the abrasive radio & TV personality. alt.fan.mike-jittlov Electronic fan club for animator Mike Jittlov. alt.fan.monty-python Electronic fan club for those wacky Brits. alt.fan.warlord Mocking net.gods and net.weenies. alt.fandom.cons Announcements of conventions (SciFi and others). alt.fandom.misc Other topics for fans of various kinds. alt.fishing Fishing as a hobby and sport. alt.flame Alternative, literate, pithy, succinct screaming. alt.flame.spelling Fore piple whoe kant spel. alt.folklore.computers Stories & anecdotes about computers (some true!). alt.folklore.urban Urban legends, ala Jan Harold Brunvand. alt.forgery One place for all forgeries--crossposting encouraged. alt.fractals Fractals in math, graphics, and art. alt.games.gb The Galactic Bloodshed conquest game. alt.games.xtrek All about a Star Trek game for X. alt.gourmand Recipes & cooking info. (Moderated) alt.graphics.pixutils Discussion of pixmap utilities. alt.great-lakes Discussions of the Great Lakes and adjacent places. alt.hackers Descriptions of projects currently under development. (Moderated) alt.horror The horror genre. alt.humor.oracle The semi-legendary Usenet Oracle speaks. alt.hypertext Discussion of hypertext -- uses, transport, etc. alt.individualism Philosophies where individual rights are paramount. alt.industrial The Industrial Computing Society. alt.irc Internet Relay Chat material. alt.kids-talk A place for the pre-college set on the net. alt.lang.asm Assembly languages of various flavours. alt.lang.cfutures Discussion of the future of the C programming language alt.lang.intercal A joke language with a real compiler. alt.lang.ml The ML and SML symbolic languages. alt.lang.teco The TECO editor language. alt.magic For discussion about stage magic. alt.magick For discussion about supernatural arts. alt.models Model building, design, etc. alt.msdos.programmer For the serious MS/DOS programmer (no forsale ads). alt.mud.lp The LP multi-user dungeon. alt.native Issues for and about native Americans. alt.pagan Discussions about paganism & religion. alt.paranormal Phenomena which are not scientifically explicable. alt.party Parties, celebration and general debauchery. alt.peeves Discussion of peeves & related. alt.personals Geek seeks Dweeb. Object: low-level interfacing. alt.personals.bondage Are you tied up this evening? alt.politics.homosexuality As the name implies alt.postmodern Postmodernism, semiotics, deconstruction, and the like. alt.privacy Privacy issues in cyberspace. alt.prose Postings of original writings, fictional & otherwise. alt.prose.d Discussions about postings in alt.prose. alt.psychoactives Better living through chemistry. alt.rap For fans of rap music. alt.rap-gdead Fans of The Grateful Dead and Rap. Really. alt.recovery For people in recovery programs (e.g., AA, ACA, GA). alt.religion.adm3a Flaming the merits of the Sigler-Lear ADM3A. alt.religion.computers People who believe computing is "real life." alt.religion.emacs Emacs. Umacs. We all macs. alt.religion.scientology Friends and foes of L. Ron Hubbard. alt.rhode_island Discussion of the great little state. alt.rissa Fans (and otherwise) of Patricia O'Tuama. alt.rmgroup For the people who like to rmgroup/newgroup things. alt.rock-n-roll Counterpart to alt.sex and alt.drugs. alt.rock-n-roll.metal For the headbangers on the net. alt.rock-n-roll.metal.heavy Non-sissyboy metal bands. alt.romance Discussion about the romantic side of love. alt.rush-limbaugh Fans of the conservative activist radio announcer. alt.save.the.earth Environmentalist causes. alt.sci.astro.fits Technical matters of Flexible Image Transport Systems. alt.security Security issues on computer systems. alt.security.index Pointers to good stuff in alt.security. (Moderated) alt.sewing Working with needle and thread. alt.sex Postings of a prurient nature. alt.sex.bestiality Happiness is a warm puppy. alt.sex.bondage Tie me, whip me, make me read the net! alt.sex.motss Jesse Helms would not subscribe to this group. alt.sex.pictures Gigabytes of copyright violations. alt.sex.pictures.d Discussing alt.sex.pictures copyright violations. alt.sexual.abuse.recovery Helping others deal with traumatic experiences. alt.skate Rollerskating and rollerblades. alt.skate-board Discussion of all apsects of skate-boarding. alt.skinheads The skinhead culture/anti-culture. alt.slack Posting relating to the Church of the Subgenius. alt.snowmobiles High-horsepower sleds in the powder. alt.society.ati The Activist Times Digest. (Moderated) alt.society.cu-digest Postings about the Computer Underground. (Moderated) alt.sources Alternative source code, unmoderated. Caveat Emptor. alt.sources.amiga Technically-oriented Amiga PC sources. alt.sources.d Discussion of posted sources. alt.sources.index Pointers to source code in alt.sources.*. (Moderated) alt.sources.patches Reposted patches from non-bugs groups. alt.sources.wanted Requests for source code. alt.sport.bungee Like alt.suicide with rubber bands. alt.sport.paintball The game/art/sport of splatball. alt.startrek.creative Stories and parodies related to Star Trek. alt.stupidity Discussion about stupid newsgroups. alt.suicide.holiday Talk of why suicides increase at holidays. alt.support Dealing with emotional situations & experiences. alt.surfing Riding the ocean waves. alt.sys.amiga.demos Code and talk to show off the Amiga. alt.sys.amiga.uucp AmigaUUCP. alt.sys.amiga.uucp.patches Patches for AmigaUUCP. alt.sys.intergraph Support for Intergraph machines. alt.sys.sun Technical discussion of Sun Microsystems products. alt.sys.unisys Burroughs, Sperry, CT, etc. discussions. alt.tasteless Truly disgusting. alt.tennis The game & sport of tennis. alt.test Alternative subnetwork testing. alt.text.dwb Discussion of the AT&T Documenter's WorkBench. alt.thrash Thrashlife. alt.toolkits.xview The X windows XView toolkit. alt.tv.antagonists Fans of the new "The Antagonists" TV show. alt.tv.muppets Fans of the Muppets, TV shows & movies. alt.tv.prisoner The Prisoner television series from years ago. alt.tv.simpsons Don't have a cow, man! alt.tv.tiny-toon Dicussion about the "Tiny Toon Adventures" show. alt.tv.twin-peaks Discussion about the popular (and unusual) TV show. alt.usage.english English grammar, word usages, and related topics. Bionet ------ There is a newsgroup hierarchy for topics interesting to biologists called "bionet" originating from genbank.bio.net and carried on a growing number of machines including rutgers, phri, mit-eddie, ukma, and all of the machines at UCSD. Contact Eliot Lear for more details. The current newsgroup list looks like this: bionet.agroforestry Discussion of Agroforestry. bionet.biology.computational Computer and mathematical applications (Moderated) bionet.general General BIOSCI discussion. bionet.genome.chrom22 Discussion of Chromosome 22. bionet.genome.arabidopsis Information about the Arabidopsis project. bionet.jobs Scientific Job opportunities. bionet.journals.contents Contents of biology journal publications. bionet.molbio.ageing Discussions of cellular and organismal ageing. bionet.molbio.bio-matrix Computer applications to biological databases. bionet.molbio.embldatabank Info about the EMBL Nucleic acid database. bionet.molbio.evolution How genes and proteins have evolved. bionet.molbio.genbank Info about the GenBank Nucleic acid database. bionet.molbio.genbank.updates Hot off the presses! (Moderated) bionet.molbio.gene-linkage Discussions about genetic linkage analysis. bionet.molbio.gene-org How genes are organized on chromosomes. bionet.molbio.genome-program Discussion of Human Genome Project issues. bionet.molbio.methds-reagnts Requests for information and lab reagents. bionet.molbio.proteins Research on proteins and protein databases. bionet.neuroscience Research issues in the neurosciences. bionet.population-bio Technical discussions about population biology. bionet.sci-resources Information about funding agencies, etc. bionet.software Information about software for biology. bionet.users.addresses Who's who in Biology. Bit --- "bit" is a collection of newsgroups which are being distributed by a collection of sites that choose to carry them. The "bit" newsgroups are redistributions of the more popular BitNet LISTSERV mailing lists. Here is a list of the "bit" newsgroups: bit.admin bit. Newgroups Discussions. bit.general Discussions Relating to BitNet/Usenet. bit.listserv.advise-l User Services List. bit.listserv.advanc-l Geac Advanced Integrated Library System Users. bit.listserv.aidsnews AIDS/HIV News. bit.listserv.aix-l IBM AIX Discussion List. bit.listserv.allmusic Discussions on all forms of Music. bit.listserv.apple2-l Apple II List. bit.listserv.applicat Applications under BITNET. bit.listserv.asm370 IBM 370 Assembly Programming Discuss. bit.listserv.big-lan Campus-Size LAN Discussion Group. (Moderated) bit.listserv.billing Chargeback of (computer) resources. bit.listserv.biosph-l Biosphere, ecology, Discussion List. bit.listserv.bitnews BITNET News. bit.listserv.candle-l Candle Products Discussion List. bit.listserv.cdromlan CD-ROM on Local Area Networks. bit.listserv.christia Practical Christian Life. bit.listserv.cics-l CICS Discussion List. bit.listserv.cinema-l Discussions on all forms of Cinema. bit.listserv.circplus Circulation Reserve and Related Library Issues. bit.listserv.cmspip-l VM/SP CMS Pipelines Discussion List. bit.listserv.commed Communication education. bit.listserv.cumrec-l CUMREC-L Administrative computer use. bit.listserv.cyber-l CDC Computer Discussion. bit.listserv.c18-l 18th Century Interdisciplinary Discussion. bit.listserv.c370-l C/370 Discussion List. bit.listserv.dbase-l Discussion on the use of the dBase IV. bit.listserv.db2-l DB2 Data Base Discussion List. bit.listserv.disarm-l Disarmament Discussion List. bit.listserv.domain-l Domains Discussion Group. bit.listserv.earntech EARN Technical Group. bit.listserv.edi-l Electronic Data Interchange Issues. bit.listserv.edpolyan Professionals and Students Discussing Education. bit.listserv.edtech EDTECH - Educational Technology. (Moderated) bit.listserv.emusic-l Electronic Music Discussion List. bit.listserv.envbeh-l Forum on Environment and Human Behavior. bit.listserv.erl-l Educational Research List (TCSVM). bit.listserv.esl-l DECUS Education Software Library Discussion L. bit.listserv.ethics-l Discussion of Ethics in Computing. bit.listserv.film-l Film making and reviews List. bit.listserv.fnord-l New Ways of Thinking List. bit.listserv.frac-l FRACTAL Discussion List. bit.listserv.games-l Computer Games List. bit.listserv.gaynet GayNet Discussion List. (Moderated) bit.listserv.gddm-l The GDDM Discussion List. bit.listserv.geodesic List for the Discussion of Buckminster Fuller. bit.listserv.gguide BITNIC GGUIDE List. bit.listserv.gis-l Geographic Information Systems Discussion List. bit.listserv.gmast-l Gamemasters Interest Group. bit.listserv.govdoc-l Discussion of Government Document Is. bit.listserv.gutnberg GUTNBERG Discussion List. bit.listserv.hellas The Hellenic Discussion List. (Moderated) bit.listserv.history History. bit.listserv.i-amiga Info-Amiga List. bit.listserv.ibm-hesc IBM Higher Education Consortium. bit.listserv.ibm-main IBM Mainframe Discussion List. bit.listserv.ibm-nets BITNIC IBM-NETS List. bit.listserv.ibmtcp-l IBM TCP/IP List. bit.listserv.ibm7171 Protocol Converter List. bit.listserv.icu-l Instruction Computing Update Newsletter List. bit.listserv.info-gcg INFO-GCG: GCG Genetics Software Discussion. bit.listserv.infonets Infonets Redistribution. bit.listserv.ingrafx Information Graphics. bit.listserv.ioob-l Industrial Psychology. bit.listserv.isn ISN Data Switch Technical Discussion Group. bit.listserv.jes2-l JES2 Discussion group. bit.listserv.jnet-l BITNIC JNET-L List. bit.listserv.l-hcap Handicap List. (Moderated) bit.listserv.l-vmctr VMCENTER Components Discussion List. bit.listserv.lawsch-l Law School Discussion List. bit.listserv.liaison BITNIC LIAISON. bit.listserv.license Software Licensing List. bit.listserv.linkfail Link failure announcements. bit.listserv.literary Discussions about Literature. bit.listserv.lstsrv-l Forum on LISTSERV release 1.6. bit.listserv.mail-l BITNIC MAIL-L List. bit.listserv.mailbook MAIL/MAILBOOK subscription List. bit.listserv.mba-l MBA Student curriculum Discussion. bit.listserv.mbu-l Megabyte University (Computers & Writing). bit.listserv.medlib-l Medical Libraries Discussion List. bit.listserv.mednews MEDNEWS - Health Info-Com Network Newsletter. bit.listserv.netnws-l NETNWS-L Netnews List. bit.listserv.new-list NEW-LIST - New List Announcements. (Moderated) bit.listserv.next-l NeXT Computer List. bit.listserv.nodmgt-l Node Management. bit.listserv.notis-l NOTIS/DOBIS Discussion group List. bit.listserv.novell Novell LAN Interest Group. bit.listserv.omrscan OMR Scanner Discussion. bit.listserv.ozone OZONE Discussion List. bit.listserv.pacs-l Public-Access Computer System Forum. (Moderated) bit.listserv.page-l IBM 3812/3820 Tips and Problems Discussion List. bit.listserv.pagemakr PageMaker for Desktop Publishers. bit.listserv.pmdf-l PMDF Distribution List. bit.listserv.policy-l Discussion about BITNET policies. bit.listserv.politics Forum for the Discussion of Politics. bit.listserv.power-l POWER-L IBM RS/6000 POWER Family. bit.listserv.relusr-l Relay Users Forum. bit.listserv.rexxlist REXX Programming Discussion List. bit.listserv.rhetoric Rhetoric, social movements, persuasion. bit.listserv.rscsmods The RSCS modifications List. bit.listserv.rscsv2-l BITNIC RSCSV2-L List. bit.listserv.s-comput SuperComputers List (USCVM). bit.listserv.sas-l SAS(r) Discussion. bit.listserv.script-l IBM vs Waterloo SCRIPT Discussion Group. bit.listserv.scuba-l Scuba diving Discussion List. bit.listserv.sganet Student Government Global Mail Network. bit.listserv.simula The SIMULA Language List. bit.listserv.snamgt-l SNA Network Management Discussion. bit.listserv.sos-data Social Science Data List. bit.listserv.spires-l SPIRES Conference List. bit.listserv.sportpsy Exercise and Sports Psychology. bit.listserv.spssx-l SPSSX(r) Discussion. bit.listserv.sqlinfo Forum for SQL/DS and Related Topics. bit.listserv.stat-l STATISTICAL CONSULTING. bit.listserv.tech-l BITNIC TECH-L List. bit.listserv.test Test Newsgroup. bit.listserv.tex-l The TeXnical topics List. bit.listserv.tn3270-l tn3270 protocol Discussion List. bit.listserv.trans-l BITNIC TRANS-L List. bit.listserv.travel-l Tourism Discussions. bit.listserv.ucp-l University Computing Project Mailing List. bit.listserv.ug-l Usage Guidelines. bit.listserv.uigis-l User Interface for Geographical Info Systems. bit.listserv.urep-l UREP-L Mailing List. bit.listserv.usrdir-l User Directory List. bit.listserv.valert-l Virus Alert List. (Moderated) bit.listserv.vfort-l VS-Fortran Discussion List. bit.listserv.vm-util VM Utilities Discussion List. bit.listserv.vmslsv-l VAX/VMS LISTSERV Discussion List. bit.listserv.vmxa-l VM/XA Discussion List. bit.listserv.vnews-l VNEWS Discussion List. bit.listserv.win3-l Microsoft Windows Version 3 Forum. bit.listserv.wp50-l WordPerfect Corporation Products Discussions. bit.listserv.xcult-l International Intercultural Newsletter. bit.listserv.xedit-l VM System Editor List. bit.listserv.xerox-l The Xerox Discussion List. bit.listserv.xmailer Crosswell Mailer. bit.listserv.x400-l x.400 Protocol List. bit.listserv.9370-l IBM 9370 and VM/IS specific topics List. bit.mailserv.word-mac Word Processing on the Macintosh. bit.mailserv.word-pc Word Processing on the IBM PC. Biz --- "Biz" is a distribution of newsgroups that are carried and propagated by sites interested in the world of business products around them -- in particular, computer products and services. This includes product announcements, announcements of fixes and enhancements, product reviews, and postings of demo software. Current biz groups include: biz.clarinet Announcements about ClariNet. biz.clarinet.sample Samples of ClariNet newsgroups for the outside world. biz.comp.hardware Generic commercial hardware postings. biz.comp.services Generic commercial service postings. biz.comp.software Generic commercial software postings. biz.comp.telebit Support of the Telebit modem. biz.comp.telebit.netblazer The Telebit Netblazer. biz.config Biz Usenet configuration and administration. biz.control Control information and messages. biz.dec DEC equipment & software. biz.dec.ip IP networking on DEC machines. biz.dec.workstations DEC workstation discussions & info. biz.jobs.offered Position announcements. biz.misc Miscellaneous postings of a commercial nature. biz.sco.announce SCO and related product announcements. (Moderated) biz.sco.general Q&A, discussions and comments on SCO products. biz.sco.opendesktop ODT environment and applications tech info, q&a. biz.test Biz newsgroup test messages. biz.stolen Postings about stolen merchandise. Feeds may possibly be obtained from ddsw1.mcs.com, husc6.harvard.edu, rpi.edu, rutgers.edu, spl1, and telly.on.ca among others. Alternative Newsgroup Hierarchies, Part II The ClariNet hierarchy consists of newsgroups gatewayed from commercial news services and other ``official'' sources. A feed of the ClariNet groups requires payment of a fee and execution of a license. More information may be obtained by sending mail to "info@clarinet.com". clari.news ClariNet UPI general news wiregroups. clari.news.hot Temporary groups for hot news stories. clari.biz ClariNet UPI business news wiregroups. clari.sports ClariNet UPI sports wiregroups. clari.tw ClariNet UPI technology related news wiregroups. clari.nb ClariNet Newsbytes Information service Newsgroups. clari.net ClariNet non-news newsgroups. clari.canada ClariNet broadcast style news about Canada. clari.feature Feature columns and products. clari.feature.dave_barry Columns of humorist Dave Barry. (Moderated) clari.feature.mike_royko Chicago Opinion Columnist Mike Royko. (Moderated) clari.feature.miss_manners Judith Martin's Humorous Etiquette Advice. (Moderated) clari.feature.lederer Richard Lederer's "Looking at Language". (Moderated) clari.feature.kinsey Sex Q&A and Advice from Kinsey Institute. (Moderated) clari.canada.newscast Regular newscast for Canadians. (Moderated) clari.canada.briefs Regular updates of Canadian News in Brief. (Moderated) clari.canada.briefs.ont News briefs for Ontario and Toronto. (Moderated) clari.canada.briefs.west News briefs for Alberta, the Prairies & B.C. (Moderated) clari.canada.general Short items on Canadian News stories. (Moderated) clari.canada.biz Canadian Business Summaries. (Moderated) clari.tw.aerospace Aerospace industry and companies. (Moderated) clari.tw.computers Computer industry, applications and developments. (Moderated) clari.tw.defense Defense industry issues. (Moderated) clari.tw.education Stories involving Universities & colleges. (Moderated) clari.tw.electronics Electronics makers and sellers. (Moderated) clari.tw.environment Environmental news, hazardous waste, forests. (Moderated) clari.tw.health Disease, medicine, health care, sick celebs. (Moderated) clari.tw.health.aids AIDS stories, research, political issues. (Moderated) clari.tw.misc General technical industry stories. (Moderated) clari.tw.nuclear Nuclear power & waste. (Moderated) clari.tw.science General science stories. (Moderated) clari.tw.space NASA, Astronomy & spaceflight. (Moderated) clari.tw.stocks Regular reports on computer & technology stock prices. (Moderated) clari.tw.telecom Phones, Satellites, Media & general Telecom. (Moderated) clari.biz.commodity Commodity news and price reports. (Moderated) clari.biz.courts Lawsuits and business related legal matters. (Moderated) clari.biz.economy Economic news and indicators. (Moderated) clari.biz.economy.world Economy stories for non-US countries. (Moderated) clari.biz.features Business feature stories. (Moderated) clari.biz.finance Finance, currency, Corporate finance. (Moderated) clari.biz.finance.earnings Earnings & dividend reports. (Moderated) clari.biz.finance.personal Personal investing & finance. (Moderated) clari.biz.finance.services Banks and financial industries. (Moderated) clari.biz.invest News for investors. (Moderated) clari.biz.labor Strikes, unions and labor relations. (Moderated) clari.biz.market General stock market news. (Moderated) clari.biz.market.amex American Stock Exchange reports & news. (Moderated) clari.biz.market.dow Dow Jones NYSE reports. (Moderated) clari.biz.market.ny NYSE reports. (Moderated) clari.biz.market.otc NASDAQ reports. (Moderated) clari.biz.market.report General market reports, S&P, etc. (Moderated) clari.biz.mergers Mergers and acquisitions. (Moderated) clari.biz.misc Other business news. (Moderated) clari.biz.products Important new products & services. (Moderated) clari.biz.top Top business news. (Moderated) clari.biz.urgent Breaking business news. (Moderated) clari.nb.index Weekly summary of Newsbytes computer news. (Moderated) clari.nb.apple Newsbytes Apple/Macintosh news. (Moderated) clari.nb.business Newsbytes business & industry news. (Moderated) clari.nb.general Newsbytes general computer news. (Moderated) clari.nb.govt Newsbytes legal and government computer news. (Moderated) clari.nb.ibm Newsbytes IBM PC World coverage. (Moderated) clari.nb.review Newsbytes new product reviews. (Moderated) clari.nb.telecom Newsbytes telecom & online industry news. (Moderated) clari.nb.trends Newsbytes new developments & trends. (Moderated) clari.nb.unix Newsbytes Unix news. (Moderated) clari.net.admin Announcements for news admins at ClariNet sites. (Moderated) clari.net.announce Announcements for all ClariNet readers. (Moderated) clari.net.products New ClariNet products. (Moderated) clari.net.talk Discussion of ClariNet -- only unmoderated group. clari.news.almanac Daily almanac - quotes, 'this date in history' etc. (Moderated) clari.news.arts Stage, drama & other fine arts. (Moderated) clari.news.aviation Aviation industry and mishaps. (Moderated) clari.news.books Books & publishing. (Moderated) clari.news.briefs Regular news summaries. (Moderated) clari.news.bulletin Major breaking stories of the week. (Moderated) clari.news.canada News related to Canada. (Moderated) clari.news.children Stories related to children and parenting. (Moderated) clari.news.consumer Consumer news, car reviews etc. (Moderated) clari.news.demonstration Demonstrations around the world. (Moderated) clari.news.disaster Major problems, accidents & natural disasters. (Moderated) clari.news.economy General economic news. (Moderated) clari.news.election News regarding both US and international elections. (Moderated) clari.news.entertain Entertainment industry news & features. (Moderated) clari.news.europe News related to Europe. (Moderated) clari.news.features Unclassified feature stories. (Moderated) clari.news.fighting Clashes around the world. (Moderated) clari.news.flash Ultra-important once-a-year news flashes. (Moderated) clari.news.goodnews Stories of success and survival. (Moderated) clari.news.gov General Government related stories. (Moderated) clari.news.gov.agency Government agencies, FBI etc. (Moderated) clari.news.gov.budget Budgets at all levels. (Moderated) clari.news.gov.corrupt Government corruption, kickbacks etc. (Moderated) clari.news.gov.international International government-related stories. (Moderated) clari.news.gov.officials Government officials & their problems. (Moderated) clari.news.gov.state State government stories of national importance. (Moderated) clari.news.gov.taxes Tax laws, trials etc. (Moderated) clari.news.gov.usa US Federal government news. (High volume). (Moderated) clari.news.group Special interest groups not covered in their own group. (Moderated) clari.news.group.blacks News of interest to black people. (Moderated) clari.news.group.gays Homosexuality & Gay Rights. (Moderated) clari.news.group.jews Jews & Jewish interests. (Moderated) clari.news.group.women Women's issues and abortion. (Moderated) clari.news.hot.east_europe News from Eastern Europe. (Moderated) clari.news.hot.iraq The Gulf Crisis clari.news.hot.panama Panama and General Noriega. (Moderated) clari.news.interest Human interest stories. (Moderated) clari.news.interest.animals Animals in the news. (Moderated) clari.news.interest.history Human interest stories & history in the making. (Moderated) clari.news.interest.people Famous people in the news. (Moderated) clari.news.interest.people.column Daily "People" column -- tidbits on celebs. (Moderated) clari.news.interest.quirks Unusual or funny news stories. (Moderated) clari.news.issues Stories on major issues not covered in their own group. (Moderated) clari.news.issues.civil_rights Freedom, Racism, Civil Rights Issues. (Moderated) clari.news.issues.conflict Conflict between groups around the world. (Moderated) clari.news.issues.family Family, Child abuse, etc. (Moderated) clari.news.labor Unions, strikes. (Moderated) clari.news.labor.strike Strikes. (Moderated) clari.news.law General group for law related issues. (Moderated) clari.news.law.civil Civil trials & litigation. (Moderated) clari.news.law.crime Major crimes. (Moderated) clari.news.law.crime.sex Sex crimes and trials. (Moderated) clari.news.law.crime.trial Trials for criminal actions. (Moderated) clari.news.law.crime.violent Violent crime & criminals. (Moderated) clari.news.law.drugs Drug related crimes & drug stories. (Moderated) clari.news.law.investigation Investigation of crimes. (Moderated) clari.news.law.police Police & law enforcement. (Moderated) clari.news.law.prison Prisons, prisoners & escapes. (Moderated) clari.news.law.profession Lawyers, Judges etc. (Moderated) clari.news.law.supreme U.S. Supreme court rulings & news. (Moderated) clari.news.lifestyle Fashion, leisure etc. (Moderated) clari.news.military Military equipment, people & issues. (Moderated) clari.news.movies Reviews, news and stories on movie stars. (Moderated) clari.news.music Reviews and issues concerning music & musicians. (Moderated) clari.news.politics Politicians & politics. (Moderated) clari.news.politics.people Politicians & Political Personalities. (Moderated) clari.news.religion Religion, religious leaders, televangelists. (Moderated) clari.news.sex Sexual issues, sex-related political stories. (Moderated) clari.news.terrorism Terrorist actions & related news around the world. (Moderated) clari.news.top Top US news stories. (Moderated) clari.news.top.world Top international news stories. (Moderated) clari.news.trends Surveys and trends. (Moderated) clari.news.trouble Less major accidents, problems & mishaps. (Moderated) clari.news.tv TV schedules, news, reviews & stars. (Moderated) clari.news.urgent Major breaking stories of the day. (Moderated) clari.news.weather Weather and temperature reports. (Moderated) clari.sports.baseball Baseball scores, stories, games, stats. (Moderated) clari.sports.basketball Basketball coverage. (Moderated) clari.sports.features Sports feature stories. (Moderated) clari.sports.football Pro football coverage. (Moderated) clari.sports.hockey NHL coverage. (Moderated) clari.sports.misc Other sports, plus general sports news. (Moderated) clari.sports.motor Racing, Motor Sports. (Moderated) clari.sports.tennis Tennis news & scores. (Moderated) clari.sports.top Top sports news. (Moderated) GNU --- gnUSENET (gnUSENET is Not USENET) is a set of newsgroups that are gated bi-directionally with the Internet mailing lists of the GNU Project of the Free Software Foundation. GNU (GNU's Not Unix) will be a complete operating system, including application programs, with freely redistributable source code. Please use ONLY gnu.misc.discuss for discussion of topics considered contrary to GNU aims and political philosophy (e.g., porting of GNU code to Apple machines, usefulness of intellectual property laws, etc.). The GNU mailing lists and newsgroups, like the GNU project itself, exist to promote the freedom to share software. So please don't use these newsgroups (or the other GNU lists) to promote or recommend non-free software. (Using them to post ordering information is the ultimate faux pas.) If there is no free program to do a certain task, then somebody should write one! Current groups include: Newsgroup Description --------- ----------- gnu.announce Status and announcements from the Project. (Moderated) gnu.bash.bug Bourne Again SHell bug reports and suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.chess Announcements about the GNU Chess program. gnu.emacs.announce Announcements about GNU Emacs. (Moderated) gnu.emacs.bug GNU Emacs bug reports and suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.emacs.gnews News reading under GNU Emacs using Weemba's Gnews. gnu.emacs.gnus News reading under GNU Emacs using GNUS (in English). gnu.emacs.help User queries and answers. gnu.emacs.sources ONLY (please!) C and Lisp source code for GNU Emacs. gnu.emacs.vm.bug Bug reports on the Emacs VM mail package. gnu.emacs.vm.info Information about the Emacs VM mail package. gnu.emacs.vms VMS port of GNU Emacs. gnu.epoch.misc The Epoch X11 extensions to Emacs. gnu.g++.announce Announcements about the GNU C++ Compiler. (Moderated) gnu.g++.bug g++ bug reports and suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.g++.help GNU C++ compiler (G++) user queries and answers. gnu.g++.lib.bug g++ library bug reports/suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.gcc.announce Announcements about the GNU C Compiler. (Moderated) gnu.gcc.bug GNU C Compiler bug reports/suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.gcc.help GNU C Compiler (gcc) user queries and answers. gnu.gdb.bug gcc/g++ DeBugger bugs and suggested fixes. (Moderated) gnu.ghostscript.bug GNU Ghostscript interpreter bugs. (Moderated) gnu.gnusenet.config GNU's Not Usenet administration and configuration. gnu.gnusenet.test GNU's Not Usenet alternative hierarchy testing. gnu.groff.bug Bugs in the GNU roff programs. (Moderated) gnu.misc.discuss Serious discussion about GNU and freed software. gnu.smalltalk.bug Bugs in GNU Smalltalk. (Moderated) gnu.utils.bug GNU utilities bugs (e.g., make, gawk. ls). (Moderated) IEEE ---- The IEEE newsgroups concern the IEEE -- the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. ieee.announce Announcements of general nature to IEEE community. (Moderated) ieee.config Postings about managing the ieee.* groups. ieee.general IEEE - General discussion. ieee.pcnfs Discussion & tips on PC-NFS. ieee.rab.announce Regional Activities Board - Announcements. (Moderated) ieee.rab.general Regional Activities Board - General discussion. ieee.region1 Region 1 Announcements. ieee.tab.announce Technical Activities Board - Announcements. (Moderated) ieee.tab.general Technical Activities Board - General discussion. ieee.usab.announce USAB - Announcements. (Moderated) ieee.usab.general USAB - General discussion. K12 --- K12Net is a loosely-organized, totally decentralized network of school based/oriented "electronic bulletin board systems" (BBS's) throughout North America, Australia, and Europe that share curriculum-related message bases or "echo forums," classroom-to-classroom projects, and educational files -- making them available to students and educators at no cost and usually on a local phone call. K12Net was born in the summer of 1990 as a collection of FidoNet echomail conferences. It was created by teachers so that they and their students can use networking technology to advance education in the 'K12' arena. On FidoNet, it spans North America, goes through Europe to the Soviet Union, wanders around Australia, etc. k12.chat.elementary Informal discussion among elementary students, grades K-5. k12.chat.junior Informal discussion among students in grades 6-8. k12.chat.senior Informal discussion among high school students. k12.chat.teacher Informal discussion among teachers in grades K-12. k12.ed.art Art curriculum in K-12 education. k12.ed.business Business education curriculum in grades K-12. k12.ed.comp.literacy Teaching computer literacy in grades K-12. k12.ed.health-pe Health and Physical Education curriculum in grades K-12. k12.ed.life-skills Home Economics and Career education in grades K-12. k12.ed.math Mathematics curriculum in K-12 education. k12.ed.music Music and Performing Arts curriculum in K-12 education. k12.ed.science Science curriculum in K-12 education. k12.ed.soc-studies Social Studies and History curriculum in K-12 education. k12.ed.special K-12 education for students w/ handicaps or special needs. k12.ed.tag K-12 education for talented and gifted students. k12.ed.tech Industrial Arts and vocational education in grades K-12. k12.lang.art Language Arts curriculum in K-12 education. k12.lang.deutsch-eng Bilingual German/English practice with native speakers. k12.lang.esp-eng Bilingual Spanish/English practice with native speakers. k12.lang.francais Bilingual French/English practice with native speakers. k12.lang.russian Bilingual Russian/English practice with native speakers. The k12.chat.* groups contain inter-student chat, and tend to be, shall we say, uninteresting to many adults, and a bit voluminous. VMSnet ------ This hierarchy is for topics of interest to VAX/VMS users (but not necessarily VMS-specific). These groups are a project of the VMSnet working group of the VAX SIG of the US Chapter of DECUS (the Digital Equipment Computer User's Society). They are carried by many major Usenet news sites. To find a feed, contact the system managers of news sites near you, and/or post to a local or regional newsgroup and ask if anyone in the area is carrying the VMSnet newsgroups. Here is a current list of VMSnet newsgroups: vmsnet.admin Administration of the VMSnet newsgroups. vmsnet.announce General announcements of interest to all (Moderated). vmsnet.announce.newusers Orientation info for new users (Moderated). vmsnet.internals VMS internals, MACRO-32, Bliss, etc., gatewayed to MACRO32 list vmsnet.mail.misc Other electronic mail software. vmsnet.mail.pmdf PMDF email system, gatewayed to ipmdf mailing list. vmsnet.mail.mx MX email system from RPI, gatewayed to MX mailing list. vmsnet.misc General VMS topics not covered elsewhere. vmsnet.networks.desktop.misc Other desktop integration software. vmsnet.networks.desktop.pathworks DEC Pathworks desktop integration software. vmsnet.networks.management.decmcc DECmcc and related software. vmsnet.networks.management.misc Other network management solutions. vmsnet.networks.misc General networking topics not covered elsewhere. vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.cmu-tek CMU-TEK TCP/IP package, gatewayed to cmu-tek-tcp+@andrew.cmu.edu. vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.misc Other TCP/IP solutions for VMS. vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.multinet TGV's Multinet TCP/IP, gatewayed to info-multinet . vmsnet.sources Source code postings ONLY (Moderated). vmsnet.sources.d Discussion about or requests for sources. vmsnet.sources.games Recreational software postings. vmsnet.sysmgt VMS system management. vmsnet.test Test messages. vmsnet.tpu TPU language and applications, gatewayed to info-tpu. vmsnet.uucp DECUS uucp software, gatewayed to vmsnet mailing list.