*pressure Google to put Groups back on main page...*

[Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz]

Post top don't please.

In <[email protected]>, on
08/16/2006
at 10:31 PM, (e-mail address removed) said:

Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.databases.oracle.misc,comp.os.linux.misc
Why?

Seriously, who the hell cares about 'Videos' - there must be millions
of usenet group users - can we club together and force them to put
Groups back on the Google home page - 2 clicks per visit is starting
to bug me...

So stop going to the google home page. Are you using a browser that
doesn't support bookmarks? Is this really the most serious problem
that you have with google?


In <[email protected]>, on
08/17/2006
at 08:56 AM, (e-mail address removed) said:

I dont want to use bookmarks,

That's your problem, not google's.

I hate menus

That's your problem, not google's.

- read up on your HCI.

Works fine for me.

Newsreaders are an archaic method

That's your opinion. Those that understand the issues don't agree with
you.

perhaps for retirees who have nothing better to do with their time
but read every single message posted

Ah, a windoze user brainwashed by m$. You are making a ridiculous
assumption; there is, in fact, no need to read, or even download,
every message posted in order to use a news reader. In fact, you'd be
hard pressed to find even a single user that does so.

lol.

The joke is on you.


In <[email protected]>, on
08/17/2006
at 11:12 AM, (e-mail address removed) said:

You want me to read an RFC to learn how to reply

You're right; he should have asked you to FOAD.

You should post text, dont post fancy formats from your personal
editor

Nu, so what is the outp[ut from his editor, chopped liver?

Exactly! Now you are talking my language - please join me in
pressuring Google to put the Groups link back on the main Google
page...

Now there's a non sequitor! So far you have not given a single reason
why anybody but you should care. There are better places for them to
put their resources, like fixing their defaults to match Usenet
conventions.

Oh, BTW, this is the last time that I will see any of your articles;
you seem to be willfully ignorant. I'm about to introduce you to yet
another feature that news clients. have. Tin (sic), meet Mr. Filter.

*PLONK*

--
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz, SysProg and JOAT <http://patriot.net/~shmuel>

Unsolicited bulk E-mail subject to legal action. I reserve the
right to publicly post or ridicule any abusive E-mail. Reply to
domain Patriot dot net user shmuel+news to contact me. Do not
reply to (e-mail address removed)

 

[joel garry]

Seriously, who the hell cares about 'Videos' - there must be millions
of usenet group users - can we club together and force them to put
Groups back on the Google home page - 2 clicks per visit is starting to
bug me...

Why don't we club Google to allow us to format whatever we want on our
home page?

Someone doesn't read me because I post from google... WAAAAAAAHHHHH!

I would prefer slrn, but my home computers are usually powered down.

I can never predict what a customer will allow me to have on their
network. It is better not to have to ask for anything more than a
browser. Unix is usually in X on MS anyways - can't generally get out
from there.

My google login is for an email/domain combination that no longer
exists - no worries of spam! (that was more of a concern in earlier
google). Since I've had it for seven years, I wonder if I can claim
ownership through adverse posession...

I still type in dejanews.com/advanced_search faster than I can use a
mouse to find a bookmark. deja and a down arrow even faster.

While I do sometimes google then group search, more normally I have
several windows or tabs open anyways. I did notice it pretty quick
when the groups link disappeared, but that was more because of the
paranoia in the back of my mind from when dejanews originally went away
- I think the worry that google will give up on it is legitimate.

Choice is good. Standardization is good. Predictability is good.
Serendipity is good. Thread drift is good. Crossposting not so good.

jg

 

[Chris F.A. Johnson]

Why don't we club Google to allow us to format whatever we want on our
home page?

Why do you need a home page on Google? Why not crate a file on your
own computer (or on one of the many free web sites) to use as a
home page?

 

[Dag Sunde]

Why do you need a home page on Google? Why not crate a file on your
own computer (or on one of the many free web sites) to use as a
home page?

Incompetence?

He seriously believe that a web-interface is superior to a newsreader
when accessing usenet...

 

[blmblm]

[ snip ]

Can your interface to usenet do the following?

[ snip ]

- Postpone articles on demand?

So tin (what you're using if I understand the headers right) can
do this? if so, can anyone who's used both this feature and mutt's
"postpone message" compare/contrast? I thought about trying to
hack trn (my newsreader of choice) to try to add such a feature,
but maybe it would be more sensible to consider a different (but
not too different) newsreader ....

Thread drift, but hey, the whole thread is fairly off-topic,
maybe ....

[ snip ]

 

[=?ISO-8859-2?Q?Dra=BEen_Gemi=E6?=]

Bad thing about Internet is that it enabled everyone to express
her/his opinion in public, even the people who would not find
anyone to listen to them otherwise.

I am tired of all those activists of all kinds and I am not going to
support this.

DG

 

[jgar the jorrible]

Incompetence?

He seriously believe that a web-interface is superior to a newsreader
when accessing usenet...

Why do you say that? I specifically noted I prefer slrn.

Google's interface does allow scrolling up and down to easily see
previous posts that have been trimmed to change their meaning, though.
In this case, all the stuff I had posted about why creating a file on
my own computer doesn't work, not the least of which they happen to be
off most of the time.

And of course, the obvious use of google to search usenet! Sheesh.

jg

 

[Chris F.A. Johnson]

....
In this case, all the stuff I had posted about why creating a file on
my own computer doesn't work, not the least of which they happen to be
off most of the time.

Then put it on any of the many free websites.

And of course, the obvious use of google to search usenet! Sheesh.

That's what it was designed for.

 

[John Thompson]

["Followup-To:" header set to comp.os.linux.misc.]

Surely the point is that while of course using Google Groups as a
newsreader would be absurd (not sure I'd like using Thunderbird either,
mind you), it is extremely useful for /searching/ Usenet postings: it
quite often happens that a Google web search doesn't turn up much, and
you think to yourself "Hmmmm, I bet that's been discussed on Usenet in
the past...", and being able to check this by just clicking the "groups"
link at the top is a big time-saver.

If you're using Firefox, you can add a google groups search engine to
the search box:

http://mycroft.mozdev.org/download....om&sherlock=yes&opensearch=&submitform=Search

 

[jmcgill]

Incompetence?

He seriously believe that a web-interface is superior to a newsreader
when accessing usenet...

The move of the groups link actually annoyed me (very slightly) but I
simply put the google groups link into the "Bookmarks" section on my
Google start page. I've got plenty too much else to get upset about.

 

[RedGrittyBrick]

Actually, I was wondering when groups might go away.

People have been wondering that for over twenty years.
http://tinyurl.com/pm888

My impression is
many groups are dead or dying. With blogs and other dynamic web
content, the days of newsgroups may be numbered.

Sure, but the days may be numbered in thousands.

 

[Paul]

Actually, I was wondering when groups might go away. My impression is
many groups are dead or dying. With blogs and other dynamic web
content, the days of newsgroups may be numbered.

I certainly hope not!


A newsreader is *_WAY_* more efficient at collating info than a
browser - topics, threads - *_WAY_* better than the web.


Paul...

Ed

--

plinehan __at__ yahoo __dot__ __com__

XP Pro, SP 2,

Oracle, 9.2.0.1.0 (Enterprise Ed.)
Interbase 6.0.1.0;

When asking database related questions, please give other posters
some clues, like operating system, version of db being used and DDL.
The exact text and/or number of error messages is useful (!= "it didn't work!").
Thanks.

Furthermore, as a courtesy to those who spend
time analysing and attempting to help, please
do not top post.

 

[Ed Prochak]

I certainly hope not!


A newsreader is *_WAY_* more efficient at collating info than a
browser - topics, threads - *_WAY_* better than the web.


Paul...

Oh I agree. It is just that even though the number of people using
groups has increased, it has nowhere near increased at the same rate as
people using the internet. ISP's do not seem include any introduction
to newgroups. People basically find them by luck or by other users. The
technical groups will go on for a long time, but my impression
(unmeasured) is that the social groups seem to have at least leveled
off in numbers of users. We may be near the inflection point where the
slop changes to negative growth.

But I do prefer groups to many websites..

Ed

 

[David L. Johnson]

Actually, usenet is dead, and has been for some time. We just don't seem
to know it yet.

My university had been receiving a newsfeed -- without paying for it --
for some years. The provider eventually checked its records, and cut us
off. For some weeks, I was the only one to complain, so the U never
bothered to reinstate them.

Oh I agree. It is just that even though the number of people using
groups has increased, it has nowhere near increased at the same rate as
people using the internet.

I sincerely doubt that, if you look at recent years. Neglecting trolls
and spam, I would say that usenet traffic, even on the technical groups I
follow, has decreased substantially.

Note: newsgroups line trimmed

--

David L. Johnson

__o | And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all
_`\(,_ | mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so
(_)/ (_) | that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am
nothing. [1 Corinth. 13:2]

 

[Michael Heiming]

Actually, usenet is dead, and has been for some time. We just don't seem
to know it yet.

;-)

Honestly I don't think so. Colm receives about 500-800 articles
per week since long time. Most spam, annoying cross-posting
idiots already removed.

Though it might be true for other groups. Sometimes I fear it is
intentional that Usenet isn't known to many people. Reason might
be the uncontrollable way usenet works. You just can't sue any one
responsible as it seems to get more and more common with web
forums.

On the other hand this might drive people back? To me it is
hardly understandable why people prefer to use some html forum?

Only reason imaginable, they just don't know about
Usenet/Newsreader and the fact that this protocol was exactly
designed for discussions...

My university had been receiving a newsfeed -- without paying for it --
for some years. The provider eventually checked its records, and cut us
off. For some weeks, I was the only one to complain, so the U never
bothered to reinstate them.

Indeed this is a problem. New users especially M$ users don't
have the slightest clue about usenet and it seems to hard for
them configuring a newsreader, even after telling them how to go
about it.

Many think this would be a groups.google forum, as this is the
only interface to Usenet they have ever seen. Some even post as
if people answering here would be paid by google to serve them
asap...;(

I sincerely doubt that, if you look at recent years. Neglecting trolls
and spam, I would say that usenet traffic, even on the technical groups I
follow, has decreased substantially.

At least in this ng, (comp.os.linux.misc) traffic seems somehow
constant. There was just a switch some time ago, as AOL closed
their nntp server and asked people to use groups.google.com
instead.

 

[joel garry]

Oh I agree. It is just that even though the number of people using
groups has increased, it has nowhere near increased at the same rate as
people using the internet. ISP's do not seem include any introduction
to newgroups. People basically find them by luck or by other users. The
technical groups will go on for a long time, but my impression
(unmeasured) is that the social groups seem to have at least leveled
off in numbers of users. We may be near the inflection point where the
slop changes to negative growth.

But I do prefer groups to many websites..

I was reading an article about Web 2.0. It stated the basic difference
between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 was users contributing content, as opposed
to just reading content put together by others. My immediate thought
was: usenet, the prototype for Web 2.0!



jg

 

[CBFalconer]

.... snip ...

Many think this would be a groups.google forum, as this is the
only interface to Usenet they have ever seen. Some even post as
if people answering here would be paid by google to serve them
asap...;(



At least in this ng, (comp.os.linux.misc) traffic seems somehow
constant. There was just a switch some time ago, as AOL closed
their nntp server and asked people to use groups.google.com
instead.

There are free news-servers available. Just recently my ISP fouled
up the usenet server (they farm it out to giganews), or maybe
giganews fouled it. I simply connected to the free news server
from teranews.com, and everything now flows smoothly. It cost me
USD 3.95 to register, and the minor annoyance of an extra sig. line
hung on by teranews.

I don't know if teranews is available outside North America.