Discussion:
Globe & Mail story on Sympatico's termination of usenet
(too old to reply)
Human Being
2006-06-10 01:11:04 UTC
Permalink
Note the following:

"Usenet service is not federally regulated and so Sympatico can
cut it unilaterally without reducing your ISP fees"

He also makes the comment that usenet activity has dropped recently -
because of Rogers decision to drop usenet a few months ago. Isin't
that a sort of chicken-and-egg situation? Did Rogers drop usenet
because only a few of it's users were using it - or is it the case now
that only a few Rogers customers are using usenet BECAUSE rogers
dropped it?

-----------------------

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041102.gtkapicablog/BNStory/Technology/home/

CYBERIA: No reason to complain?
JACK KAPICA
Globe and Mail Update
Posted June 6, 2006, at 4:20 p.m.

In Douglas Adams' Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a bureaucratic
alien with a taste for bad poetry admonishes our hero for not knowing
that the Earth was to be blown up to make room for a hyperspace bypass
because the plans had been on display on Alpha Centauri for the
previous nine months. Actually, they were "on display in the bottom of
a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the
door saying Beware of the Leopard."

I always think of this whenever Sympatico makes changes to its
Internet service.

On June 6, Sympatico discontinued its Usenet newsgroup service. All
existing Sympatico newsgroups have been removed. Except, oddly, for
Sympatico business customers, for whom the newsgroup servers are still
running.

Of course, Sympatico is keeping its Web-based discussion forums (at
www.bell.ca/internetforum). And anyone who wants to keep subscribing
to Usenet can go to NewsHosting, a Usenet provider unaffiliated with
Sympatico, which will give Bell Sympatico customers 1 GB per month of
Usenet service at no cost. Only this service does not let you post to
those groups, just read them.

If, however, you want the premium service, NewsHosting will be happy
to provide it — at $285 per year.

I don't recall any notice of the take-down, which was probably on file
in that same lavatory on Alpha Centauri.

Nor did other customers, who called Sympatico tech support, only to be
told that Usenet service is not federally regulated and so Sympatico
can cut it unilaterally without reducing your ISP fees. It was, in
short, a freebie, and we can't complain.

I do understand that Usenet newsgroup activity has fallen off
dramatically of late; in December, when Rogers cancelled its Usenet
service, I was told that the number of Rogers subscribers still
exercising access to the newsgroups was down to single-digit
percentages.

There might very well be a good business case for dropping Usenet, but
assassinating it strikes me as heavy-handed. And if equivalent access
to NewsHosting's Usenet service is really worth $285 a year, I can't
help but see this business decision as a windfall for Bell Canada.

I really do resent the fact that I was either not told about it, or
was told way down under the usual self-promotional blather I get
regularly from Sympatico, which tells me breathlessly about services
that hold no interest for me, and which I reject as spam. If Sympatico
had indeed mentioned it in the fine print, the information might as
well have been on Alpha Centauri, and I would have found it if I had
only bothered to go there.
chuckcar
2006-06-10 01:34:52 UTC
Permalink
Post by Human Being
"Usenet service is not federally regulated and so Sympatico can
cut it unilaterally without reducing your ISP fees"
He also makes the comment that usenet activity has dropped recently -
because of Rogers decision to drop usenet a few months ago. Isin't
that a sort of chicken-and-egg situation? Did Rogers drop usenet
because only a few of it's users were using it - or is it the case now
that only a few Rogers customers are using usenet BECAUSE rogers
dropped it?
Sure it is, but without a "source" (2 actually) he can't say it since he
probably doesn't know enough to say it himself.
Post by Human Being
-----------------------
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041102.gtkapicablo
g/BNStory/Technology/home/
CYBERIA: No reason to complain?
JACK KAPICA
Globe and Mail Update
Posted June 6, 2006, at 4:20 p.m.
In Douglas Adams' Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a bureaucratic
alien with a taste for bad poetry admonishes our hero for not knowing
that the Earth was to be blown up to make room for a hyperspace bypass
because the plans had been on display on Alpha Centauri for the
previous nine months. Actually, they were "on display in the bottom of
a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the
door saying Beware of the Leopard."
I always think of this whenever Sympatico makes changes to its
Internet service.
On June 6, Sympatico discontinued its Usenet newsgroup service. All
existing Sympatico newsgroups have been removed. Except, oddly, for
Sympatico business customers, for whom the newsgroup servers are still
running.
Of course, Sympatico is keeping its Web-based discussion forums (at
www.bell.ca/internetforum). And anyone who wants to keep subscribing
to Usenet can go to NewsHosting, a Usenet provider unaffiliated with
Sympatico, which will give Bell Sympatico customers 1 GB per month of
Usenet service at no cost. Only this service does not let you post to
those groups, just read them.
If, however, you want the premium service, NewsHosting will be happy
to provide it — at $285 per year.
I don't recall any notice of the take-down, which was probably on file
in that same lavatory on Alpha Centauri.
Nor did other customers, who called Sympatico tech support, only to be
told that Usenet service is not federally regulated and so Sympatico
can cut it unilaterally without reducing your ISP fees. It was, in
short, a freebie, and we can't complain.
I do understand that Usenet newsgroup activity has fallen off
dramatically of late; in December, when Rogers cancelled its Usenet
service, I was told that the number of Rogers subscribers still
exercising access to the newsgroups was down to single-digit
percentages.
Nonsense - someone who chooses Rodgers (or Shaw et al), would do it for
pretty much two reasons - binary usenet or P2P - which I see as the
replacement of the lack of support/anti-spaming of the former.
Post by Human Being
There might very well be a good business case for dropping Usenet, but
assassinating it strikes me as heavy-handed. And if equivalent access
to NewsHosting's Usenet service is really worth $285 a year, I can't
help but see this business decision as a windfall for Bell Canada.
That's what the "free market" (if it exists - can't say either way) for
usenet costs - for unlimited transfers I would say at that price.
Post by Human Being
I really do resent the fact that I was either not told about it, or
was told way down under the usual self-promotional blather I get
regularly from Sympatico, which tells me breathlessly about services
that hold no interest for me, and which I reject as spam. If Sympatico
had indeed mentioned it in the fine print, the information might as
well have been on Alpha Centauri, and I would have found it if I had
only bothered to go there.
He doesn't read his one or two emails a week from his ISP?? Strange
that, but I guess it sounds better (if incorrect) if he says it that
way.
--
(setq (chuck nil) car(chuck) )
chuckcar
2006-06-10 01:39:06 UTC
Permalink
Arrgh, sorry about the crosspost - didn't notice the headers. Gotta stop
that...
--
(setq (chuck nil) car(chuck) )
Human Being
2006-06-10 04:57:11 UTC
Permalink
Post by chuckcar
Post by Human Being
There might very well be a good business case for dropping
Usenet, but assassinating it strikes me as heavy-handed. And
if equivalent access to NewsHosting's Usenet service is
really worth $285 a year, I can't help but see this business
decision as a windfall for Bell Canada.
That's what the "free market" (if it exists - can't say either
way) for usenet costs - for unlimited transfers I would say at
that price.
So how can it be a "windfall" for Bell to hand over $285 per usenet
subscriber to Highwinds? Looks more like a loss for Bell not to take
a piece of that action, given they have all the infrastucture in
place.
Post by chuckcar
Post by Human Being
I really do resent the fact that I was either not told
about it,
He doesn't read his one or two emails a week from his ISP??
Did you receive any such e-mail? I'm not aware that anyone did.
chuckcar
2006-06-10 20:10:51 UTC
Permalink
Post by Human Being
Post by chuckcar
Post by Human Being
I really do resent the fact that I was either not told
about it,
He doesn't read his one or two emails a week from his ISP??
Did you receive any such e-mail? I'm not aware that anyone did.
Ok, I guess not, but he does as much as say that he doesn't read email
from Sympatico.
--
(setq (chuck nil) car(chuck) )
Nate
2006-06-11 07:30:03 UTC
Permalink
Simple you buy unlimited newsgroups access from newshosting then sympatico
brings in caps of 75 or 100 gigabytes a month. Sympatico charges you a
fortune if you go over 100 gigabytes and at the same time newshosting saves
a fortune because most sympatico users will only do 100 gigs instead of 500
gigs a month like most others from other isps who have no cap. A win-win
situation for both sympatico and newshosting.
Post by Human Being
Post by chuckcar
Post by Human Being
There might very well be a good business case for dropping
Usenet, but assassinating it strikes me as heavy-handed. And
if equivalent access to NewsHosting's Usenet service is
really worth $285 a year, I can't help but see this business
decision as a windfall for Bell Canada.
That's what the "free market" (if it exists - can't say either
way) for usenet costs - for unlimited transfers I would say at
that price.
So how can it be a "windfall" for Bell to hand over $285 per usenet
subscriber to Highwinds? Looks more like a loss for Bell not to take
a piece of that action, given they have all the infrastucture in
place.
Post by chuckcar
Post by Human Being
I really do resent the fact that I was either not told
about it,
He doesn't read his one or two emails a week from his ISP??
Did you receive any such e-mail? I'm not aware that anyone did.
Jimmy James
2006-06-10 13:02:06 UTC
Permalink
Post by chuckcar
Post by Human Being
I really do resent the fact that I was either not told about it, or
was told way down under the usual self-promotional blather I get
regularly from Sympatico, which tells me breathlessly about services
that hold no interest for me, and which I reject as spam. If Sympatico
had indeed mentioned it in the fine print, the information might as
well have been on Alpha Centauri, and I would have found it if I had
only bothered to go there.
He doesn't read his one or two emails a week from his ISP?? Strange
that, but I guess it sounds better (if incorrect) if he says it that
way.
I never got an email saying USENET will be terminated either.
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