Gaming Usenet?

[Ryukouki]

I see people always mentioning this Usenet and Private Tracker nonsense. What's that stuff all about? All I heard is insanely fast download and all that. Is it dangerous? What's the idea? No guys, I am not asking where to find them. I just want to know what they're all about. I'm sick of pulling a blank to figure out what it is...

 

[Hakoda]

Usenet began as a newsgroup service to spread information but as the Internet began to grow and data became larger, their purpose began to be more mainstream. As in consumers would pay a provider for a subscription to access files to download at HTTP speeds, usually so fast they max out their bandwidth. There are various Usenet providers and usually the best one to go with is the combination of being the cheapest & having a long retention to ensure your desired files will be around for a long time.

Those who don't have money to spend every month on Usenet subscriptions use torrents or file sharing sites to find their information. Usually this method makes obtaining files harder & slower.

In the case of GBATemp, game releases usually go: Usenet --> Torrents --> File Sharing Sites/Dedicated Domains for ROMs. Some others on here will use it for pr0n as well though, lol.

 

[Rafinesque]

Usenet can have a high learning curve. The best software for Usenet is probably Newsbin Pro. The best service is Giganews, but there are others that are decent...

 

[Jiggah]

Usenet does not have a high learning curve at all. The best services are however paid, but it's usually worth it for the amount of stuff you're grabbing.

Think of usenet as a directory of forums with posts. The posts have attachments that can be downloaded.

 

[Frederica Bernkastel]

I see people always mentioning this Usenet and Private Tracker nonsense. What's that stuff all about? All I heard is insanely fast download and all that. Is it dangerous? What's the idea? No guys, I am not asking where to find them. I just want to know what they're all about. I'm sick of pulling a blank to figure out what it is...
Private Trackers and Usenet are two very different things. Private trackers are member-only exclusive BitTorrent trackers - where torrents are generally seeded more (as opposed to public trackers, which are usually victims to hit and run downloads) and are also seeded on faster internet connections, as it is more likely that people are using seedboxes. Whereas Usenet is best described as an large network of posts.

In the case of GBATemp, game releases usually go: Usenet --> Torrents --> File Sharing Sites/Dedicated Domains for ROMs. Some others on here will use it for pr0n as well though, lol.
You've forgotten the top three layers,
Release Groups -> topsites (large FTP servers) -> couriers (who distribute between servers) -> usenet/torrents (torrents typically hit a short while after usenet, but are very much at the same level) -> dedicated sites

QUOTE(Rafinesque @ Feb 27 2011, 05:13 AM)

Usenet can have a high learning curve. The best software for Usenet is probably Newsbin Pro. The best service is Giganews, but there are others that are decent...

Your post is highly biased, and really not too informative.
If you're looking for the best usenet client, it is indisputably SABnzbd+, although it is not the easiest to use.
as for best service, that's a tricky one. Giganews is a good provider, but not the best. Other notable providers are Astraweb, and my personal favourite: Usenet-News (their block accounts are perfect for someone who is just starting out with usenet).

 

[KDH]

If you're looking to get started with Usenet, make sure your ISP doesn't provide (unrestricted) access before you start paying for access. SureWest, for instance, provides Usenet access with around 100 day retention (in my experience). Not the best, but if it's included with your normal subscription fee, it's not bad.