Newsgroups

Discover the incredible scope of more than 200,000 newsgroups

The Usenet has a similar structure to a large blackboard on which every user is free to leave messages regarding any conceivable topic. Every day, thousands of messages and GBs of content are posted and pooled in so-called newsgroups. Every newsgroup is dedicated to a different topic. In order to structure this incredible amount of data in a clear way, the Usenet has a hierarchical structure. The majority of newsgroups fall into the overriding categories "comp.*", "soc.*", "sci.*", "humanities.*", "misc.*", "news.*", "rec.*" and "alt.*". The name of individual newsgroups in contrast usually relates to the content within it.

Try USENEXT for free

Get secure access now and discover the huge world of Usenet. A world just for your taste.

Test for free

Newsgroup hierarchy

alt.

alt.,„alternative“ - discussion of all topics

comp.

comp.,„computer“ - computer-related topics

humanities.

Culture and the arts

misc.

misc.,„miscellaneous“ - various topics which don't fall into other categories

news.

Discussions about the Usenet itself

rec.

rec.,„recreational“ - leisure and relaxation, art and culture

sci.

sci.,„science“ - science and technology

soc.

soc.,„social“ - social topics

talk.

General discussions, religion and politics

The group "alt." is particularly important and is generally the most popular. This is the platform for all possible topics and for exchanging all manner of files, so-called binaries. This is where the diversity of the Usenet really becomes apparent, as "alt" truly offers a completely free exchange of all information and content.