Newsgroups

Newsgroups are topic-specific discussion forums that form part of Usenet, a distributed network of servers that exchange articles using the Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP). They originated in the late 1970s and early 1980s and are among the earliest online discussion systems, prefiguring later web forums. Each group is identified by a hierarchical name, such as comp.lang.python or rec.sports.fun, reflecting its topic area and subtopics. The hierarchy also includes broader and historical top-level groups like alt. and misc., and some groups are dedicated to binary file sharing in addition to plain text discussions.

Operation and access work through a network of Usenet servers that replicate articles among themselves. When a user posts to a group, the article is propagated to other servers that carry that group, and it remains available for retrieval for a period determined by each server’s retention policy. Readers access groups with newsreader software or web-based gateways, typically with no mandatory central authentication, though some private servers may require credentials. The content within a newsgroup can be moderated or unmoderated.

Content and etiquette vary by group. Moderated groups have a designated moderator who reviews submissions before posting. Unmoderated groups allow direct posting. Some groups focus on discussion of a topic, while binary groups host encoded files such as images or software, which are distributed as articles with attachments or encoded payloads. Netiquette and group-specific charters guide posting behavior, cross-posting, and on-topic rules.

Today, Usenet traffic has declined with the rise of the Web, but many newsgroups remain active and accessible through various servers and providers, preserving a legacy form of asynchronous, topic-driven discussion.