Plusnet Cease Binary Groups

Looks like my isp have abandoned their binary download facility.
Anyone got any suggestions where to go next please? I was paying 21.99
for 2 Meg which is shortly to become 8 Meg. Why would anyone want 8
Meg if the binary d/loads are kaput?

Dumped

"Binary Usenet is used by a small minority of mainly technically savvy
customers to download large files. Because very few customers have
been using our Binary Usenet service it will no longer be available
from 3rd April 2006 onwards."

<dumped> wrote in message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Looks like my isp have abandoned their binary download facility.
> Anyone got any suggestions where to go next please? I was paying 21.99
> for 2 Meg which is shortly to become 8 Meg. Why would anyone want 8
> Meg if the binary d/loads are kaput?
>
> Dumped
>
> "Binary Usenet is used by a small minority of mainly technically savvy
> customers to download large files. Because very few customers have
> been using our Binary Usenet service it will no longer be available
> from 3rd April 2006 onwards."

You can choose from any number of paid-for binary newsfeeds (giganews,
newshosting etc). They usually have long retention time (for giganews 90
days). As for free ones, the ones that I've used have had a retention of 2
days.

Agreed, plusnets retention was 3 days. However they are hosting a
website for us. If I pay a dedicated binary feed I'll still have to
pay plusnet (or someone) to keep the site going. Hence would prefer to
keep both services under one roof, ie web space and binary downloads,
even if the retention is short.

dumped
On Fri, 7 Apr 2006 11:04:56 +0100, "ABC"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
><dumped> wrote in message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Looks like my isp have abandoned their binary download facility.
>> Anyone got any suggestions where to go next please? I was paying 21.99
>> for 2 Meg which is shortly to become 8 Meg. Why would anyone want 8
>> Meg if the binary d/loads are kaput?
>>
>> Dumped
>>
>> "Binary Usenet is used by a small minority of mainly technically savvy
>> customers to download large files. Because very few customers have
>> been using our Binary Usenet service it will no longer be available
>> from 3rd April 2006 onwards."
>
>You can choose from any number of paid-for binary newsfeeds (giganews,
>newshosting etc). They usually have long retention time (for giganews 90
>days). As for free ones, the ones that I've used have had a retention of 2
>days.
>

On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 10:57:00 +0100, dumped wrote:

>Looks like my isp have abandoned their binary download facility.
>Anyone got any suggestions where to go next please?

Probably nowhere, within a fairly short time.

There are already few ISPs offering their own binary servers, and the
number is getting smaller all the time.

If it is important to you, then you are pretty well going to have to
pay for it separately.

And then find an ISP that doesn't limit the amount you can download
using that protocol. PN limit the amount you can download during the
4PM-midnight "peak time", and when you reach a certain point, NNTP
(plus P2P and some other protocols) will be blocked during that peak
time.


>I was paying 21.99
>for 2 Meg which is shortly to become 8 Meg. Why would anyone want 8
>Meg if the binary d/loads are kaput?
>

The vast majority of ISP customers don't use usenet *at all*. Never
mind binary usenet.

There are plenty of reasons for wanting 8Mb without using binary
usenet. E.g. P2P file sharing, video streaming, just being able to
make large downloads quickly, etc.
--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
Real men don't set for stun.
To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom

On 07 Apr 2006 11:30, dumped wrote:

>Hence would prefer to keep both services under one roof, ie web space
>and binary downloads, even if the retention is short.

Oh dear. If you ever have a dispute over your fees / service for internet
access, what happens to the e-mail and website when they suspend your a/c!

--
Quality e-mail... 10 GB mailbox, 1 GB files, 30 day free trial !
IMAP/SMTP/POP/WAP or point your MX. See <http://2238.runbox.com>

On 07 Apr 2006 10:57, dumped wrote:

>Looks like my isp have abandoned their binary download facility.
>Anyone got any suggestions where to go next please?

Check out the various ISPs on ADSLguide, and ask on the message boards
about binary newsgroup access. Some time ago, Eclipse offered no NNTP
service at all (it has probably changed now) while some such as Zen or
Nildram/Freedom to Surf/Pipex will offer access to external news for a
fee (or included in the monthly charges). Even PN's Metronet has news
from Supernews (I felt they could have considered migrating those that
wanted binary newsgroups from PN/Force9/Free-Online to Metronet, but I
guess they didn't want the admin work to make it possible, prefer that
heavy users either pay an external news service like Astraweb or leave
them to go to another ISP instead, as you are planning). You will not
find many ISPs with their own binaries news service (even Claranet has
had plenty of problems with binaries over the years, and for ADSL they
have provided it as a service to customers, sometimes behind the other
ISPs in terms of higher speeds, and certainly without competitive fees
though having said that, they do have an off-peak, uncapped, 12-month,
payment quarterly/annually account at under 18 quid which might appeal
to some - certainly those with a 9-5 day could use it).

>I was paying 21.99 for 2 Meg which is shortly to become 8 Meg. Why
>would anyone want 8 Meg if the binary d/loads are kaput?

It does appear that peer-to-peer and "unlimited" download deals from
the likes of Napster, etc, will be used, at least by younger people,
in preference to binary newsgroups, as there seems lots more choice
rather than having to wait for items of interest... Certainly I've
downloaded films from web sites, so would appreciate higher speed
but others seem to want DVD material (I have no DVD player so it
is of little interest to me right now). Peter Morgan.

--
Quality e-mail... 10 GB mailbox, 1 GB files, 30 day free trial !
IMAP/SMTP/POP/WAP or point your MX. See <http://2238.runbox.com>

On 07 Apr 2006, poster <us-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>even Claranet has had plenty of problems with binaries over the years, and
>for ADSL they have provided it as a service to customers, sometimes behind
>other ISPs in terms of higher speeds, certainly without competitive fees

They have beta testing going on now though:

We're running an open beta trial of 'up to' 24M and 'up to 8M for
existing claranet customers. If you would like to take part, please
email ...

The product you get will depend where you live. The costs are:

24M :-
install: free
modem: GBP 70 (or source your own ADSL2+ modem)
monthly rental: GBP 29.99

8M :-
install: free
modem: you can use existing
monthly rental: GBP 27.99

These prices are for the trial only. The monthly rentals are likely
to be the same but the install fees will be higher when the product
is launched.

There is no download limit during the trial.

-------------------8<--------------------------------8<--------------

In another (03/04) posting in claranet.support by Steve Rawlinson:

8M should be available generally in 2 weeks. In the meantime you can
sign up to the beta service if you wish.

steve

"ABC" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:e15dg9$4p6$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> <dumped> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Looks like my isp have abandoned their binary download facility.
>> Anyone got any suggestions where to go next please? I was paying 21.99
>> for 2 Meg which is shortly to become 8 Meg. Why would anyone want 8
>> Meg if the binary d/loads are kaput?
>>
>> Dumped
>>
>> "Binary Usenet is used by a small minority of mainly technically savvy
>> customers to download large files. Because very few customers have
>> been using our Binary Usenet service it will no longer be available
>> from 3rd April 2006 onwards."
>
> You can choose from any number of paid-for binary newsfeeds (giganews,
> newshosting etc). They usually have long retention time (for giganews 90
> days). As for free ones, the ones that I've used have had a retention of 2
> days.

Giganews is only 65 days, not 90. Even the webpage only claims an average
of 70.

"steeler" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:vovZf.38195$(E-Mail Removed).. .
>
> "ABC" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:e15dg9$4p6$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> <dumped> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Looks like my isp have abandoned their binary download facility.
>>> Anyone got any suggestions where to go next please? I was paying 21.99
>>> for 2 Meg which is shortly to become 8 Meg. Why would anyone want 8
>>> Meg if the binary d/loads are kaput?
>>>
>>> Dumped
>>>
>>> "Binary Usenet is used by a small minority of mainly technically savvy
>>> customers to download large files. Because very few customers have
>>> been using our Binary Usenet service it will no longer be available
>>> from 3rd April 2006 onwards."
>>
>> You can choose from any number of paid-for binary newsfeeds (giganews,
>> newshosting etc). They usually have long retention time (for giganews 90
>> days). As for free ones, the ones that I've used have had a retention of
>> 2 days.
>
> Giganews is only 65 days, not 90. Even the webpage only claims an average
> of 70.
>
Sorry. Just realised that when I've checked their site.

"ABC" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:e160kl$ba8$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "steeler" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:vovZf.38195$(E-Mail Removed).. .
>>
>> "ABC" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:e15dg9$4p6$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>
>>> <dumped> wrote in message
>>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>> Looks like my isp have abandoned their binary download facility.
>>>> Anyone got any suggestions where to go next please? I was paying 21.99
>>>> for 2 Meg which is shortly to become 8 Meg. Why would anyone want 8
>>>> Meg if the binary d/loads are kaput?
>>>>
>>>> Dumped
>>>>
>>>> "Binary Usenet is used by a small minority of mainly technically savvy
>>>> customers to download large files. Because very few customers have
>>>> been using our Binary Usenet service it will no longer be available
>>>> from 3rd April 2006 onwards."
>>>
>>> You can choose from any number of paid-for binary newsfeeds (giganews,
>>> newshosting etc). They usually have long retention time (for giganews 90
>>> days). As for free ones, the ones that I've used have had a retention of
>>> 2 days.
>>
>> Giganews is only 65 days, not 90. Even the webpage only claims an
>> average of 70.
>>
> Sorry. Just realised that when I've checked their site.

no probs, just clarifying.