AstroBoy
join:2008-08-08
Parkville, MD
1 edit | [Newsgroups] Comcast shuts down newsgroups
I got this last Thursday (October 02, 2008). Complimentary? I guess another reason to switch to FIOS! I am just too lasy.
Dear Comcast High-Speed Internet Customer:
As of October 25, 2008, the complimentary Comcast Newsgroups service, powered by Giganews, will be discontinued. This feature provided customers access to 2 gigabytes of newsgroup information on a monthly basis. After this date, these customers will no longer be able to access the Comcast Newsgroups service through Comcast. Customers who have subscribed directly to Giganews for newsgroup access will not be affected by this change.
While we have seen a decline in popularity of newsgroups as customers have chosen to get information from other sources, we know a small percentage of our customers continue to use newsgroups today. If you are interested in continuing to access newsgroups, Giganews is offering a special promotion for Comcast customers. Click here to learn more.
Thank you for being a valued customer.
Comcast Cable
Added the Newsgroups title tag. ~sorto' |
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fonzbear2000
Premium
join:2005-08-09
Saint Paul, MN
| Re: Comcast shuts down newsgroups
This has already been known for some time now: »[Newsgroups] The Comcast Newsgroups Service Discontinued
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»Celestia-this is a REALLY COOL program!!! |
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Jeffer03
join:2008-06-10
Arlington, MA
| reply to AstroBoy
Re: Comcast shuts down newsgroups!!!
Yeah, I just got that notice a couple days ago. This sucks!!!
I use the newsgroups for important health related information. I have a contract with Comcast for 1 yr for TV, phone, and Internet services and this, in my opinion, was part of those services and hence contract.
I'm going to call them and demand a credit on my monthly bill for the price of subscribing to GigaNews, $7.95/mon for basic for the remaining part of my contract. At that point I'll see what plans other ISPs are offering.
For anyone using newsgroups there should be some consumer uproar over this. imho |
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vincent510
join:2008-10-09
Sunnyvale, CA
| It really does suck, unfortunately companies like Comcast are so arrogant I don't think they care about complaints.
I wasn't happy about having to get a newsgroup account with an outside provider, but I bit the bullet and signed up with Newsguy.com after trialing them, Giganews & Easynews.
I got their 50GB account for $8/month, but they also have a 10GB account for $3/month that is a way better deal than what Giganews offers. The other thing I liked is that Newsguy will roll over my unused GB each month, Giganews doesn't do that from what I found.
If you get a chance you may want to check out their freebie trial, and if you decide to signup they're giving a free month to us Comcast refugees lol. Good luck!
»newsguy.com/freemonth.htm
Vince |
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hobgoblin
Sortof Agoblin
Premium
join:2001-11-25
Orchard Park, NY
clubs:
| reply to Jeffer03
said by Jeffer03  :I use the newsgroups for important health related information. If you are only accesing newsgroups to read text posts there are other free options such as google
»groups.google.com/groups/dir?lnk···q=health
Hob
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"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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NormanS
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-14
San Jose, CA
 ·Pacific Bell - SBC
| reply to AstroBoy
Re: [Newsgroups] Comcast shuts down newsgroups
said by AstroBoy :I got this last Thursday (October 02, 2008). Complimentary? I guess another reason to switch to FIOS! I am just too lasy. "FiOS" (as the people who sell it identify it) is a Verizon product. Verizon has already dropped all of Usenet except the "Big Eight". Last summer, some time, I believe. The only large ISP still offering something is AT&T; they only dropped the 'alt.binaries.*' hierarchies, so their offering is comparable to the free Motzarella service. Of course, you do have to be an AT&T customer for there servers; anybody can sign up for Motzarella:
»www.motzarella.org/
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Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum |
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Jeffer03
join:2008-06-10
Arlington, MA
| reply to hobgoblin
Re: Comcast shuts down newsgroups!!!
I tried Google groups a while back and I really didn't like the format. It doesn't show the hierarchy as well, which it used to, so it makes it much more difficult to find stuff and also to track what you've already read. I was used to using the Outlook client to retrieve and view and I got very used to that format. I could easily scan hundreds of posts, tag them, and it kept my history of what I'd read. I'll be checking out the free services out there, but it's a pain. |
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ChiliBean
@comcast.net
| reply to vincent510
I went with Megabitz and bought a 100GB block for $28.95. The block never expires. It has SSL and 20 concurrent connections which is overkill for me since I only have 6MB download speed. Whenever I use it up, I'll just buy another block.
»www.megabitz.net/
said by vincent510 :It really does suck, unfortunately companies like Comcast are so arrogant I don't think they care about complaints. I wasn't happy about having to get a newsgroup account with an outside provider, but I bit the bullet and signed up with Newsguy.com after trialing them, Giganews & Easynews. I got their 50GB account for $8/month, but they also have a 10GB account for $3/month that is a way better deal than what Giganews offers. The other thing I liked is that Newsguy will roll over my unused GB each month, Giganews doesn't do that from what I found. If you get a chance you may want to check out their freebie trial, and if you decide to signup they're giving a free month to us Comcast refugees lol. Good luck! » newsguy.com/freemonth.htmVince |
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vincent510
join:2008-10-09
Sunnyvale, CA
| Thanks for info I appreciate it! Part of the problem is that there are so many newsgroup providers out there, it can be difficult separating the good from the bad.
A few people had recommended that I check out the provider comparison sites like newsadmin.com and anchordudes.com and I narrowed my search to the providers that they covered.
I'm sure Megabitz is a great service, but I didn't see them mentioned at any of the comparison sites, and it doesn't look like they offer a free trial, which would make me a little uneasy (not being able to check them out before buying a membership).
I also get other freebies with Newsguy that have been useful for me (NNTP & Web access, Newsgroup search, 5 email boxes I use for posting, etc.)
Vince |
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