Explain Like I'm 5 (ELI5)

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ELI5: What exactly is Usenet and why do I need a provider? (self.eli5)

submitted 1 month ago by Allero to c/eli5@lemmy.world

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Some people describe it as a network, some people describe it as a forum, yet somehow we have providers, and at the same time Usenet is seen as anonymous despite having a proxy in the form of a provider...for someone grown way after the Usenet prime, this all doesn't make sense.

What is Usenet, actually? Is it a separate network? Is it layered on top of the Internet? If it's the latter, why do I need some Usenet provider and why does it need to retain information (and why doing it for as long as possible is desirable?). Please help me connect the dots here.

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[–] Allero 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Thanks!

Can I directly connect to someone on Usenet without using a provider? Or is it a necessary step? What do I lose? Are providers just storage bins for something that is not currently seeded by anyone else? Or do I fundamentally misunderstand something?

[–] HappyTimeHarry@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Its not peer to peer, you dont connect to a single poster, you need a provider. They arent "just" storage bins, usenet was primarily designed to be used for group discussions, but over time it became more used for piracy.

[–] Allero 1 points 1 month ago

Guess it has to do with the way Usenet is organized, with all those newsgroups and stuff? Because I have hard time wrapping my head around why exactly you can't "connect to a single poster".