Newzbin
Newzbin.com, one of the first Usenet Indexing websites, is notable for its introduction of new technologies that aid users by facilitating access to content on Usenet.
One of the main technologies produced is an XML-based file format called NZB files, which contain a list of MessageIDs that are related to specific items on Usenet. Through the use of these files, Usenet clients are able to directly download material from Usenet without having to pre-fetch the headers for the target group. Thus, the main benefit of the direct link is improving the efficiency of Usenet binaries. It is technologies such as these that are increasing the popularity of Usenet for file-sharing.
The content of the site is created by human editors, who browse through the content of Usenet in order to create the organized and properly titled reports that are made available from the site. Thus, the website is purely information based, having no files of its own upon the servers. All of the information is gleaned directly from Usenet via a collection of premium Usenet providers.
The basic version of the site is currently free, but some functions, like the possibility to download NZB files that enable the user to download content directly without downloading the headers from Usenet, still require the user to be a paying member.
Newzbin currently keeps its Indexed Reports for 120 days, on their way to 200 days, which should be reached in a couple months.
Technologies
Newzbin.com introduced the following Usenet related technologies:
- Binaries Index - A web-based index of all binaries on Usenet servers, known as the 'Files/Usenet View.'
- Watchdog - A web-based Usenet tracker, will alert users when the content they desire is available/found.
- NZB Files - Enables a Usenet client to access material on Usenet directly via MessageID.