Usenet

Usenet

Usenet is a worldwide distributed discussion and file-sharing system that was developed in 1979 and became one of the earliest internet communication platforms. Originally created for academic and research purposes, Usenet allows users to post and retrieve messages (called articles) organized into topic-based categories known as newsgroups.

Unlike modern web forums or social media platforms, Usenet operates in a decentralized manner, with content distributed among a network of servers that synchronize with one another. It is widely used for discussions, file distribution, and archiving.

History

Usenet was created by Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis at Duke University, inspired by the UUCP (Unix-to-Unix Copy) protocol. It predates the modern World Wide Web and was a key part of the early internet culture, supporting technical discussions, communities, and software distribution.