What are the European Newsgroups?
What the term “European Newsgroups” refers to are all the newsgroups that contain discussions in one of the many languages spoken on the European continent.
Countries With Usenet Hierarchies
There are separate newsgroup hierarchies for the speakers of different languages specific to the different countries in Europe. Most of the biggest countries in Europe have their own hierarchies; the others may be hosted under another hierarchy because there may not be as many newsgroups. Some of the countries that have newsgroups in their own language are the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, the UK, and Finland. Not all European newsgroup hierarchies have as many newsgroups as others. The UK hierarchy, for example, is a large hierarchy, containing a large amount of different discussion groups.
Examples of European Newsgroups?
Some examples include at.anzeigen.arbeitsmarkt (Austrian), de.comp.hardware.scanner (German), fr.sci.linguistique (French), dk.kultur.litteratur (Danish), etc. There are also a lot more general European newsgroup hierarchies called “Europa” groups, whose names begin with “Europa,” for example the group “europa.union.euro” focuses on the common European currency, the Euro. You can search for different European newsgroups using our newsgroup search tool.
What Can I Find in the Different European Newsgroups?
The only difference between all the European newsgroups and the US newsgroups is the language that is predominantly spoken in the groups. The FR (for France) newsgroups would naturally contain discussions in French and binaries that are popular in France. Of course, the material is also going to differ, even if the given newsgroup has its US equivalent – in other words if there are groups on the same subject in the US and in one of the European newsgroup hierarchies. This is where the cultural perspective comes in.
The people in the UK might have different interests in cars and music than the people in the United States. That is why it is so interesting to visit different European newsgroups every once in a while to see what the users on the other side of the World are up to. It is also a nice way to discover trends going on abroad.
What are German Newsgroups
Deutsche (German) newsgroups are normal newsgroups that can be either in the German language or refer to topics related to Germany. You can recognize German newsgroups by the “de” prefix in the names of most groups. That indicates “Germany” and a discussion language mostly in German.
Other prefix or suffix hints that tell you a newsgroup/list is probably in German: ‘at’ (Austria), ‘ch’ (Switzerland), and ger/german/gernet (German/Germany). Almost all of the newsgroups with one of these symbols in the address are written in authentic German – written by Germans (or Austrians/Swiss) for Germans (or Austrians/Swiss). However, not all German-language newsgroups have ‘at’, ‘de’, or ‘ger’ in their addresses.
There are many Deutsch newsgroups in Usenet so it made sense for them to have their own newsgroups hierarchy. It would be confusing and pointless for these groups to duplicate the names of other newsgroups but to somehow indicate that they were in German. So that is how the DE newsgroup hierarchy was created. Today, it has grown to one of the biggest foreign language speaking hierarchies and enjoys wide popularity.
The range of German newsgroups is large, just like it is with other newsgroups. The newsgroups are all in German but the subjects can vary from German automobiles to German fashion. Chances are if there is a subject that interests you there is at least one German newsgroup focused on that subject. Should you happen to stumble onto a topic that is not currently covered in a newsgroup, you can always start your own German newsgroup based on that subject.
How do you recognize German newsgroups? Quite simply, the names of those newsgroups begin with a “de.” prefix. Some examples of DE newsgroups are de.alt.animede.alt.comics, de.alt.auto.smart, de.alt.astrologie, de.alt.sport.winter, de.talk.jokes, de.soc.politik.misc, de.sci.mathematik, etc.
As you can see, the DE newsgroups are just like any other discussion groups. Each one contains a discussion on a different topic, the only catch is that it is in German and is mostly frequented by German-speaking users. So if you want to meet some Germans or if you are trying to improve your German, it might be a good idea to subscribe to a few of those groups and follow the posts / topics. Of course, you can also get some unique binary material to download in those groups as-well..
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Belgian Newsgroups
We carry over 120,000 newsgroups and Belgian newsgroups (also known as BE Newsgroups) happen to be on that list. Belgian newsgroups are both binary and text but mainly text. By text, I mean discussion groups containing all types of topics. “Arts”, “Commercials”, “Computers”, “Internet”, “Education”, “Jobs” and “Politics” are just to name a few Belgian newsgroups where people from the Belgian community can communicate with other Belgians with the same interests
These newsgroups will contain the same interests so other Belgians can get into heated debates making enemies or making friends because Usenet is the best place to meet new people. When you’re plugged into Fast Usenet, you’re plugged into the whole world so to speak.
How do you get access to these newsgroups, you might ask? First, you’ll need to subscribe to Fast Usenet then from our website you’ll learn the two ways to access Belgian newsgroups. One way is to use your Internet browser like Internet Explorer, Netscape, or Safari. Using your browser, you can log into our servers through our “web-to-news gateway” where you can read discussion groups and even reply back to discussion threads
The other way is to use a newsreader. A newsreader is a third party software program that allows you to surf Usenet in a timely manner with the ability to view both text and binary messages.
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Spanish ES.* Newsgroups
There are many newsgroups in Usenet, although most of them are in English, there are quite a few groups in other languages. ES newsgroups are one example of these groups, which are newsgroups in Spanish. The Spanish language is one that is being spoken more and more in the World and that is why there is a hierarchy for Spanish newsgroups on Usenet. The ES extension is usually at the end of the newsgroup but some groups will contain the ES within the name. Some more of the popular ES newsgroups are es.binarios, es.ciencia, es.comp, es.misc and es.rec.
The ES newsgroups just like any other newsgroup will have many different groups pertaining to just about anything a person can think of. The text newsgroups are a great place for a person fluent in Spanish to find information on just about any topic, and converse with people in their native language. The ES newsgroups are a great source of information for people from Spanish-speaking countries. ES newsgroups are a good way to learn another culture as well; by viewing the discussions in these newsgroups you can learn the language in a way.
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French FR.* Newsgroups
If you’re French or like French newsgroups, Fast Usenet is the place for you. Fast Usenet carries over 120,000 newsgroups and French newsgroup we have plenty of. The French newsgroups are a great way for French countrymen and woman to keep in touch when they are away from their homeland.
The basis of French newsgroups isn’t that much different from other newsgroups. People from around the world share ideas and files with one another. Fast Usenet carries both text discussion and binary French newsgroups. The French text newsgroups will contain shared ideas, questions, answers, and debates about different subjects people are interested in.
Before you can access French newsgroups at Fast Usenet you’ll need to sign up and once you sign up you’ll have access to over 100,000 newsgroups and a huge selection of French newsgroups. There are two ways to access the French newsgroups and that is with a newsreader or through our web news. Web news is when you use your Internet browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Newsreaders are third-party programs that allow you to view both text and binary files. Newsreaders make your Usenet life a lot easier. There are plenty to choose from like Xnews, Agent, NewsBin Pro, and News Pro. But either way, there are options to view FR newsgroups so stop wasting time and sign up with one of the best Usenet providers out there. That, of course is Fast Usenet.org.
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Dutch (Netherlands) NL.* Newsgroups
The NL newsgroups are an example newsgroups that are specific to the Netherlands and the Dutch language. The Dutch language is very distinct and that is why they are given their own hierarchy for newsgroups. The NL extension is usually at the end of the newsgroup but some groups will contain the NL within the name. Some of the popular NL groups are alt.binaries.nl, alt.binaries.games.funstuff.nl, alt.nl.ftp, and alt.news.nl.
The NL newsgroups, just like any other newsgroups will carry everything a person can think of. The text newsgroups are a great place for a person to find information on just about any topic, and converse with people in the Dutch language. NL newsgroups are a good way to learn another culture as well, by viewing the discussions in these newsgroups you can learn the language in a way, and possibly see the different customs.
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United Kingdom (British) UK.* Newsgroups?
The name is quite self-explanatory. The UK newsgroups are newsgroups that are focused on UK-related material, for examples British movies, British jokes, British comedies, British cartoons, British music and in general, all things British. Obviously, the UK newsgroups are in English, just their subjects differ from the rest of the newsgroup hierarchies in Usenet. Because there are so many UK newsgroups today, a need for separate newsgroup hierarchy was created and a new UK hierarchy was started.
How to recognize UK newsgroups? Quite simply, the UK newsgroups all begin with a “UK.” prefix for easy recognition and searching purposes. These foreign language speaking newsgroup naming conventions make it very easy for everyone to locate the newsgroups of the specific language they are looking for. For example, besides the UK newsgroups, there are also DE (Deutsch or German) newsgroups, NL newsgroups (standing for the Netherlands, or newsgroups in Dutch), ES newsgroups (in Spanish), etc.
What are some popular UK newsgroups? To give you an example of what UK newsgroups there are in Usenet, we will mention a few newsgroups which represent only a small part of what the whole UK newsgroup hierarchy contains. uk.games.computer.misc, uk.jobs.wanted, uk.local.hampshire, uk.people.consumers.ebay, uk.philosophy.atheism, etc.
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Swedish SE.* Newsgroups
Basically, SE is the Swedish language hierarchy in Usenet. Most language newsgroups are started by native speakers of the language who want to have newsgroups where they can speak in their own language with their fellow citizens and discuss things particular to the nation of Sweden. It is a nice way for fans and speakers of the Swedish language and really, all things Sweden to come together and enjoy common topics of interest.
How to recognize Swedish newsgroups? Quite simply, the SE newsgroups all begin with a “SE.” prefix for easy recognition and searching purposes. Some examples of popular Swedish newsgroups include the following: alt.languages.swedish, alt.swedish.chef, and alt.swedish.nightlife.