Where are all the old sites on "news microsoft.com"?

[Peter Jason]

I always used these for help on Access, Word etc.

Please help
P

 

[Bruce Hagen]

I always used these for help on Access, Word etc.

Please help
P

Can't find what you are looking for? Links are available below for
Newsgroups Deleted June 1, 2010
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Communities
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx

By October, the MS news server will cease to exist. Other news servers
will continue to carry the newsgroups. How long, no one knows.

If you subscribed to a server such as Eternal-September, you will find
your lost groups. That said, there will be less people asking and
answering posts as time goes on. I am posting now in the new Microsoft
Answers forums as well as the Usenet groups.

Microsoft Answers home page.
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories\

Microsoft Answers - First Time Users
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

 

[Peter Jason]

Can't find what you are looking for? Links are available
below for
Newsgroups Deleted June 1, 2010
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Communities
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx

By October, the MS news server will cease to exist. Other
news servers
will continue to carry the newsgroups. How long, no one
knows.

If you subscribed to a server such as Eternal-September,
you will find
your lost groups. That said, there will be less people
asking and
answering posts as time goes on. I am posting now in the
new Microsoft
Answers forums as well as the Usenet groups.

Microsoft Answers home page.
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories\

Microsoft Answers - First Time Users
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

Thank you. I'll follow this up

 

[LVTravel]

Can't find what you are looking for? Links are available below for
Newsgroups Deleted June 1, 2010
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Communities
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx

By October, the MS news server will cease to exist. Other news servers
will continue to carry the newsgroups. How long, no one knows.

If you subscribed to a server such as Eternal-September, you will find
your lost groups. That said, there will be less people asking and
answering posts as time goes on. I am posting now in the new Microsoft
Answers forums as well as the Usenet groups.

Microsoft Answers home page.
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories\

Microsoft Answers - First Time Users
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

And the forums absolutely SUCK even with the Answers NNTP and the Forum NNTP
bridges working to be able to "mimic" a newsgroup (you can see the posts and
all follow-ups just like a newsgroup. But boy is it ever slow.

 

[milt]

And the forums absolutely SUCK even with the Answers NNTP and the Forum
NNTP bridges working to be able to "mimic" a newsgroup (you can see the
posts and all follow-ups just like a newsgroup. But boy is it ever slow.

Then of course the amounts of garbage that get posted there. I mean
nothing better then 20 posts with the title of "Don't work plz
HELP!!!!!!!!!!" along with 20-30 posts all with the same problem since
no one could be bothered to read other posts before making theirs! Of
course, which such non-descript topics, how would anyone know that
problem was the same as theirs?

 

[LVTravel]

Then of course the amounts of garbage that get posted there. I mean
nothing better then 20 posts with the title of "Don't work plz
HELP!!!!!!!!!!" along with 20-30 posts all with the same problem since no
one could be bothered to read other posts before making theirs! Of course,
which such non-descript topics, how would anyone know that problem was the
same as theirs?

But in all fairness, the posts on Usenet were and are just as bad.

 

[Gordon]

But in all fairness, the posts on Usenet were and are just as bad.

And at least we are being spared the replies to three year-old posts from
EggHeadCafe....

 

[Ken Blake]

But in all fairness, the posts on Usenet were and are just as bad.

I don't agree. Sure, there are lots of bad posts on Usenet. But there
are lots *more* bad ones on the forums.


Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003

 

[Peter Foldes]

Amen

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[milt]

I don't agree. Sure, there are lots of bad posts on Usenet. But there
are lots *more* bad ones on the forums.

Tons more bad ones. Sure, the newsgroup has their trolls but those are
easy to kill file out. Also, there isn't hundereds and hundreds of new
posts on the newsgroup each day with most of them just being poorly
written posts. I find trying to slog through all the garbage to find
nuggets much worse on their wonderful forums then on the newsgroups.

 

[LVTravel]

I don't agree. Sure, there are lots of bad posts on Usenet. But there
are lots *more* bad ones on the forums.


Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003

You know Ken, the more I am on the forums the more I am agreeing with you.
Tonight I am seeing a lot of classic ones.

 

[Ken Blake]

You know Ken, the more I am on the forums the more I am agreeing with you.
Tonight I am seeing a lot of classic ones.

Thanks.

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003

 

[Tim Slattery]

And the forums absolutely SUCK even with the Answers NNTP and the Forum NNTP
bridges working to be able to "mimic" a newsgroup (you can see the posts and
all follow-ups just like a newsgroup. But boy is it ever slow.

You should be aware that there are alternatives to the Microsoft
bridges. MVP Jochen Kalmbach developed an NNTP bridge that handles
both sets of forums with a single application:


http://blog.kalmbach-software.de/2010/05/26/ann-community-forums-nntp-bridge/
http://communitybridge.codeplex.com/

I've seen lots of favorable comments about this.

Then there's another one by Hector Santos. Here's its announcement:

<QUOTE>
SSI is please announce wcLEX - Wildcat! Live Exchange!, a free NNTP
Proxy Server for the Microsoft Web-based Mail Support Forums.

With wcLEX, Microsoft Users and Developers can continue to enjoy using
their News Reader for accessing the new mail groups.

You can download wcLEX 1.0a pre-release version from here:

http://opensite.winserver.com/wclex/wclex-1-0a-setup.msi
http://opensite.winserver.com/wclex/wclex-1-0a-setup.zip

Please use this support newsgroup

news://opensite.winserver.com

to report any issues or to make suggestions.
</QUOTE>

Of course, neither of these packages can do anything about the quality
of the posts on the forums!

 

[milt]

You should be aware that there are alternatives to the Microsoft
bridges. MVP Jochen Kalmbach developed an NNTP bridge that handles
both sets of forums with a single application:


http://blog.kalmbach-software.de/2010/05/26/ann-community-forums-nntp-bridge/
http://communitybridge.codeplex.com/

I've seen lots of favorable comments about this.

Then there's another one by Hector Santos. Here's its announcement:

Gee, all these ways of connecting to the forums with NNTP should be a
bit of a hint that people prefer NNTP over the forums. Of course, once
again, its Microsoft doing what they want, when they want and how they
want to do it because they are Microsoft.

 

[Tim Slattery]

How long did it take you to realize that Microsoft not only doesn't care
about its users but holds them in total disdain? I got the clue when
WGA/N was put on the Windows Updates site on April 25, 2006 and ranked
"critical".

I have to agree with that one. It may have been critically important
for Microsoft, but definitely NOT for their users.

 

[Peter Foldes]

Alias

That was right on. I agree with that 100%. I hid the update and to this day it is
not installed.

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[Peter Foldes]

Alias

Yep. That is so true. I encountered a lot of people with these issues in the
newsgroups. That was a move by MS which was really not needed

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[Ken Blake]

Gee, all these ways of connecting to the forums with NNTP should be a
bit of a hint that people prefer NNTP over the forums. Of course, once
again, its Microsoft doing what they want, when they want and how they
want to do it because they are Microsoft.

Unfortunately, only *some* people prefer NNTP. Many, if not most, of
us who are here to help others may prefer newsgroups, but I think the
great majority of those looking for help prefer web-based forums. They
know how to use the web, but most of them don't even know NNTP exists,
let alone how to use it.

I think what Microsoft is doing is catering to the users looking for
help, not those giving help. Unfortunately that don't realize that by
doing that (unless they provide outstanding bridge software) results
in those needing help getting poorer help.


Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003

 

[Roland Schweiger \(eternal september / motzarella\]

I am also one of those people who definately prefer newsgroups and rather
dislike "forums".
Sure i know that i might sound "old" but i simply think that newsgroups are
easier to use -
i don't have to click on a website, scroll up and down, low in etc etc.

Similar delelopments are sometimes seen when writing eMails:
i have a number of friends who don't even know what an eMail client (like
Windows Live Mail, OutlookExpress, Thunderbird or whatever) is,
they believe that you can only send or receive emakils whon logging onto the
www-site of the email provider, logging in, scrolling around etc.
Then when i tell them about an email client and when i set one up for them,
they are totally surprised how easy it is to use.

And similar, in everyday public life, nowsgroups seem to become forgotten,
many people don't even know they exist.

But i dislike this development and find it sad that MS obays to it.

Certainly i enjoy every new development but some "old" systems are well
established,
the NNTP protocol is a very good one and it works generally with little
traffic load.

Hope newsgroups have a future.

greetings

Roland Schweiger

 

[Gordon]

"Roland Schweiger (eternal september / motzarella)"

But i dislike this development and find it sad that MS obays to it.

I think one of the main driving forces that persuaded MS to close the news
server was the proliferation of flames and plain stupid off-topic posts in
the Vista General newsgroup - there is far tighter control over that sort of
behaviour in a web-based forum...