Discussion:
Reminder - Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Community
(too old to reply)
n***@microsoft.com
2010-05-19 09:42:19 UTC
Permalink
What is Happening?
This message is to inform you that Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing
newsgroups and transitioning users to Microsoft forums.

Why?
As you may know, newsgroups have existed for many years now; however, the
traffic in the Microsoft newsgroups has been steadily decreasing for the
past several years while customers and participants are increasingly finding
solutions in the forums on Microsoft properties and third party sites. This
move will unify the customer experience, centralize content, make it easier
for active contributors to retain their influence, mitigate redundancies and
make the content easier to find by customers and search engines through
improved indexing. Additionally, forums offer a better user and spam
management platform that will improve customer satisfaction by encouraging a
healthy discussion in a clean community space. To this end, Microsoft will
begin to progressively shift available resources to the forums technology
and discontinue support for newsgroups.

In addition to offering a compelling online browser experience, for those
users who prefer to use an NNTP (newsgroup) reader to participate in the
newsgroups community, we have developed a solution called the NNTP Bridge
which allows a user to connect a variety of supported NNTP readers to the
forums they would like to participate in and continue having the NTTP reader
functionality. You can find instructions on how to download and set up the
NNTP Bridge here: http://connect.microsoft.com/MicrosoftForums/

Which Newsgroups Are Affected by this Shutdown?
All public newsgroups will eventually be closed between June 1, 2010 and
October 1, 2010. Microsoft will be closing newsgroups in a phased approach,
starting with the least active newsgroups and moving eventually to more
active ones throughout the course of the next six months.

When will this Happen?
Effective June 1, 2010 this newsgroup will be closed.

Where Should I go with the Closure of this Newsgroup?
Microsoft has a large selection of forums, many of which cover either the
same or closely related technologies to the ones found in the newsgroups.
The forums have seen amazing growth and are an excellent place to continue
the discussion. We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories

Should you want to visit the other Microsoft Forums, please go to
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/forums/default.mspx

Who Should I Contact with any Questions?
Send any questions about the process, recommended forums and timing to
***@microsoft.com
Ethan Winer
2010-05-19 16:27:58 UTC
Permalink
Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing newsgroups and transitioning users
to Microsoft forums ... We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories
Great, but where is the forum for QuickBASIC and PDS and other DOS
programming? I didn't see it on the extensive list of forums you linked
above.

--Ethan
Todd Vargo
2010-05-19 21:35:10 UTC
Permalink
Post by Ethan Winer
Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing newsgroups and transitioning
users to Microsoft forums ... We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories
Great, but where is the forum for QuickBASIC and PDS and other DOS
programming? I didn't see it on the extensive list of forums you linked
above.
I doubt anyone is monitoring several hundred groups for questions. Of
course, you did email your question to the address at the bottom of the
post? Right?

Well anyway, I also doubt they are going to provide forums for any of their
unsupported products (i.e. DOS, Win9x related).
--
Todd Vargo

(Post questions to group only. Remove "z" to email personal messages)
Karl E. Peterson
2010-05-19 21:50:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by Ethan Winer
Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing newsgroups and transitioning users
to Microsoft forums ... We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories
Great, but where is the forum for QuickBASIC and PDS and other DOS
programming? I didn't see it on the extensive list of forums you linked
above.
I doubt anyone is monitoring several hundred groups for questions. Of course,
you did email your question to the address at the bottom of the post? Right?
Well anyway, I also doubt they are going to provide forums for any of their
unsupported products (i.e. DOS, Win9x related).
There's not even any offerings for Classic VB. Folks there are
probably migrating over to the comp.lang.* groups on usenet.

Apparently, there's one self-appointed yahoo who plans to send out
rmgroup requests the day Microsoft pulls the trigger. Worse still,
most non-ISP usenet providers actually respect this idiot's requests.

Microsoft is planning on phasing out newsgroups -
news.admin.hierarchies
http://groups.google.com/group/news.admin.hierarchies/browse_thread/thread/67439c68236e7e35

:-(
--
.NET: It's About Trust!
http://vfred.mvps.org
Todd Vargo
2010-05-20 20:40:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by Todd Vargo
Post by Ethan Winer
Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing newsgroups and transitioning
users to Microsoft forums ... We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories
Great, but where is the forum for QuickBASIC and PDS and other DOS
programming? I didn't see it on the extensive list of forums you linked
above.
I doubt anyone is monitoring several hundred groups for questions. Of
course, you did email your question to the address at the bottom of the
post? Right?
Well anyway, I also doubt they are going to provide forums for any of
their unsupported products (i.e. DOS, Win9x related).
There's not even any offerings for Classic VB. Folks there are probably
migrating over to the comp.lang.* groups on usenet.
Apparently, there's one self-appointed yahoo who plans to send out rmgroup
requests the day Microsoft pulls the trigger. Worse still, most non-ISP
usenet providers actually respect this idiot's requests.
Microsoft is planning on phasing out newsgroups - news.admin.hierarchies
http://groups.google.com/group/news.admin.hierarchies/browse_thread/thread/67439c68236e7e35
Microsoft has the world brainwashed into believing the world must revolve
around them. I was listening to a student about to graduate from high school
this year, that they needed to study for their PowerPoint finals which is
required to graduate. Why is PowerPoint required to get a HS diploma?
--
Todd Vargo

(Post questions to group only. Remove "z" to email personal messages)
Karl E. Peterson
2010-05-21 00:02:57 UTC
Permalink
Post by Todd Vargo
Post by Todd Vargo
Post by Ethan Winer
Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing newsgroups and transitioning
users to Microsoft forums ... We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories
Great, but where is the forum for QuickBASIC and PDS and other DOS
programming? I didn't see it on the extensive list of forums you linked
above.
I doubt anyone is monitoring several hundred groups for questions. Of
course, you did email your question to the address at the bottom of the
post? Right?
Well anyway, I also doubt they are going to provide forums for any of
their unsupported products (i.e. DOS, Win9x related).
There's not even any offerings for Classic VB. Folks there are probably
migrating over to the comp.lang.* groups on usenet.
Apparently, there's one self-appointed yahoo who plans to send out rmgroup
requests the day Microsoft pulls the trigger. Worse still, most non-ISP
usenet providers actually respect this idiot's requests.
Microsoft is planning on phasing out newsgroups - news.admin.hierarchies
http://groups.google.com/group/news.admin.hierarchies/browse_thread/thread/67439c68236e7e35
Microsoft has the world brainwashed into believing the world must revolve
around them. I was listening to a student about to graduate from high school
this year, that they needed to study for their PowerPoint finals which is
required to graduate. Why is PowerPoint required to get a HS diploma?
Wow! First time I've heard that as a requirement, and I had one
graduate last year and another's a junior this year. But there may be
a kernel of truth there. I can't imagine them actually passing (a wide
variety of) courses without creating PPTs as part of their assignments.
The good news (especially for taxpayers!) there is, more and more
school districts are switching to Open Office. It only makes sense.
--
.NET: It's About Trust! http://vfred.mvps.org
Customer Hatred Knows No Bounds at MSFT
ClassicVB Users Regroup! comp.lang.basic.visual.misc
Free usenet access at http://www.eternal-september.org
Todd Vargo
2010-05-21 22:24:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by Todd Vargo
Post by Todd Vargo
Post by Ethan Winer
Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing newsgroups and transitioning
users to Microsoft forums ... We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories
Great, but where is the forum for QuickBASIC and PDS and other DOS
programming? I didn't see it on the extensive list of forums you
linked above.
I doubt anyone is monitoring several hundred groups for questions. Of
course, you did email your question to the address at the bottom of the
post? Right?
Well anyway, I also doubt they are going to provide forums for any of
their unsupported products (i.e. DOS, Win9x related).
There's not even any offerings for Classic VB. Folks there are probably
migrating over to the comp.lang.* groups on usenet.
Apparently, there's one self-appointed yahoo who plans to send out
rmgroup requests the day Microsoft pulls the trigger. Worse still, most
non-ISP usenet providers actually respect this idiot's requests.
Microsoft is planning on phasing out newsgroups - news.admin.hierarchies
http://groups.google.com/group/news.admin.hierarchies/browse_thread/thread/67439c68236e7e35
Microsoft has the world brainwashed into believing the world must revolve
around them. I was listening to a student about to graduate from high
school this year, that they needed to study for their PowerPoint finals
which is required to graduate. Why is PowerPoint required to get a HS
diploma?
Wow! First time I've heard that as a requirement, and I had one graduate
last year and another's a junior this year. But there may be a kernel of
truth there. I can't imagine them actually passing (a wide variety of)
courses without creating PPTs as part of their assignments. The good news
(especially for taxpayers!) there is, more and more school districts are
switching to Open Office. It only makes sense.
Now if only we could get the corporate world to jump on that bandwagon.
--
Todd Vargo

(Post questions to group only. Remove "z" to email personal messages)
Paul Bartlett
2010-05-19 21:38:10 UTC
Permalink
Post by Ethan Winer
Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing newsgroups and transitioning
users to Microsoft forums ... We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories
Great, but where is the forum for QuickBASIC and PDS and other DOS
programming? I didn't see it on the extensive list of forums you
linked above.
Considering that Bill Gates said "DOS is dead" several years ago,
I presume that there will be NO QuickBasic/PDS or DOS forums. There
are DOS and Basic forums at the Programmer's Haven site on Codecraft,
although those specific forums are relatively inactive, and
Programmer's Haven does not have a large membership. Whether we like
it or not, we older-BASIC-and-DOS aficionados are a dying breed with
no support except what we can give to each other.
--
Paul Bartlett
who where
2010-05-20 00:33:28 UTC
Permalink
Post by Paul Bartlett
Post by Ethan Winer
Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing newsgroups and transitioning
users to Microsoft forums ... We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories
Great, but where is the forum for QuickBASIC and PDS and other DOS
programming? I didn't see it on the extensive list of forums you
linked above.
Considering that Bill Gates said "DOS is dead" several years ago,
I presume that there will be NO QuickBasic/PDS or DOS forums. There
are DOS and Basic forums at the Programmer's Haven site on Codecraft,
although those specific forums are relatively inactive, and
Programmer's Haven does not have a large membership. Whether we like
it or not, we older-BASIC-and-DOS aficionados are a dying breed with
no support except what we can give to each other.
which is exactly where these newsgroups have their value.
Matt
2010-05-20 04:57:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by Paul Bartlett
Post by Ethan Winer
Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing newsgroups and transitioning
users to Microsoft forums ... We recommend that you start with
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/categories
Great, but where is the forum for QuickBASIC and PDS and other DOS
programming? I didn't see it on the extensive list of forums you
linked above.
Considering that Bill Gates said "DOS is dead"
He has been wrong before. That's why there are emulators for the
abominable Win7 platform.
Post by Paul Bartlett
several years ago,
I presume that there will be NO QuickBasic/PDS or DOS forums. There
are DOS and Basic forums at the Programmer's Haven site on Codecraft,
although those specific forums are relatively inactive, and
Programmer's Haven does not have a large membership. Whether we like
it or not, we older-BASIC-and-DOS aficionados are a dying breed with
no support except what we can give to each other.
Ethan Winer
2010-05-20 15:18:23 UTC
Permalink
Whether we like it or not, we older-BASIC-and-DOS
aficionados are a dying breed with no support except
what we can give to each other.
Support from you guys is all I ever hoped for, and is surely better than any
20-something from MS could provide. :->)

Just today I sent someone here when I couldn't help him on the phone with
his DOS 6 Out Of Memory problems.

--Ethan
Derek
2010-05-20 15:55:01 UTC
Permalink
On May 20, 9:18 am, "Ethan Winer" <ethanw at ethanwiner dot com>
Post by Ethan Winer
Whether we like it or not, we older-BASIC-and-DOS
aficionados are a dying breed with no support except
what we can give to each other.
Support from you guys is all I ever hoped for, and is surely better than any
20-something from MS could provide. :->)
Just today I sent someone here when I couldn't help him on the phone with
his DOS 6 Out Of Memory problems.
--Ethan
Not to worry. We still have comp.lang.basic.misc and alt.lang.basic
for mutual support purposes. It's annoying that Microsoft would close
this group (and the microsoft.public.vb.dos one too) without providing
an alternative in their forum structure, but it's not a disaster.

Cheers

Derek
Tim Meddick
2010-05-20 19:27:47 UTC
Permalink
...and of course : alt.msdos.batch (on server : nntp.aioe.org).....

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Derek" <***@yahoo.ca> wrote in message news:a27f5fdf-457c-4794-aef3-***@z17g2000vbd.googlegroups.com...
On May 20, 9:18 am, "Ethan Winer" <ethanw at ethanwiner dot com>
Post by Ethan Winer
Whether we like it or not, we older-BASIC-and-DOS
aficionados are a dying breed with no support except
what we can give to each other.
Support from you guys is all I ever hoped for, and is surely better than any
20-something from MS could provide. :->)
Just today I sent someone here when I couldn't help him on the phone with
his DOS 6 Out Of Memory problems.
--Ethan
Not to worry. We still have comp.lang.basic.misc and alt.lang.basic
for mutual support purposes. It's annoying that Microsoft would close
this group (and the microsoft.public.vb.dos one too) without providing
an alternative in their forum structure, but it's not a disaster.

Cheers

Derek
Marco A Achury P
2010-05-29 18:52:39 UTC
Permalink
May be we must to move to alt.lang.basic

Also in the freedos-user mail lists are usualy discussed general DOS
related questions. See http://www.freedos.org
Post by Ethan Winer
Whether we like it or not, we older-BASIC-and-DOS
aficionados are a dying breed with no support except
what we can give to each other.
Support from you guys is all I ever hoped for, and is surely better than
any 20-something from MS could provide. :->)
Just today I sent someone here when I couldn't help him on the phone
with his DOS 6 Out Of Memory problems.
--Ethan
Paul Bartlett
2010-05-29 19:46:48 UTC
Permalink
Post by Marco A Achury P
May be we must to move to alt.lang.basic
There is also comp.lang.basic.misc. A comp.* newsgroup may be more
accessible to more readers.
Post by Marco A Achury P
Also in the freedos-user mail lists are usualy discussed general DOS
related questions. See http://www.freedos.org
Post by Ethan Winer
Whether we like it or not, we older-BASIC-and-DOS
aficionados are a dying breed with no support except
what we can give to each other.
Support from you guys is all I ever hoped for, and is surely better than
any 20-something from MS could provide. :->)
Just today I sent someone here when I couldn't help him on the phone
with his DOS 6 Out Of Memory problems.
--
Paul Bartlett
Helmut Meukel
2010-05-29 23:47:42 UTC
Permalink
You should probably ask the admin of your news server.
Not all mirror sites will automatically remove the microsoft groups
from their servers.

At least in Germany some news servers will not remove the
microsoft groups but wait and see how it develops.

Helmut.
Post by Paul Bartlett
Post by Marco A Achury P
May be we must to move to alt.lang.basic
There is also comp.lang.basic.misc. A comp.* newsgroup may be more
accessible to more readers.
Post by Marco A Achury P
Also in the freedos-user mail lists are usualy discussed general DOS
related questions. See http://www.freedos.org
Post by Ethan Winer
Whether we like it or not, we older-BASIC-and-DOS
aficionados are a dying breed with no support except
what we can give to each other.
Support from you guys is all I ever hoped for, and is surely better than
any 20-something from MS could provide. :->)
Just today I sent someone here when I couldn't help him on the phone
with his DOS 6 Out Of Memory problems.
--
Paul Bartlett
Ethan Winer
2010-05-31 19:03:16 UTC
Permalink
Post by Paul Bartlett
Post by Marco A Achury P
May be we must to move to alt.lang.basic
There is also comp.lang.basic.misc.
I just saved bookmarks to both of those at Google Groups. I usually check in
here daily if only to look, so I guess I'll see you guys there once they
pull the plug here.

--Ethan
Karl E. Peterson
2010-06-01 21:44:30 UTC
Permalink
Post by Ethan Winer
Post by Paul Bartlett
Post by Marco A Achury P
May be we must to move to alt.lang.basic
There is also comp.lang.basic.misc.
I just saved bookmarks to both of those at Google Groups. I usually check in
here daily if only to look, so I guess I'll see you guys there once they pull
the plug here.
Hi Ethan! You should go setup a free account at
www.eternal-september.org, so you'll have access from Day One. Fast
server, and all the mirrored groups still there too. Easy switch over.
--
.NET: It's About Trust! http://vfred.mvps.org
Customer Hatred Knows No Bounds at MSFT
ClassicVB Users Regroup! comp.lang.basic.visual.misc
Free usenet access at http://www.eternal-september.org
Ethan Winer
2010-06-02 15:54:10 UTC
Permalink
Post by Karl E. Peterson
Hi Ethan! You should go setup a free account at
www.eternal-september.org, so you'll have access from Day One. Fast
server, and all the mirrored groups still there too. Easy switch over.
Is that a place to read and post to newsgroups? Is it better than using
Google Groups?

--Ethan
Helmut Meukel
2010-06-02 18:52:17 UTC
Permalink
Hi Ethan! You should go setup a free account at www.eternal-september.org,
so you'll have access from Day One. Fast server, and all the mirrored groups
still there too. Easy switch over.
Is that a place to read and post to newsgroups? Is it better than using Google
Groups?
--Ethan
Ethan,

I assume you are now using a newsreader connected to msnews.microsoft.com
Get an account at eternal-september, point your newsreader to the server
news.eternal-september.org (details on their web site) an select the newsgroups
you want to read.

Helmut.

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