Eweka Usenet Glossary Guide

Eweka’s glossary outlines the most widely used terms on the Usenet network. Use this guide to learn how common features and services fit together.

• Article – Another term for a Message. In Usenet, articles are the individual units of communication posted to newsgroups.

• Article Retention – The number of days Eweka stores articles on its servers before removing them. High article retention increases access to historical discussions.

• Auto Headers – A NewsBin feature (Version 5) that keeps headers current by downloading them automatically without user input.

• Automatic Download – A legacy NewsBin (Version 4) function that fetches all attachments from posts in selected groups, following any set filters. When combined with Recycle Servers mode, it will repeat this process after a specified delay.

• Automatic Shutdown – A NewsBin (Version 4) option that closes the application automatically once all tasks have finished.

• Automatic Startup – A setting in NewsBin (Version 4) that triggers automatic downloading of headers immediately upon launching the software.

• Bandwidth – The capacity of an Internet connection measured in data transfer per second. NewsBin can saturate available bandwidth if not limited.

• Bandwidth Limiter – A tool under NewsBin’s Network settings to restrict how much of your total bandwidth is used during header and article retrieval.

• Beta – A testing phase of NewsBin releases, shared with a limited or public audience prior to stable release.

• Cache Chunks – When active, NewsBin temporarily stores parts in memory to speed up reconstruction of multi-part posts.

• Chunk – A segment of a multi-part post. These are stored temporarily until the entire article is downloaded and assembled.

• Compact View – A layout feature in NewsBin that displays a single line per multi-part post in the Post List, streamlining visibility and selection.

• Connection – An individual communication thread with a Usenet server. Multiple connections allow for faster retrieval.

• Connection Limit – Maximum number of concurrent server connections permitted by NewsBin. Limits vary by server and software.

• Crash – A failure where NewsBin or the operating system shuts down unexpectedly.

• Display Age – Specifies how far back (in days) headers will be shown in the Post List when opening a newsgroup.

• Download Age – Indicates how far back (in days) headers will be downloaded from the server. Default is 30 days.

• Download Limit – Refers to any usage restriction imposed by the Usenet provider on how much data can be retrieved over a given time.

• Download Path – The designated location on a user’s system where articles are saved. Can be customized per group or globally.

• Enabled – Indicates whether a feature is active and in use.

• Fill – A repost of missing parts intended to complete an incomplete article. Also refers to servers that only activate when others lack the requested article.

• Filters – Settings used to control which posts are visible or processed based on defined criteria.

• Freeze – See Stall.

• FTR – Short for First Time Records. Deprecated; use Display Age instead.

• GIF – An older image format supporting 256 colors, occasionally used on Usenet. Now often replaced by PNG.

• Groups – See Newsgroups.

• Hang – See Stall.

• Header – Part of an article that includes metadata such as subject, sender, and date. Essential for indexing and organizing posts.

• Indexer – A service that organizes Usenet headers into searchable databases and generates NZBs for easy retrieval.

• JPEG – A widely used image format suitable for full-color photos. Files use the .jpg extension.

• Lock Up – A system failure preventing all user interaction, including mouse and keyboard input.

• Master Splitter – Software that breaks large items into sequentially numbered pieces. NewsBin can recombine these using the Combine Posts feature.

• Message – The base communication unit on Usenet. Includes headers and a body.

• Message ID – A unique identifier assigned to every Usenet article. Allows accurate retrieval regardless of server.

• MP3 – Audio format widely used for music. Offers efficient compression with good quality.

• MPA – See Max Post Age (not expanded here).

• MPG – Compressed video format using MPEG encoding.

• Multi-part Post – A single article split into smaller parts for posting. NewsBin merges these automatically for retrieval.

• Multi-threaded – Describes systems capable of running multiple threads of execution in parallel.

• New – In NewsBin Version 4, marks any post with unseen parts. In Version 5, a post remains “new” until all parts are read.

• NewsBin – A specialized Usenet reader used to retrieve, decode, and organize Usenet articles.

• Newsgroup – A themed discussion group on Usenet. Each group is focused on a specific topic.

• NZB – An XML-based file format containing article message IDs. Used for rapid article retrieval.

• Part – A piece of a full post, often from a multi-part article. Also refers to items in RAR archives.

• PNG – An image format with lossless compression and no licensing issues. Replaces GIF in many applications.

• POS – A colloquial term for poorly functioning software or systems.

• Post – A single article on Usenet or the act of submitting one.

• Post ID – See Message ID.

• Poster – The user who submitted the article. Usually listed via email in the header.

• Post List – A NewsBin interface showing articles within a group. Supports search and filtering.

• Quade – The developer behind NewsBin.

• RAR – A compressed archive format often found on Usenet. Created by WinRAR.

• Record Number – Server-specific number assigned to an article. Not consistent across servers.

• Recycle Servers – A mode in NewsBin (Version 4) that loops through selected groups after a delay.

• Restart Delay – Determines how long to wait before Recycle Servers mode restarts.

• Robot – Automation software used to perform repetitive Usenet tasks.

• Sequential – Events that happen one after another.

• Signature Cache – A system NewsBin uses to detect duplicate articles. Stored in signature.dbm or signature.db3.

• Simultaneous – Events occurring at the same moment.

• Size – Refers to the total amount of data represented by an article.

• Spool – Directory where NewsBin stores group headers.

• SSL – Security protocol encrypting the connection between the user and the Usenet server.

• Stackable – Describes filters that are cumulative and must all pass for an article to be accepted.

• Stall – A paused or unresponsive application state. May resolve on its own.

• Storage Age – The length of time headers are retained by NewsBin. Configurable globally.

• Subject – The descriptive line in a header. Often includes article or attachment names.

• Usenet – A decentralized, distributed messaging system for global discussions. Preceded the Web and was standardized in the 1980s.

• UUEncode – A legacy encoding scheme that converted data to ASCII for Usenet. Less efficient than modern formats.

• Virus – Malicious software designed to damage or disrupt systems.

• yEnc – A modern encoding format for Usenet. Offers low overhead compared to UUEncode and is widely adopted.