From: "L. Detweiler" <ld231782@longs.lance.colostate.edu>
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 93 21:48:28 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Usenet on CDs - info
Message-ID: <9309110442.AA05350@longs.lance.colostate.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Hello cypherpunks. I've been trying to track down the Internet legend
of `Usenet on CD' haphazardly for some time, and finally got lucky by
accident.  The first service was apparently started by Kent Landfield,
a FAQ editor and entrepreneur who worked with 3 others and `quickly
became overwhelmed' by the response and demand. This was under the
company Sterling Software. They handed it off to CD Publishing
Corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia, CA who is at this moment
distributing Usenet on CDs!

Each disk has about 600 megabytes of news. Shipped within 30 days after
the last date on the disk. Uses standard ISO 9660 CD format, Rock Ridge
extension planned.  They have Mac and Unix software on the disk, DOS
software planned, with other software acceptable if it is ISO 9660
compliant. Prices range from $40 + 5 s/h per disk down to $24 per disk for 24 disks.

The legal aspects of this are interesting. K. Landfield
<Kent_Landfield@sterling.com>is probably one of the best experts on
dealing with laywers on internet topics, and on copyright law &
redistribution rights as they apply to Usenet. Interestingly, notably
the highest traffic Usenet groups are purposely *omitted* from the
disks based on copyright quagmires:

>The following newsgroups are not supported due to legal reasons:
>
>    alt.binaries.*, alt.sex.*, alt.toon-pics, alt.tasteless,
>    de.alt.binaries.*, fj.binaries.*, rec.arts.erotica

BTW, the fact that semi- and wholly-pornographic material comprises a
very large portion of Usenet traffic (see news.lists) makes the whole
Usenet medium somewhat vulnerable to future legislative and public
assaults. Remember that new NY Tax increase on telecommunications
services I posted? The `conventional wisdom' is that it isn't very
threatening, just a `sin tax' on the `phone sex' numbers. Now, look at
how much of Usenet traffic is in lewd digitized pictures, and decide if
smugness and complacency are maintainable!

===cut=here===

For orders, inquiries, and technical support, please contact :

        NetNews on CD's
        CD Publishing Corporation
        4824 Fraser Street
        Vancouver, British Columbia
        Canada  V5V 4H4

        604-874-1430
        800-333-7565 (USA)
        604-874-1431 (FAX)

        <info@CDPublishing.COM>

Note: E-mail orders currently cannot be accepted.