Back in 2004, Microsoft unveiled the NetScan tool that scans the postings made on various Usenet newsgroups on the Internet.

The purpose of the tool was to help users find newsgroups relevant to their interest, learn about authors who post frequently, track the threads / topics that are hot and popular on the Internet, etc.

Microsoft Netscan system has been scanning and collection activity of all newsgroups since 1999 but unfortunately, things are about to change.



Microsoft will no longer update the Netscan databases starting next month (June 2007) though the old data is likely to remain available on the website.

Probably the declining popularity of Usenet newsgroups in the recent years (and the rise of Google Groups) forced Microsoft to take this decision.

Google Groups hosts a web-based archive of Usenet posts dating back to May 1981 that it acquired from Dejanews. Some historical threads like Linus Torvalds' sharing details of his Linux project can also be read on Google Groups.

Microsoft NetScan | Google Groups Timeline