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'''Eternal September''' (also '''September that never ended''')<ref name=jargon>{{cite web|url=http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/S/September-that-never-ended.html|title=September that never ended|author=Eric Raymond|work=The Jargon File (version 4.4.7)|accessdate=2008-09-13}}</ref> is a [[Usenet]] slang expression, coined by Dave Fischer, for the period beginning September 1993.<ref>[http://www.nyupress.org/netwars/pages/chapter01/ch01_.html "The Year September Never Ended"] ''[[net.wars]]'' Chapter 1, Wendy M. Grossman, NYU Press, 1998.</ref> The expression encapsulates the belief that an endless influx of new users ([[newbie]]s) since that date has continuously degraded standards of discourse and behavior on Usenet and the wider Internet, to the point that one news provider has adopted the name Eternal September.
'''Eternal September''' (also '''September that never ended''')<ref name=jargon>{{cite web|url=http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/S/September-that-never-ended.html|title=September that never ended|author=Eric Raymond|work=The Jargon File (version 4.4.7)|accessdate=2008-09-13}}</ref> is a [[Usenet]] slang expression, coined by Dave Fischer, for the period beginning September 1993.<ref>[http://www.nyupress.org/netwars/pages/chapter01/ch01_.html "The Year September Never Ended"] ''[[net.wars]]'' Chapter 1, Wendy M. Grossman, NYU Press, 1998.</ref> The expression encapsulates the belief that an endless influx of new users ([[newbie]]s) since that date has continuously degraded standards of discourse and behavior on Usenet and the wider Internet, to the point that one news provider has adopted the name Eternal September.{{clarify|date=January 2012}}


==Background==
==Background==

Revision as of 23:54, 12 January 2012

Eternal September (also September that never ended)[1] is a Usenet slang expression, coined by Dave Fischer, for the period beginning September 1993.[2] The expression encapsulates the belief that an endless influx of new users (newbies) since that date has continuously degraded standards of discourse and behavior on Usenet and the wider Internet, to the point that one news provider has adopted the name Eternal September.[clarification needed]

Background

Usenet originated among Northern hemisphere universities, where every year in September, a large number of new university freshmen acquired access to Usenet for the first time, and took some time to acclimatise to the network's standards of conduct and "netiquette". After a month or so, these new users would theoretically learn to comport themselves according to its conventions, or simply tire of using the service. September thus heralded the peak influx of disruptive newcomers to the network.[1]

In 1993, the online service America Online began offering Usenet access to its tens of thousands, and later millions, of users. To many "old-timers", these "AOLers" were far less prepared to learn netiquette than university students. This was in part because AOL made little effort to educate its users about Usenet customs, or to explain to them that these new-found forums were not simply another piece of AOL's service, but it was also a result of the much larger scale of growth. Whereas the regular September freshman influx would quickly settle down, the sheer number of new AOL users now threatened to overwhelm the existing Usenet culture's capacity to inculcate its social norms.[3]

Since that time, the dramatic rise in the popularity of the Internet has brought a constant stream of new users. Thus, from the point of view of the pre-1993 Usenet user, the regular "September" influx of new users never ended. The term was used by Dave Fischer in a January 26, 1994, post to alt.folklore.computers, "It's moot now. September 1993 will go down in net.history as the September that never ended."[4]

Some ISPs have eliminated binary groups (Telus in Canada)[5] and others have dropped Usenet altogether (Comcast,[6] AT&T[7]). On February 9, 2005, AOL discontinued newsgroup access through its service, which it announced on January 25, 2005.[8][9] On September 16, 2008, Comcast discontinued newsgroup access, previously provided to all its high speed customers.[6][10] This led some commentators to claim that perhaps September is finally over.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ a b Eric Raymond. "September that never ended". The Jargon File (version 4.4.7). Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  2. ^ "The Year September Never Ended" net.wars Chapter 1, Wendy M. Grossman, NYU Press, 1998.
  3. ^ "The Making of an Underclass: AOL" net.wars Chapter 3, Wendy M. Grossman, NYU Press, 1998.
  4. ^ Dave Fischer (January 26 1994). "Weeks? hah!!". Newsgroup: alt.folklore.computers. 94204205851.dave.22710%40gilly.cca.org. {{cite newsgroup}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Usenet newsgroup access with highest retention and completion - Best Usenet Value". Newshosting.com. April 14 2008. Archived from the original on May 22 2008. Retrieved 2009-08-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |archivedate= (help)
  6. ^ a b "Newsgroups Discontinued". Comcast. October 25 2008. Retrieved 2009-08-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "ATT Announces Discontinuation of USENET Newsgroup Services". NewsDemon. June 9 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "AOL ditches newsgroups". The Register. January 25 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "AOL Kills Usenet Access". Slashdot. January 25 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Comcast Discontinues Customers' USENET Service". Slashdot. September 22 2008. Retrieved 2009-08-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Comcast Discontinues Customers' USENET Service - Comments". Slashdot. September 22 2008. Retrieved 2011-01-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "AOL Kills Usenet Access - Comments" Slashdot. January 25 2005. Retrieved 2011-07-16.

External links

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