[hobgoblin]

Never heard of usenet? I'm amazed. Usenet is probably the oldest part of what we know as internet today. It has certainly been an integrated part of internet since the very early days of the net.
You can get all what you need (programs, movies, pr0n etc) from the usenetgroups. Very often ( if not all the time) you can get new program releases (warezed or not) FIRST via the usenetgroups. Most of the time I certainly find what I look for there before I can get it elsewhere. The pro's of using the usenetgroups are many: stable connections - you don't get disconnected by anyone, the stuff you're looking for is available for quite a long time after being posted, you can place requests which most often ar filled by someone, you get a very decent speed - at least if you go through a serious service provider. The con to the usenet is that you have to pay for the service. But that's is not a big deal today (depending on how much you need/want to download over time).
I have spend a lot of time using/exploring the hubs system, the irc system and most of the sharing services as Kazaa, eDonkey and so on. I keep coming back to the usenet all the time. Mostly because of it's stability, speed and availability of new stuff. (An example: After the first episode of the new season of the TV show The Sopranos was aired in the states, a copy of it was available in one of the groups on usenet just a few hours later).
Just my two cents......
hobgoblin