> D wrote:
> the only prediction thus far is that google shall decommission
their usenet
> gateway as they announced last 14 december to be effective 15
february 2024
> then moved the goal posts to the persisting expectation of 22
february 2024,
> so they can easily modify their public announcement without
previous notice
> and keep doing that until the cows come home . . . if and when
their usenet
> gateway is actually disconnected, then dozens of spam-friendly news
servers
> could experience a measurable increase in spam, troll-farm
infestation, etc.
> certainly some news server administrators may be motivated to
tighten their
> restrictions on cross-posting, user registration requirements, and
throttle
> server access to limit use and potential abuse; simply limiting
cross-posts
> to five (5) and depeering any servers that allow more would be a
good start,
> better if crossposting were eliminated altogether, but it will get
stricter

Google Groups finally shut down, around Noon on February 22.

I too suspected they'd wait a while longer but the axe just fell.