Usenet is as full of kooks and trolls today as it
was when it came into being

Actually, I've been on USENET since the days when news (and email) were
moved around over 300 baud dialup lines in the middle of the night when
the rates were cheaper (anyone left here who remembers UUCP) and it was
not full of kooks or trolls. They are strictly a modern phenomenon tied
to opening up the INTERNET to all the idiots.

And there were two different and 'competing' readers. News and Notes!

Ah.... 4.2BSD...

Mike