Usenet Newsgroups have existed for quite a while and were originally meant as a place for discussing messages. However, Usenet newsgroups can also be used for posting binaries(a name for ecoded date, so this means just files).
So you can download files from Usenet, just as with BitTorrent.
Some advantages of Usenet over BitTorrent:
- Higher Speed
-more files available
-Not dependent on other users for downloading
-Less rubbish; few fake files and viruses.

Disadvantages of binary Usenet over BitTorrent:
-A bit more difficult to learn
-Files aren't permanently on a server

This video explains the basics, I'll explain it more extensive on this instructable.

Step 1: Installing and Configuring a Newsreader

A newsreader is software that downloads the files for you. There are a lot of different newsreaders, the most simple one to start with is Grabit. It's freeware, and you can download it here.

Install Grabit, then launch it for the first time. The programme will ask you for your News Server. You should be able to find this on the site of your ISP, it usually looks like News.ISP-NAME.COM

You may need a username and a password, those will probably be the email adress and password you got form your ISP, but normally you don't need a password.

Grabit is configured! That was quick wasn't it?

Step 2: Search Stuff to Download

Now you have to search for things to download.
Go to www.yabse.com or www.newzleech.com.

Search for something you want to download, for example 'Linux Ubuntu'

Now you will get a list of things, check the box in front of the one you want to download, click on NZB, and GrabIt will automatically start downloading.

You will notice that the downloading speed is very fast. If it isn't this means that your ISP has a bad news server. You could consider taking a 'Pay server'. This is a news server you have to pay for, Google for some good deals on payservers.

When downloading has finished, you just have to unpack the stuff and that's all!