zot
06-25-2011, 07:21 PM
I was just looking at an NZB downloader client called SuperNZB for the first time. It reminds me of a lot of software applications from the 1990s, when the GUI fashion was to have multiple free-floating pop-up windows - a common feature before 'tabs' became the de facto standard for juggling multiple screens. And oddly, no right-click menu items here. But it's not that being eccentric is necessarily a bad thing - I get tired of seeing all the cookie-cutter copies of software (Ultraleecher/Newsleecher comes to mind).
A few notable non-features:
* No 'age of file' listing
* No way to pause specific files (like PARs) in queue
* Downloads all PARs - needed or not
* No fill-server support
* No 'server disconnect' button (you can only wait for all currently-downloading articles to finish)
* Changing Settings requires shutting down and restarting client
* a few small bugs (like a NZB's percent completion listed as over 100%)
Most of the things on this list are just small annoyances. To take one example, there is no column listing for the file's age. When I grabbed a few old NZBs (of unknown age) I had lying around, and nothing happened, I had no easy way of knowing if this was because they were older than the server's retention, or some other reason. However, the lack of fill-server support is a real deal-breaker for me, since a lot of MP3s get posted without any pars, and completion on older (500+ day) posts is often quite poor these days.
I like the fact that the software is free without any time limits -- though the unregistered version is limited to only two connections. (I have a bad habit of installing trial software, spending a few minutes trying to figure it out, and then getting hit by the 15-day expiration before I even get a chance to go back a second time and fully try it out.)
Although OK as far as free software goes, in my opinion, there are just far too many things that SuperNZB lacks as an NZB downloader to make it a worthwhile $40 purchase - especially considering all the other free and low-priced binary-newsreaders/NZB-downloaders currently available. And some pay-newsreaders also have many additional features such as (compressed) header support, bandwidth throttle, scheduling, playing partially-downloaded xvids, extreme configurability/tweaker settings, and various other frills.
However, the one notable feature that SuperNZB has is an NZB article completion checker that (unlike most other completion checkers) works very fast with Readnews servers. That feature alone makes the free version a very worthwhile installation.
hxxp://www.techsono.com/supernzb/
A few notable non-features:
* No 'age of file' listing
* No way to pause specific files (like PARs) in queue
* Downloads all PARs - needed or not
* No fill-server support
* No 'server disconnect' button (you can only wait for all currently-downloading articles to finish)
* Changing Settings requires shutting down and restarting client
* a few small bugs (like a NZB's percent completion listed as over 100%)
Most of the things on this list are just small annoyances. To take one example, there is no column listing for the file's age. When I grabbed a few old NZBs (of unknown age) I had lying around, and nothing happened, I had no easy way of knowing if this was because they were older than the server's retention, or some other reason. However, the lack of fill-server support is a real deal-breaker for me, since a lot of MP3s get posted without any pars, and completion on older (500+ day) posts is often quite poor these days.
I like the fact that the software is free without any time limits -- though the unregistered version is limited to only two connections. (I have a bad habit of installing trial software, spending a few minutes trying to figure it out, and then getting hit by the 15-day expiration before I even get a chance to go back a second time and fully try it out.)
Although OK as far as free software goes, in my opinion, there are just far too many things that SuperNZB lacks as an NZB downloader to make it a worthwhile $40 purchase - especially considering all the other free and low-priced binary-newsreaders/NZB-downloaders currently available. And some pay-newsreaders also have many additional features such as (compressed) header support, bandwidth throttle, scheduling, playing partially-downloaded xvids, extreme configurability/tweaker settings, and various other frills.
However, the one notable feature that SuperNZB has is an NZB article completion checker that (unlike most other completion checkers) works very fast with Readnews servers. That feature alone makes the free version a very worthwhile installation.
hxxp://www.techsono.com/supernzb/