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GrabIt by IIan Shemes |
GrabIt is a binary newsgroup utility which will download all of the multiple parts of a movie, song, or program and put them together for you with no muss or fuss! |
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700k HERE! |
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GrabIt by IIan Shemes During your journey through the internet, you may come across something called "Usenet" which consists of news areas which usually discuss a specific topic (such as freeware!!). Here you can send and receive messages dealing with everything from pasta to toilets. Newsgroups also hold a mesmerizing about of data in the form of binary files consisting of film clips, mp3's, pictures, movies and more. All of this is available to the user as long as they have a computer (duh!), internet connection (duh again!), newsgroup access and a program that will download the files. A complete binary must be broken up into separate files due to the restrictions of size per post, so you not only have to download them, but you have to put them together as well. Grabit from IIan Sheems does just that in an easy to use and easy to understand compilation of code. An excellent program that will allow you to get all the binaries you want. Here's the info: Platform........ Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000 Downloading........ Size zipped: 700k (.exe file) Size Installed: About the same There are multiple connections for the different betas of this program. I picked the most recent beta for my download. The connection was quick and so was the download. Web Site.......... The Grabit site is complete with FAQ, highlights, a forum, nice screenshots, and an easy to read font. The layout is not overly fancy or overexposed with color which makes it visually pleasant to view. At the time of my visit, the forum was not overly active but I did notice that the author has answered questions which shows great support. Installation.......... The file is a self install .exe, just find the file and click. Grabit uses the Wise Install Wizard which will have you up and running in no time. Of course, I rebooted. Help Files.......... At this time, they are nonexistent however, as mentioned above, their site has a forum and it is being used with responses coming from the author. The site also has a FAQ page with tips and hints on the program itself. There are two text files in the archive but they deal with history and license. Interface........... The layout of GrabIt is simply broken down into text panes and tabs which gives you access to almost the entire program from one screen. On the left is a listing of all newsgroups which you have set access to from your displayed account. To the right is a three tabbed window which handles all of the main functions. The first tabbed window lists all of the posted information within that newsgroup in database format. The info is broken down into Status, Subject, Size, Lines and more. To the very left of this are buttons which control which files you actually get to view such as; complete binaries (files that have all of their sections for downloading), broken binaries (files that are missing pieces) , view mail only, view everything plus more. Depending on which filters you use, each listing will have a corresponding button to identify it. Here's a pic:
The second tabbed window displays the current batch list of all the files to be downloaded. Just click as you check out the lists in the first window and the files you choose show here. The data shows; Status, Server Profile, Subject, Newsgroup, Decode Prefix, plus more. GrabIt can download four separate files, or "threads", at the same time. The lower section of this window shows the download display area where you can keep progress of the files as you're downloading them. Each of the four download threads has twin bars which show the current multiple part download progress on the upper half, with the lower half showing the progress of the completed file after all of the multiple parts have been downloaded and put back together. Another small area shows info on the actual download and a small chart area that shows your connection speed in graph format. An excellent addition!!
The "Preferences" area is where the setup is for your newsgroup providers, folder locations, batch adjustments, and advanced settings. All of this is presented in a four tabbed window. Here's a pic of the first tab showing the Server settings area:
The third tabbed window is where you view all of the newsgroups which are contained in your providers database. There are two areas at the top for filtering (picking groups with certain key words) and to check out areas which contain a minimum of stored articles. Both of these features can be combined to give you a decent way to hone in on certain groups you may want. Of course, this program wouldn't be complete without a selection of icons along the top and GrabIt doesn't disappoint. Their sizes are adjustable and all of the features for these icons are also available by right clicking on the proper window. Features........... One of the nicest features of this program is it's easy setup. Just type in your news server address, download the list of newsgroups from it, choose a topic, pick your selections and down they come. It's amazingly simple. There are may fine tuning settings that you can get into, but the default settings seem to work just fine for me. GrabIt also monitors your download for errors and will correct many of them without downloading any additional data. A nice added feature. The "find" options and "filters" though not fancy, do work really well to weed out those lost tracks that you've been searching for. Many of these can be combined to really get into the nitty gritty of the listings. Another excellent feature is the incremental update which will allow GrabIt to download only the newer posts since your last connection without downloading the entire selection over again. That can come in really handy for those newsgroups with over 50,000 posts and consistent uploads. As an added bonus, GrabIt has a postings reader to help you get additional details from information postings which sometimes accompany a binary upload. Problems......... GrabIt is in beta however, except for a slight computer "burp" which I attributed to my lack of memory (since remedied with another 128 megs!), I have yet to come across a problem. As mentioned, this is a beta program. I'm hoping that it will stay freeware once it is complete and out of beta. Closing......... GrabIt is an absolutely great program for downloading binaries. It's speed, display, and features are enough for even the most serious binary downloader. I suggest you "grab it" and give it a try.
Enjoy Buzzy J
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