Feature Requests

[haileris]

I would love it if the file selector / browser is separated from the download engine and essentially the file selector places lines into the SQL DB. I'm scrolling through a list of files at the moment and every time I hit page up the whole thing freezes for 20 seconds. Architecturally it would make sense (in my eyes anyway!) Of course, if there is just one program but its super quick I guess that's acceptable

[DThor]

You lost me. By file selector, do you mean the file selector, or the post list? What behaviour exactly are you getting, and where, that's prompting you to suggest this? Nothing I've used in NB freezes for 20 seconds unless you're talking about a massive operation.

DT

[richy99]

im going to assume he means post list

[Quade]

How many items do you have in the download list? You're the only person reporting this so, I'm skeptical it's a widespread problem.

[haileris]

How many items do you have in the download list? You're the only person reporting this so, I'm skeptical it's a widespread problem.

Approx 11,000 at the moment but anything up to 35k. My internet connection is reasonably fast and unlimited...

Its not just about the download list really. If you download the headers for a group any more than 20 days in a fast posting group and it takes an age to plough through them. So I put them on auto hence the large download list.

[Quade]

Basically, the groups are loaded into memory so, there's no reason for there to be a pause between page downs. It's not like it's actually loading something when you page down. I suspected:

a - The process of trying to display current download status, because you have so many things in the download list causes the delay

or

b - you're simply out of RAM and what's happening is that windows is paging the data in and out between pages.

It could still be either one. What's your "Display Age" set to? It you're loading up 600 days of boneless every time you load the group, that's at least part of the problem. I had mine set to 10 days or less with 5.58, 60 days in 6 but, it's much faster than 5.58/.59.

[Poni]

Option to Pause Downloading During Repairing & Unrarring. "Post-Processing"

after thats added Newsbin is perfect.

[itimpi]

What is the rationale for that? You can already manually pause downloading at any time, why do you want this automated so that you reduce your download average speed?

Note that with v6 has already been reworked so that disk I/O is far better optimised while downloading and uses a memory cache to enable downloading to run asynchronously to the disk I/O, and a different thread is used for the repair/unrar processing. This means that downloading can continue without being held up for Autopar style processing to maximise download bandwidth usage which is what most people seem to want.

[T_llguy]

When you flag a file for download and the par files go to the par list which is great. After a successful download then delete the par list from the header list. For what ever reason after a download the par list remains the I don't know if I should delete it so I have to go check to see if the file got downloaded OK then go back and delete the par file from the header list.

Great work so far, keep up the good work.

[itimpi]

In v6 there is no separate par list any more. Instead this is combined into the Download list, with the PAR files grouped under their (expandable) rar set entry but set to paused unless they are needed.

[tlotzer]

1. I would like the Sort function to work. When sorting by status, "downloaded" and "new" posts are still mixed up, unsorted.
2. I would like more filters like filter out "downloaded" posts if we forget to "Make Old".
3. I would like a "Select all post for same day as current day's post selected" so that if I select a post dated May 5, I don't have to scroll through the next hundred post to shift click the last post on May 5th. Just right click a post and select "Same Day Posts" since I download to dated folders inside a folder named for the Group.
4. Have it where we could Select all post and have them downloaded into dated folders like 20101101, 20101102, 20101103, 20101104, etc. for Nov 01, 2010 and so on. Or be able to have the files placed into folders based upon the Filename or xx characters of the subject header or poster.

[Traveler2530]

Display foreign characters.

My wife is Russian, we can't display the headers and text in many Russian groups.

It would be nice.

[Quade]

Version 6 has full unicode support. I've seen it display Asian characters (though I can't read them). Usenet doesn't support Unicode natively, the subject has to be encoded in a special way to display non-ASCII. You can tell me if it works when 6 comes out.

[Traveler2530]

Very interesting! Thanks... Maybe I can try a beta of V6 to test to see if Russian fonts display correctly?

[itimpi]

Keep your eyes open on the beta forum then for the v6 beta becoming available. At the moment v6 has not yet reached beta status so is not available for general download/testing, but it will probably not be long now.

[IdontexistM8]

Normal and fill server behaviour as mentioned by the OP in this thread.

The option that once a chunk has been filled due to a missing part that Newsbin returns exclusively to the normal/primary server for the rest of the file rather than treating servers equally. This would be particular useful for 50mb+ rars, and especially so for when someone inexplicably posts an unseparated 700mb file of whatever flavour.

[KilJaden]

Normal and fill server behaviour as mentioned by the OP in this thread.

The option that once a chunk has been filled due to a missing part that Newsbin returns exclusively to the normal/primary server for the rest of the file rather than treating servers equally. This would be particular useful for 50mb+ rars, and especially so for when someone inexplicably posts an unseparated 700mb file of whatever flavour.

The new 6 Alpha has the fill mechanism per chunk now instead of per file like it used to have , since this one is more fill block account friendly : you only ask from you're fill server the missing chunk rather than the whole file like it does now in 5.5x series.

[IdontexistM8]

Normal and fill server behaviour as mentioned by the OP in this thread.

The option that once a chunk has been filled due to a missing part that Newsbin returns exclusively to the normal/primary server for the rest of the file rather than treating servers equally. This would be particular useful for 50mb+ rars, and especially so for when someone inexplicably posts an unseparated 700mb file of whatever flavour.

The new 6 Alpha has the fill mechanism per chunk now instead of per file like it used to have , since this one is more fill block account friendly : you only ask from you're fill server the missing chunk rather than the whole file like it does now in 5.5x series.

Excellent!

[tech960]

I would like to see the ability to add more than one path to monitor for NZB DOWNLOADS. Sometimes NZB's come directly from the headers, and newsbin downloads to a different directory than my browser, so I have to manually move the nzb to the other path to get newsbin to pick it up.

Keep up the good work gents!

[Quade]

If you add this to the NBI file, it'll automotically move NZB files you download to the autoload folder

Code: Select all


[NZB]
AutoDownload=1



You can edit it with wordpad. There should already be an "[NZB]" section. If not, just add one.

[jackholexxxx]

My request: Privacy mode

Do not populate the files tab. No logging. No signature checking. Do not keep read posts on disk. No search terms saved. No posts marked 'Downloaded'. Etc... I am sure there are other things I have not mentioned.

I do not want anyone who opens newsbin on my machine to know what I have been up to (as much as possible).

[richy99]

why not just password protect newsbin on start up?

[jackholexxxx]

why not just password protect newsbin on start up?

I occasionally let others use this machine and newsbin. Also, the read posts are still on disk. I am sure there are things stored in the .DB files that can be retrieved as well.

[KilJaden]

I occasionally let others use this machine and newsbin. Also, the read posts are still on disk. I am sure there are things stored in the .DB files that can be retrieved as well.

Why not you just run two different configuration one used exclusively by you that for extra security you can password protect and the other leave it open .

Basically copy you're existing data folder to a new folder , edit the NBI file in the new folder so that the data folder matches the new folder , and now just create two shortcuts for Newsbin on desktop each one pointing to the different nbi files : something like

Code: Select all

"C:\Program Files\NewsBin\nbpro.exe" "C:\Documents and Settings\Dexter\Application Data\Newsbin\NBConfig.nbi

Now just password protect one of you're config file and make sure you're allow you freinds to use the other config .

More info can be found here http://wiki.newsbin.com/index.php/Advan ... ation_File , and here http://wiki.newsbin.com/index.php/Advan ... r_location

[jackholexxxx]

These are good suggestions, but do not address my concerns. I was not very clear in my first post. It is not only what can be seen in the GUI, but what can be seen on disk. I don't want certain things stored on disk, ever.

[jackholexxxx]

Or another way to approach it would be the web browser way. An option to "clear cache". This could be configurable to allow the deletion of the read posts, delete the search history, clear the odometer, clear the files tab, clear the logs, etc...

This would essentially get me what I want without having a full on privacy mode.

[Quade]

I can think about it. My solution is, nobody but me can use my PC.

[DThor]

I thought that was the point of having multiple user accounts? Can't that be setup so that other users can't poke through your documents? If I was in a shared computer environment I would :

1. Request account logins without skipping a beat. Even my wife and I have account passwords, no sense of paranoia or suspicion.

2. Verify security is setup so that each user area is invisible to the other.

3. Someone needs to know the administrator password. Sorry, it's got to be the person with the most to hide, I guess that's you!

4. Request that Newsbin respect where it stores 'sensitive ' data. AFAIK, it does that now.

5. Acknowledge to myself that you *cannot * have security with a shared computer. It's hard enough with a computer locked in a room! Page files contain craploads of data, even if Newsbin wiped everything after each session.

6. Try to imagine the rage of an end user out there who, in an act of stupidity, accidently enabled ' wipe after each session ' mode and lost untold gigabytes of spools.

DT

[richy99]

I don't want certain things stored on disk, ever.

what you are requesting i dont think is feasible

[jackholexxxx]

What about LEO, Feds, MPAA, RIAA, etc. It is not only who you give access to your computer, but who may force access upon you. This was the part I was trying to dance around, thinking surely it will be obvious why these features would be useful. I know these measures I am proposing will not fully "protect" me. But why just leave the treasure map out for everyone to see.

[DThor]

No need to dance. My comments stand, you're kidding yourself if you think deleting spools after every session protects you. If this issue keeps you up nights, best not to download what you're downloading. And seriously, you really think completely volitile apps are practical and the average user would ever want that option lurking in the background?

Anyway, the dev said he'd think about it, this is just my opinion.

DT

[richy99]

What about LEO, Feds, MPAA, RIAA, etc. It is not only who you give access to your computer, but who may force access upon you. This was the part I was trying to dance around, thinking surely it will be obvious why these features would be useful. I know these measures I am proposing will not fully "protect" me. But why just leave the treasure map out for everyone to see.

hope you have disabled the swap file aswell then

[itimpi]

hope you have disabled the swap file aswell then

...and the hard disk Do not forget that if investigators get really serious they are meant to be able to recover files even after they have been over-written.

[jackholexxxx]

No need to dance. My comments stand, you're kidding yourself if you think deleting spools after every session protects you. If this issue keeps you up nights, best not to download what you're downloading. And seriously, you really think completely volitile apps are practical and the average user would ever want that option lurking in the background?

Anyway, the dev said he'd think about it, this is just my opinion.

DT

Nobody said anything about deleting spools.

[jackholexxxx]

What about LEO, Feds, MPAA, RIAA, etc. It is not only who you give access to your computer, but who may force access upon you. This was the part I was trying to dance around, thinking surely it will be obvious why these features would be useful. I know these measures I am proposing will not fully "protect" me. But why just leave the treasure map out for everyone to see.

hope you have disabled the swap file aswell then

hope you have disabled the swap file aswell then

...and the hard disk Do not forget that if investigators get really serious they are meant to be able to recover files even after they have been over-written.

I will reiterate. I know these measures I am proposing will not fully "protect" me. But why just leave the treasure map out for everyone to see. The things I am talking about are: read posts, delete the search history, clear the odometer, clear the files tab, clear the logs, etc. NOT spool files. Read posts != spool files.

Really the issue I want addressed is the ability to delete read posts from disk without delving into the data folder to delete them. I wish they were never saved to disk. Also I would want an option to not save the search history.

The other suggestions I were making were to try and fully round out the "feature" so as to be useful to others as well. I am not sure why some of you think this is a bad thing.

[DThor]

Because we know it won't protect you one bit! I don't think clearing the search history is all that horrible a notion, but that's about it. What about all the stuff you're actually downloading? Don't you think that's all that matters?

You may want to look into Truecrypt or some encryption technology if this is bugging you.

DT

[richy99]

you can manually clear the odomoter and the history filter but i guess you want everything automated

[Jonny]

What you want is easily accomplished by setting up a virtual machine and set it not to save any changes at restart. Just restart and the virtual machine has no trace of anything you have done previously. Regardless of what program you have used.

Regards;
/jb

[Semel]

DThor is right

Truecrypt is the way to go, really

i got all my harddrives truecrypted+system disk

Once u do it, u dont have to worry about anything else.

COme and get me MPAA! RIAA! get some evidence lol

[jackholexxxx]

I humbly withdraw my request. I will automate the changes I need. I just thought someone else could benefit as well.

I also find it sad that the prevailing attitude is "Well if they want it bad enough, they will find it, so lets not do anything to protect our privacy". Yes I am familiar with TrueCrypt and do use it. But it is only one bullet point in my data protection/privacy scheme.

[jackholexxxx]

you can manually clear the odomoter and the history filter but i guess you want everything automated

Why not? Is that not what feature requests are for? To bring new features and to make other features easy to use. If all these features are already in the GUI, just spread around, why not consolidate them into a single button/rt click option? The only new thing I brought to the table is to also have an option to delete read posts.

[dexter]

I also find it sad that the prevailing attitude is "Well if they want it bad enough, they will find it, so lets not do anything to protect our privacy".

The only post you should care about is the one from Quade saying he would consider it. All the other posts are the opinion of Newsbin users, not the Newsbin programming staff.

[jackholexxxx]

Thanks Dexter, I guess I was just feeling a little picked on

[dane]

I love how committed you are to improving NB. I'm a former user of Gravity and what I miss most is the rich set of flags (and the ability to filter by them) Gravity provided for identifying and protecting headers during a scan of a group - particularly the ability to "protect" some headers from deletion. With this tool you could identify and protect headers that you were interested in as you scanned through the group, then delete all of the headers and those few that you wanted would remain. As group headers seem to increase every day (thank goodness and damn it), the process of separating the wheat from the chaff gets tougher and tools designed to help are greatly appreciated.

The other thing I really would like is better documentation. I realize that it's a balance between development and documentation, but a) there are so many more features to the existing software than I am even aware of or don't know how to use effectively, and b) when I have trouble I find that I rarely can find any useful information in the online documentation. On the brighter side, the forum almost always leads to problem resolution, but I hate the thought of having to "call up" the development team to answer my newbie questions.

Thanks for the continued commitment to improving NB and for doing it in as collegial a way as possible.

daDane

[richy99]

have you looked at the wiki? most of it if covered there http://wiki.newsbin.com

[DThor]

I wonder, is the notion of protected headers any different from Old/New, except in name? In other words, marking something as old could be the equivalent of 'protected', so if I have 'Hide Old' on, hitting delete on a post 'protects' it. I can look at protected headers anytime by disabling Hide Old.

Or was it that you were hoping for an additional field apart from old/new? Also, just to make sure you know, but you can also toss anything that interests you('I might want this in future, not sure') into the Wish List. Well, it's called the wish list in v6, I'm unsure if it got called that in the production release, where it might be called the Par list. One of the changes was to give it a more meaningful name. But that list is yet another conceptual container for 'protected', and in fact I sort of prefer that notion to 'protected'.

DT

[itimpi]

Note that you can also save headers that you want to preserve into a Custom list.

[dane]

DThor - thanks for the suggestions. I do normally fully delete headers I'm not interested in, so I haven't used the hide old filter much. Simply marking those that I'm interested in as read will allow me to review them later. This strategy will also allow me to re-mark them as unread and have them display in the d/l list when I load all the group headers.

The use of the par list is an interesting resource for a quick, temporary place to stash things, but headers are not stored in compact form and I see no way to transfer them out of the par list without downloading the posts or creating an nzb file.

itimpi - I'm curious to know what you mean by a custom list. There are so many things that NB is capable of that I'm unaware of - this sounds like a useful tool which could be of some help.

richy99 - no, I haven't spent much time with the wiki except when taken there by the help menu item. When this happens, and I search for something like "filters" the wiki presents a large number of matches - some fragments, some substantive. If I'm lucky enough to focus on the "user's guide" entry, I'll be taken to a fairly good description of the workings of filters - but, as near as I can tell, it never instructs me to choose the filters option on the utilities menu to see all of the items described there which are relevant to creating, modifying and using filters. To me the wiki is helpful for clarification if you basically know what you're doing, but not much help if you really need help. Sorry to take this out on you, I know you were just trying to be helpful.

Thanks to all of you who have responded - though my experience is that the wiki isn't very helpful, the forum is tremendously helpful and I appreciate the time you all put into it.

daDane

[hexorcist]

Long time Pro user, first time poster I believe. I just wanted to put my two cents in here because it was mentioned for 5.x, though with 5.59 it still hasn't been implemented since 4.x - or if it was implemented post-5.53 I couldn't find it. What I'm talking about here is proxy/firewall support. Those of us who have stuck with 4.x can't even officially get support - even if we are paid pro users - simply because we'd prefer to have those options available to us. It would make me extremely happy if it were server specific so I wouldn't have to manually turn it on/off based on whether I'm downloading headers or articles, but I'm not going to push my luck at this point - any implementation would be perfect for me.

[Beemer2]

None of the current or previous versions have allowed me to use my mouse center button to lock-on vertical scrolling (sometimes called drag scrolling). For example if I have downloaded a large amount of headers I want to set vertical scrolling active and stop when I reach an item to download. This is a facility I can do in most other software but not Newsbin. Mouse centre button (wheel button) clicking in the Subject area of the headers does nothing.

I had already reported this is V5 group and Quade responded saying that it should be possible to implement in a future upgrade. Has this been done in V6?

regards,

Beemer2