protocol

Internet downloading got a major boost from bit torrents and the widespread availability of broadband, but conventional Web-based downloads are still limited by single-thread technology. Download Commander from Heitmeijer is a downloading application that uses the familiar HTTP protocol but enables multiple simultaneous downloads via multithreading, so instead of downloading each file on a Web site, you can download them all at once. It will also save various credentials so you don't have to re-enter them constantly.

Download Commander integrates itself with Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser. Right-clicking a Web page calls up the context menu with Download … Read more

NirSoft develops nifty, compact, free utilities for a broad range of specific uses. Its URLProtocolView is an easy-to-use tool that displays all URL protocols currently installed in your system, such as ftp, telnet, and mailto. It displays each protocol's name as well as a description, the command line that is executed when you click or type the URL, the name of the product in which it originates, and the company that developed or published the software. You can also use it to easily enable or disable each protocol. (Please don't disable mailto, though!)

URLProtocolView downloads as a compressed … Read more

Many of us have used peer-to-peer file-sharing programs that allow us to connect to networks with thousands of other users, sharing music, movies, and more. What if you could take that same concept and shrink it down so that the only people on the network were the ones you invited? Retroshare allows you to do just that. This simple program lets users create private file-sharing networks for the easy transfer of files between friends, family, or co-workers--and no one else.

The program's interface is plain and intuitive, with its major features represented by graphical buttons. Adding other people to … Read more

Small enough to run off a USB key, but powerful enough to download any torrent in a jiffy (if it's got enough seeders), uTorrent 2.0 is easy on the eyes and smart on your network. The memory footprint for uTorrent is very small, and system resources are barely touched. While you're torrenting, you shouldn't be surprised to find that other programs that use your Internet connection slow down, but the latest version of uTorrent has an answer to that. Called uTorrent Protocol, or uTP, it's a built-in throttling that detects network congestion and slows down … Read more

Multiprotocol-messaging client Digsby has announced new features at DemoFall focusing on a completely revamped Twitter interface.

At the time of writing, users must download Digsby build 65, which will then auto-update to build 67, which includes the new features.

Once logged in, users, set to follow Digsby on Twitter by default, are given two ways to manage their tweets. The tweet timeline is a single-window column that starts with the oldest ones at the top. It is accessible only by double-clicking on the Twitter bar in the Digsby Buddy List pane.

Running the oldest tweets on top runs counter to … Read more

About a month ago, multi-protocol instant messaging client Digsby found itself at the center of a user conflagration, sparked by how it notified people about their installer's bundleware. Digsby build 65, today's update, addresses some of those complaints and throws in feature enhancements, too.

However, this doesn't mean that Digsby has changed its business model. The program still comes bundled with several opt-out changes to your browser. To avoid them, users must opt out of several bundled add-ins. One will change your default home page to a Digsby-branded Google search, and another will add eBay and Amazon.… Read more

Multi-protocol messaging and VoIP communication client VoxOx is back with some new and impressive features amid claims of a more stable platform. Available for Windows and Mac, the freeware offers a robust Personal Assistant feature that includes call recording, call forwarding, call routing, and call screening, as well as expanded social-networking features and stronger back-end support to keep its multitude of services from getting disconnected.

VoxOx also has made a new-user sign-up bonus available to CNET Download.com users, which I'll explain at the bottom of this story.

The Personal Assistant feature introduced in the new version underlines VoxOx'… Read more

Trillian Astra, which has been in development for nearly three years, is now available to users as a public beta. You won't need to register for a private key to download it, although if you've been using it since we reported on the Astra beta in April, it might be time for an upgrade.

In announcing on the Trillian blog Tuesday that the beta is now public, Cerulean Studios also said the latest build of the multi-protocol chat client fixes bugs related to server-based problems. The company clearly has confidence in the beta, though, since they've made … Read more

There are always a number of ways to get out of sticky situations. In the action role-playing-game Alpha Protocol, you must decide the best course of action. From Sega, developed by Obsidian, Alpha Protocol is set to be released later this year for Xbox 360, PS3, and the PC.