Parker Software has updated NewsHunter, their Usenet newsgroup download application.
Version 2.0 adds tabs to the interface and adds threaded decoding and assembly of files, automatic folder creation, Archer multimedia viewer technology built right in, self-healing folders, enhanced file management, newsgroup synchronization, an easier subscription model, lightweight news reading capability, support for StuffIt Expander as a MIME helper, support for yEnc decoding, and more. NewsHunter 2.0 contains over 300 fixes, changes, and improvements.
NewsHunter no longer has to wait for a file to be decoded and/or assembled before moving on to the next article. The new threaded decoding system allows files to be decoded while NewsHunter continues to download from the newsgroup. Multi-part files are also assembled and decoded in their own threads.
NewsHunter now automatically creates folders based on the name of the newsgroups you download from. Inside the Decoded Files folder (which, by default, is in the same folder as the application ) you’ll now find a folder that’s named after each newsgroup. If you subscribe to alt.binaries.pictures.astro, you’ll find a folder named abp.astro in the Decoded Files folder. All the files downloaded from alt.binaries.pictures.astro will be found in the abp.astro folder.
Once you have images in the folders associated with each newsgroup, you can simply click a button to create an Archer-style multimedia player. Every command found in Archer is directly supported in NewsHunter players, and you can also create slide shows from any other folder on your system just like you can in Archer.
What’s a self-healing folder? NewsHunter can now recreate the path to any folder in real time. For instance, you can drag the entire Raw Files folder to the trash and NewsHunter will re-create it, and any “child” folders, as they become needed.
The new “Decoding” tab lets you go through a list of every file downloaded. While viewing images, you can quickly delete a file simply by hitting the “D” key. You can open the file in the application that created it by double-clicking its name.
NewsHunter now lets you manage your newsgroup subscriptions using the Newsgroup Subscription tab. This tab lets build newsgroups lists and subscribe to and unsubscribe from newsgroups. There’s no longer a separate window for this functionality.
With version 2.0, the set-up procedure has been simplified. NewsHunter gathers the info it needs from either you or the operating system, creates your first document, and downloads the list of newsgroups. What’s more, it now provides an independently threaded news reader. This allows you to do some “light” news reading while you download binaries. The News Reader tab lets you read any newsgroup listed on the Home tab. You can also post articles.
NewsHunter 2.0 lets you use StuffIt Expander as a helper application for decoding MIME files. You can now disable or enable MIME decoding from the Preferences window. And there’s more.
NewsHunter can be downloaded from the Parker Software Development Web site. Unregistered versions of NewsHunter are fully functional, won’t time out, and don’t expire. However, they will occasionally display reminders to register the US$49.95 application.