Alex,
What are the main difference between NewsPro and UE?
What are you going to do with the future development of NewsPro?
Thanks
difference between NewsPro and UE
The programs have different internals and synchronization scheme, internally UE is more shifted towards binaries and handling large groups.
It has less dependency on Windows and uses much less system support and I got rid of Microsoft libraries in internals (although it meant rewriting most of the code), so potentially it is more reliable. Database restoring capabilities are much better as well (it had to be the case since it is a large volume of work and apparently I don't have as much time as I had with NewsPro, no sense to make something less reliable).
But some moments in UE even for text are better, e.g. you can collapse subthreads of replies, delete any message with or without deleting replies etc.
From outset I took NewsPro general capabilities as starting point but then in most cases I couldn't reuse its code and it took much more time than I expected in the beginning.
As a result things runs much faster, even if you use newspro-like destination type of newsgroups (in newspro all you have is only the article numbers destination type in ue terms), e.g. if you open a newsgroup or combine groups you can see very large difference.
When you download headers in ue processor usage is low, in newspro it could be essential.
Also because newsgroups can be unloaded fully or partly (for compact binary type) the memory usage is also a way less.
So in potential the code is much more sound.
Hopefully the program will deliver adequate performance, there is a complexity gap when writing a text capable newsreader because of threads of replies, for binary downloaders it is an order less work, all is much simpler there.
it is not like newspro development - adding features and making updates for users, but it is like projecting a general picture and then trying to implement it as a whole and i don't think there was more open way to do it without passing too much torture to users.
i'll add the ue project history page, i collected some info from old files but it looks a little too scary
It has less dependency on Windows and uses much less system support and I got rid of Microsoft libraries in internals (although it meant rewriting most of the code), so potentially it is more reliable. Database restoring capabilities are much better as well (it had to be the case since it is a large volume of work and apparently I don't have as much time as I had with NewsPro, no sense to make something less reliable).
But some moments in UE even for text are better, e.g. you can collapse subthreads of replies, delete any message with or without deleting replies etc.
From outset I took NewsPro general capabilities as starting point but then in most cases I couldn't reuse its code and it took much more time than I expected in the beginning.
As a result things runs much faster, even if you use newspro-like destination type of newsgroups (in newspro all you have is only the article numbers destination type in ue terms), e.g. if you open a newsgroup or combine groups you can see very large difference.
When you download headers in ue processor usage is low, in newspro it could be essential.
Also because newsgroups can be unloaded fully or partly (for compact binary type) the memory usage is also a way less.
So in potential the code is much more sound.
Hopefully the program will deliver adequate performance, there is a complexity gap when writing a text capable newsreader because of threads of replies, for binary downloaders it is an order less work, all is much simpler there.
it is not like newspro development - adding features and making updates for users, but it is like projecting a general picture and then trying to implement it as a whole and i don't think there was more open way to do it without passing too much torture to users.
i'll add the ue project history page, i collected some info from old files but it looks a little too scary
UE is MUCH faster...
I've been using UE for a whole day now (since it came out yesterday) and I can report it is MUCH faster than NP ever was. I was able to enter my servers and newsgroups from NP without too much effort (though there is no automated way to do this) and re-scanned all the large binary groups in a couple of hours. In NP, this would take the better part of a day or two to finish. I then figured out how to use the folder and search concepts in UE and promptly found a number of files I'd been wanting for quite some time now.
The UI is a little different in UE than NP and takes a bit of getting used to after so many years with NP, but it's an improvement.
Several of the more unusual features in NP are not in UE, like NP's server search, but I'm sure it'll eventually be added to UE as it was to NP.
All in all, I think it's a great improvement to NP and, most importantly, bypasses the memory constraints that plagued NP when using large binary newsgroups.
The UI is a little different in UE than NP and takes a bit of getting used to after so many years with NP, but it's an improvement.
Several of the more unusual features in NP are not in UE, like NP's server search, but I'm sure it'll eventually be added to UE as it was to NP.
All in all, I think it's a great improvement to NP and, most importantly, bypasses the memory constraints that plagued NP when using large binary newsgroups.
I have to agree with Eurastus. It runs a lot faster, isn't as resources hungry as NP was (memory and processor).
It could do with a reshaping of the options, maybe along the winamp style?
I would like to see a feature to import newsgroups and servers from NewsPro, perhaps from exported files? I tried to cut and paste them manually, but that didnt work.
It could do with a reshaping of the options, maybe along the winamp style?
I would like to see a feature to import newsgroups and servers from NewsPro, perhaps from exported files? I tried to cut and paste them manually, but that didnt work.
Re: UE is MUCH faster...
If you mean XPAT, it's been in UE from the very beginning. Add a new group (you can duplicate by adding an already existing group again) but set it as a search group in the popup box. Search groups have a magnifying glass icon overlay.Eurastus wrote:Several of the more unusual features in NP are not in UE, like NP's server search, but I'm sure it'll eventually be added to UE as it was to NP.
EDIT: Unless you were referring to searching for servers, not searching a server itself - in which case ignore me.
If you aren't adding groups - especially the really big ones - as compact binary, I urge you to try doing that now before you get your setup the way you like it. It'll be easier in the long run because you'll have to redownload headers for each group you add as compact binary - even if you already have headers for it but in another type.Eurastus wrote:All in all, I think it's a great improvement to NP and, most importantly, bypasses the memory constraints that plagued NP when using large binary newsgroups.
You'll notice the difference with memory when you deal with huge groups like the DVD ones. However, text groups are fine left as msg-id.
Missing features
I downloaded UE today and must say it is very nice, I have been using NP for several years. Three things I find missing (or cannot locate) are: Scheduler, the option to finish all tasks and exit and an estimate of the time remaining for pending downloads. I use the scheduler extensively (speed function) and am not sure I will upgrade with out it.
database is more or less ok, with compact binary there is no need to optimize further, for other types it could be somewhat optimized (a little or unnoticeably faster load for binary groups) but because of the former maybe no need for that.
with filters i need to think there is a hidden filter dialog inside but apart from autoresizing there is nothing more.
first i need to check crash statistics which probably we'll have with more copies running than about thirty and also to see what will be the situation with the project, but in any case i didn't adopt anything from newspro without rethinking it.
with filters i need to think there is a hidden filter dialog inside but apart from autoresizing there is nothing more.
first i need to check crash statistics which probably we'll have with more copies running than about thirty and also to see what will be the situation with the project, but in any case i didn't adopt anything from newspro without rethinking it.
)-
Goldfinger1962
missing?
True, but the one thing I am missing is the graphical display of the Status Manager I always used on screen in NewsPro. Or am I just not seeing how to activate this? I used that function a lot to check how many files still had to be downloaded. That said, I am really happy with UE! After just a couple of hours working with it, I already know I am going to buy the registered version for this one. Again a winner!Eurastus wrote:Time remaining and a few other status-type statistics are in the bottom portion of the main window. If it doesn't appear, turn on the Status Bar under the View menu.
Took me a while to find it as well...
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doozer
It says right at the bottom how long until to download. Also if you click on the articles tab at the bottom you can see what it's downloading right now.
This can be dragged to made bigger so you can see what is left to download.
Or do you mean the icon with the green and yellow monitors on next to articles tab. If you click on that it will show you the threads that are running.
This can be dragged to made bigger so you can see what is left to download.
Or do you mean the icon with the green and yellow monitors on next to articles tab. If you click on that it will show you the threads that are running.
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doozer
well
It says right at the bottom how long until to download. Also if you click on the articles tab at the bottom you can see what it's downloading right now.
This can be dragged to made bigger so you can see what is left to download.
Or do you mean the icon with the green and yellow monitors on next to articles tab. If you click on that it will show you the threads that are running.
This can be dragged to made bigger so you can see what is left to download.
Or do you mean the icon with the green and yellow monitors on next to articles tab. If you click on that it will show you the threads that are running.
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Goldfinger1962
status monitor
Yes, I know, but I am talking about the graphical display from NewsPro (you know, the one showing download activity with moving bars). Just like the Task Manager icon in the menu, but when I click on that, no status monitor is showing (at least not a graphical one, just the text-based messages)