FlashGet (Formerly JetCar) - Software Review and Test Drive
By the way, you've just surfed into a website very rich in information about Windows software, tips, tricks and tweaks. Don't leave without exploring the resources listed on the main page.
A silent, quiet Web utility that just sits in the background and does a hell of a job.
Test Drive - Pros
It was not the first download manager I downloaded and tried. I would lie if I told you I had the time to compare them all, though. As soon as I found out that FlashGet was the only - or next to only - boasting multilanguage support, it immediately secured a place in my heart. You see, being a non-US user, I have a strong weakness (no pun indented) for such features, considered inessential by many. It is the one feature why I also love Windows Commander so much. It just tells me the creators did think of me and had some consideration for us end users.
So, what does FlashGet do? In essence, it speeds your downloads in various vays, depending on the particular download server you're dealing with:
by making it easier to start the download, to select multiple download jobs from a given web page and even to configure in advance which filetypes (extensions) you are interested in;
by automatically finding alternative (faster) download locations - mirrors - for the files you choose to download;
by splitting every download into several download threads and running them independently;
by enabling you to stop/resume/pause/postpone/rearrange single downloads and their respective priorities;
by optionally immediately checking the downloaded file with your choice antivirus scanner;
by optionally immediately running the downloaded file (if it's a video, for example);
by organizing your downloads into categories (such as, Drivers, Games, MP3s...);
by automatically renaming (appending a number to) the download if a file of the same name already exists in your download directory;
by redialing your ISP if your Internet connection breaks-up, or by even automatically dialing up, hanging up and shutting down your computer;
by letting you schedule your downloads in advance (downloading only at night or at predetermined hours etc.);
by trying to reestablish an unsuccesful connection with a server up to 99 times;
by letting you limit the bandwidth used by FlashGet, leaving the rest of it to your contemporary browsing, emailing or whatever;
the interface - not the help files and documentation, though - is in your own language (there are no less than 37 language files in its language subdir);
an integrated site-directory browser;
and... I'm sure I must have forgotten a feature or two, so packed with features it is!
Probably the only Web utility you just couldn't do without, if you try it once. Simply put, it just enables you to start a download and never have to think about it again.
Test Drive - Cons
There aren't many, I'm afraid. And even these are only minor, almost cosmetic ones.
The way it organizes your downloaded files; actually, the way it comments them. FlashGet creates its own database of downloads comprising the date, size and other data about the downloaded files; an optional comment among other things. Well, the problem as I see it is, the web filenames tend to be very cryptic at times (think of the software updates and patches, for example: often, the filename is just a sequence of meaningless alphanumeric characters with an .exe extension). So you put any optional description into FlashGet's Comment field. The problem is: if you copy/transfer/archive your downloads - but not your FlashGet database - somewhere else, all this information is lost, and you potentially end up with a directory containing, say, 3 GB of cryptic files. What do you do? A better solution, at least in my opinion, would have been to let the user rename the original filename to a longer, descriptive filename (such as "MS DirectX 8.0 Update, Swahili version", or "How to Get Ritch In 20 Days And Regret It In 10; a Zipped eBook in PDF format") and only keep the original filename in FlashGet's database for future reference (if needed, say, to prevent identical files to be downloaded twice etc.).
??? Can't think of another.
Test Drive - Tips, Tricks and Tweaks
General
Study the Help files thoroughly, as FlashGet, due to its many options and features, is not easy to configure at all. For a snail-fast modem connection (28,8 k), you should configure FlashGet to open no more than 3-4 download jobs at once, each having a maximum of 5-6 threads (sections).
