Use (the right) utilities to expedite downloads
Zatni Arbi, The Jakarta Post, Columnist
We all know that the Internet is chock full of goodies. Video, music, data, proceedings, white papers.
There are also an increasing number of digital versions of books -- better known as e-books -- appearing on the Internet.
Stephen King even started a new trend in book publishing: You have to download his novel from the Internet as it is not available in printed form. We can all expect this trend to become more common, particularly in the case of writers who are already popular.
And the Internet also has a huge inventory of software: shareware, freeware, demoware, junkware. You can get free or close-to-free utilities: antivirus, backup, data compression, etc.; desktop enhancements: screensavers, wallpapers, sound files, etc.; drivers, patches, games, you name it.
Some of them may be very useful, some may even match the quality of commercial software available in shrinkwraps, and some may make you think "How could I have lived without this for so long?"
There are hundreds of places on the Internet from where you can download software. You can even download full-versions of commercial software, but we do not recommend it. If you stick to shareware and freeware, you will certainly have more than you can handle.
However, downloading always takes time. It will not be so bad if you are fortunate enough to have a broadband connection to the Internet. It will be different if you have dial-up access. You will be obsessed with the ways to shorten the time spent downloading the software that you want. In addition, you will start saying things that you would not want your children to hear if, in the middle of downloading a 1.2 MB file, the phone line is disconnected.
You curse because what this actually means is that you will have to start all over again. Lost connections are the main culprit that is bound to increase overall download time.
Fortunately, there are ways to make the download operation more manageable. First, you can subscribe to sites such as NetZip (www.netzip.com). With their Real Download utility, you cannot really speed up the process but you will be able to track the download progress.
You will also know how long you still have to wait. Better still, you will be able to pause the download operation, disconnect, make a phone call and then resume. The catch? Netzip will open another instant of the browser and show you an ad. If you do not want to run Real Download, just press and hold down the Ctrl key as you click on the link.
Download Accelerator Plus (DAP) 5.0 is another utility that you can use. In fact, this one has more to offer than Real Download. It may also speed up the process by up to 300 percent, according to SpeedBit -- the publisher of this free utility.
SpeedBit (http://www.lidan.com/) claims that it has 30 million registered users for this software.
If you wonder why there is still such a thing as free useful software, then wonder no more. Like NetZip's Real Download, DAP is one of those "ad-supported" goodies. You can use it with no charge, but you must tolerate the ads that it flashes into your face. Which is not so bad, given the benefit of shorter download time.