Version 5.33 Released...
Many of the changes since 5.32 were to resolve some minor bugs that were missed. We did sneak in a few new features over 5.32 like:
Version 5.33 is now available to everyone. Please use our Tech Support Form to report problems or provide feedback in the NewsBin Forums.
We have big plans for version 5.40. As always, each beta that we feel is stable will be made available to registered users. The next big thing planned is integrated PAR support. Stay tuned...
Version 5.33 Release Candidate...
We have re-written the installer to hopefully make new installs easier for new users. The upgrade process is unchanged but, we need some people to try it out. For now, we're only asking registered users to try this Release Candidate. If you can, try a clean install and let us know if you find any problems.
The final release will follow after we receive some feedback about the installer changes. Please use our Tech Support Form to report problems or provide feedback in the NewsBin Forums.
Pane Management...
No, not pain management, NewsBin Pane Management. Here is an example of how to set NewsBin to run with 2 panes. Under Options/Window Positions, set your Groups, Servers, and Thumbs to be "Top Right". Then close and restart NewsBin and hit alt-1 to hide the Top Left pane. This way, when you load a group, the post list will take the entire width of the screen. If you download pictures, the Thumbnails tab has much bigger images too. We are going to make this configuration the default for new installs. More information on setting window positions are here.
We've found several issues with the 5.33 beta and are in the process of resolving them. We should have a new beta release within the next few days.
Version 5.33 Beta 1 Available...
Registered users can try this new beta release which has mostly cosmetic changes:
Once 5.33 is released, we'll get some good new features going in 5.40. You can download the beta from a link in the Release Notes.
Message of the Month?
The idea of this Message of the Day screen is to keep you informed of new releases and give helpful tips or interesting industry information day to day. Between releases, we'd like to post helpful messages more frequently but, we have a tough time thinking of something to say. If you have discovered some feature in NewsBin or a method of using it that you think would be a benefit to others, please email us with the suggestion.
We are currently working on one more 5.3x release before tearing into NewsBin for a some major functionaliy improvements in 5.4. Version 5.33 is now in private beta testing with some user interface improvements and small bug fixes. We plan to make it available to registered users soon.
Why SSL?
More and more news services are offering SSL support. Enabling SSL means that the data between NewsBin and the news server is encrypted. If you are on a network where others can view your traffic using packet sniffing tools, SSL will protect you from the embarrassment of your boss or wife (or both) coming up to you and asking why you are interested in content from alt.binaries.pictures.<something embarrassing>.
To enable SSL in NewsBin, go into the Server Properties, change the port to 563, and enable SSL on the Advanced tab. More details are in the NewsBin Help pages.
If your current news service does not provide SSL support (also called NNTPS), Giganews offers a 3 day free trial.
NewsBin Customization Tip...
By default, NewsBin uses 3 window panes, which may appear overwhelming at first. Did you know you can configure NewsBin to run with 2 or even 1 pane? Just hit Alt-1 to hide the top left pane and see what 2 pane mode looks like. If you miss the groups and servers tabs that default to the top left pane, go under Options/Window Positions and organize the tabs to show up in either the top right or bottom panes. Some tab movements require a restart of NewsBin before they actually move.
Does your news service provide up to 20 encrypted connections? Giganews does with their SSL Diamond account.
Internet Explorer 7 Incompatibilities...
As more and more people upgrade to IE7, we are getting more reports that launching NZB files from IE7 does not work. Microsoft changed how IE handles launching files and it is incompatible with any version of NewsBin prior to 5.32. If you are still running a 4.x version, you should either bite the bullet and upgrade to version 5 (which is a free upgrade) or, change how you process NZB files.
The latest production release of NewsBin is available here.
Version 5.32 Release Candidate Available...
We are almost ready to release version 5.32. Unless someone finds a show stopper bug, this will become the final release.
The primary changes are:
More details and the download link are in the release notes.
Version 5.32 Beta Available...
Due to Giganews Newsgroups allowing up to 20 connections for their new top tier account with SSL support, we have increased the max connections per server in NewsBin. This version also includes some bug fixes and minor enhancements.
The beta will only run if you are currently a registered user and can be downloaded from the link in the release notes.
Giganews Announces SSL Support...
Giganews Newsgroups now offers encrypted Usenet access over SSL. This means all NNTP traffic between your machine and their servers will be encrypted so anyone monitoring your traffic will be unable to determine what newsgroups or what content you are downloading. Giganews charges an additonal $5 per month for this feature and has a new tier of service, the Diamond Account, which includes SSL support and up to 20 connections. New users can get a 3 day/1GB free trial so you can try it out without paying any money up front.
To configure NewsBin to work over SSL, go into your server configuration, set the port to 563 and enable "Use SSL" under the Advanced tab.
Flying under the radar...
Here's an interesting article pondering whether the MPAA is ignoring Usenet.
Quade is making progress on integrated PAR support. Eventually downloading large files posted in RAR sets with NewsBin will be a one step process.
Happy Friday the 13th...
To honor this day, I'm listing a few of the bizarre problems that have been reported over the last couple of weeks.
1) High CPU usage, low download speed: Several times this has been attributed to a virus scanner. Some virus scanners now try to scan NNTP traffic. They weren't designed to handle the constant high throughput NewsBin can deliver so they end up bogging down your machine. The solution is to tell your virus scanner to ignore NNTP and exclude NewsBin's Data Path from the scanner's file monitoring.
2) Header downloads aren't saved: People using default settings with a windows username containing non-US ASCII characters, like "ä", "ø", or "ü". We have a fix in our internal beta release. The workaround is to change your data path to not contain these characters.
3) NewsBin won't start: If your computer shut down unexpectedly or NewsBin was otherwise terminated externally while it was running, there is a possibility for data corruption. The fix is to start removing files from the NewsBin data folder, starting with .nzz files then moving to .db3 files until NewsBin starts again.
We keep a list of the most commonly reported problems and their solutions in the NewsBin Troubleshooting FAQ.
As always, technical support is available either in our NewsBin User Forums or through our Tech Support Form.
Be safe out there.
Continuing problems with Usenetserver ...
We have been receiving many technical support messages stating problems connecting to news.usenetserver.com. Usenetserver has been having problems for about a week now and are still working on their issues.
If you are a Usenetserver customer, consider trying one our NewsBin Recommended News Services while Usenetserver is repairing their system. You can select a service tier with PowerUsenet that is the same cost as an unlimited Usenetserver account or move up to a premium Giganews account with 90 days of retention in their binary groups. We personally have experienced no downtime with either service.
Version 5.31 Final Release...
Version 5.31 is now available to everyone for download. Some of the new features in 5.31 are:
More details and the download link are in the Release Notes.
Version 5.31 Release Candidate 1...
We are putting the final touches on version 5.31 and believe it is close to final release. This version has a couple of new features:
More details and the download link are in the Release Notes.
Giganews Increases their Retention Again...
Did you miss something that was posted like 3 months ago? If you are a Giganews customer, you can still download it because they now have 90 Days of retention in their binary groups.
If you are in the market for a new Usenet News Service, we highly recommend Giganews not only for their insane retention, but for their proven reliability too.
Version 5.31 Beta 4 Now Available...
We have not publicly announced the last few beta releases due to some fairly annoying problems. Beta 4 seems to be in good shape and has many new features and bug fixes since the last public announcement of B1. Some significant changes since B1 include:
Registered users can download this beta from the link in the Release Notes.
Version 5.31 Beta 1 Now Available...
Version 5.31 has some minor bug fixes from the 5.30 release as well as some new features such as improved MP3 Folder Organization that more accurately reads MP3 tags for folder creation. Look under Options/Filename Options for the new folder modes. Also, the arrows for prioritizing files in the download list have been restored and the Status Bar displays the amount of free space available on your machine.
Registered users can download this beta from the link in the Release Notes.
NewsBin for the Web?
We occasionally receive requests for a program similar to NewsBin that works on web sites. We are now hosting a program called WebVacuum that does just that. It downloads files from websites and displays images from picture sites. It even works with some of the web-based news services. More information and a download link for the trial version of WebVacuum is on our UsenetTools Site.
NewsBin Pro 5.30 Released!
Version 5.30 is now available for download by all users. There are many bug fixes and enhancements since 5.21. Most notably,
NewsBin Pro 5.30 Beta 4 Available...
Version 5.30 Beta 4 is now available for download by registered users. The Minimize to System Tray is now an option under Options/Advanced and many bugs introduced in the earlier betas have now been fixed. This is a very stable release and we are close to turning this into a production release. All the details and the download link are in the Release Notes.
NewsBin Pro 5.30 Beta Available...
Version 5.30 Beta 2 has been made available for registered users to try. It has the much requested Minimize to System Tray capability as well as some minor bug fixes that are in the production 5.21 release. All the details and the download link are in the Release Notes.
NewsBin Pro 5.21 Release...
Version 5.21 has been released for public use. It resolves an intermittent crash issue people were seeing in 5.20 and also has full file posting enabled. You can download it from the link in the Release Notes.
NewsBin Pro 5.21 Pre-Release
We are just about ready to release Version 5.21 but need some wider testing to know if it is worthy of a full release. It resolves an intermittent crash issue people were seeing in 5.20 and also has full file posting enabled.
Registered users can download it after reading the Version 5.20 Release Notes. After you run it a while, please vote on whether you think it is ready for release or not.
5.20 Pre-Release 4 Available...
We have gone through a few more iterations to clean up some last minute details. This pre-release of Version 5.20 is available for registered users to download and try before the official public release. The major improvements over 5.10 are:
Let us know if you find any showstopper issues in the NewsBin Forums.
NewsBin Forum Update.. .
We updated our forum software today. Anyone who created a username prior to March, 2003 will need to request a new password. If your email address has changed or you still have problems signing in, contact us through our technical support form. This applies to the NewsBin Forums Only! Your NewsBin Registration Key is uneffected. Sorry for the inconvenience.
5.20 Pre-Release Available...
A pre-release of Version 5.20 is available for registered users to download and try before the official public release. The major improvements over 5.10 are:
Let us know if you find any showstopper issues in the NewsBin Forums.
Update...
We are working out the last few issues in Version 5.20 beta and will begin updates to the language translations next week. We currently have 7 languages other than English for 5.10 as well as 5 others currently being translated. You can download the language file for 5.10 and track the progress of the translations at the NewsBin Translation Site.
The current official release if version 5.10 and there is a beta version of 5.20, Beta 5 available to registered users.
Vote for NewsBin ...
There is a Shareware Industry Conference in July and they will be presenting a number of awards to shareware authors. Among them is a "People's Choice" award and all software users are invited to vote. Please vote for NewsBin and your other favorite shareware. Voting ends at noon on May 31.
Thank you for your support!
5.20 Beta 5 Available...
The fifth beta of 5.20 is now available for registered users to download. We think we have solved the problems some people were having loading stored headers and we've implemented some new features. Details and download link are in the release notes.
Version 5.10 users who are not native English speakers, we have translations for Dutch, French, German, Norwegian, Serbian, Slovak, and Spanish complete and available for download for all users from our translation wiki.
5.1.0 Language Support Status...
Our volunteer translators have made great progress on many language translations for version 5.10. We have Dutch, German, Norwegian, and Serbian complete and under review. If you would like to try NewsBin in your native language, download the language DLL from our NewsBin Translation Site and replace the language.dll file in the folder where NewsBin is installed.
If your native language is not listed or it is not complete and you would like to help, contact us.
5.2.0 Beta 3 Available...
This version uses 1/2 the RAM as 5.1.0, supports text posting, and allows you to change the text foreground and background colors. Registered users can download 5.2.0 after reading the Release Notes.
Update...
We are close to making a public beta release of version 5.20 available. Version 5.10 has proven to be very stable so there are no critical bug fixes in 5.20, just feature enhancements. Registered users can track progress of the beta development in the NewsBin Beta Forum.
Translation Update...
We have partial translations for Dutch, French, German, and Serbian so far on the NewsBin Translation Wiki. We can still use more volunteers for Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, or any other language that is not already listed. These translations work with Version 5.10 only, registered or unregistered.
Translating NewsBin to other Languages...
We have begun translating NewsBin into languages other than English. So far we have volunteers actively working on German and French versions. You can track the progress on the NewsBin Translation Wiki and read the Translation FAQ for more information including how to volunteer to help.
PowerUsenet Announces Retention Increase...
PowerUsenet has increased it's binary post retention to 50 days. Their $14.95 unlimited download plan now provides longer retention than any other unlimited service at that price. Learn more on our NewsBin Recommended News Services page.
Update...
We are busy working on improving version 5 and have entered Alpha testing with Version 5.2. So far, we have reduced memory usage even more and are working to implement some posting capabilities. The official release is Version 5.1 and is a free upgrade for registered users of Version 3 or above.
We are also working on a method to create versions of NewsBin in different languages. We will be asking for volunteers to help with the translations when we are ready. Version 5.2 and the special language versions will all be free upgrades to registered users. No reason to wait for their release, go ahead and register now if you haven't already.
ISP Wanadoo UK no longer provides Usenet Access...
Wanadoo UK decided to stop providing free Usenet access to their users as of March 17, 2006. If this impacts you, or you are getting tired of your ISP's news server getting worse and worse, consider signing up for one of our NewsBin Recommended Premium Usenet Providers.
NewsBin Pro 5.1.0 Release...
Version 5.10 is now available to the public. It has the much missed Automatic Download feature from prior versions of NewsBin, true Dual Core support for some processor intensive functions, as well as further integration of AutoRAR to help assemble Usenet Posts. Read the NewsBin Release Notes for more information, and to download this release.
5.1.0 Release Candidate Available...
We are making a Release Candidate available for registered users to try. Version 5.1.0RC4 resolves many issues that came about when we added Dual Core support. It also has resolved some memory issues that some people were observing. Complete list of changes and the download link for Registered Users are available here.
5.1.0 Beta 8 Available...
We are getting close to a final 5.1.0 release. This version address many issues that have been discovered since we publically announced 5.1.0B3 a couple of weeks ago. This version has Dual Core support and AutoRAR is now in a tab, making it much more usable. Complete list of changes and the download link for Registered Users are available here.
5.1.0 Beta Status...
We've found a number of issues that are in the process of being fixed. We are up to 5.1.0B6 with a Beta 8 currently in private testing. The final 5.1.0 release is shaping up to be better than the current production release in many ways. We appreciate all the help from our brave beta testers.
Version 5.1.0 Beta 3 Available...
Automatic Download Mode anyone? Yes, one of the most requested missing V4 features is now in Version 5. You can configure per group or per Group of Groups. Registered users can give it a try and let us know what you think.
There are also a number of fixes since the production 5.05 fix, including the intermittent crash on startup problem that seems to be tied to running from a V4 configuration file. Read the Release Notes for all the info and for the download link.
Giganews $5 Coupon...
Giganews has just started offering a $5 discount off the price of a new account for the first month. This offer is for any tier of service and for new users only. If you've been putting off trying a Giganews account, this is an excellent time to find out for yourself how good they really are.
Intermittent Issue with Version 5.05...
An issue has been identified in Version 5.05 where it may not start if you either launched from a Version 4.x configuration file or, your configuration file was derived from V4. We have a preliminary 5.06 version that fixes this and are in the process of promoting it to a production release.
If you are seeing other issues, feel free to post about it in our forums or, submit a technical support request.
As a public service, we host the UsenetTools website which has links to Usenet information, related software, and information about our recommended news services. Link suggestions for the Usenettools site can also be made through our technical support form.
Comcast messing with Usenet access...
We are getting reports that Comcast is limiting Usenet access even to external news servers. Comcast has a 2GB monthly cap for accessing their internal news servers but now, it appears that port 119 traffic is blocked after every few downloads for some users. A workaround is to configure NewsBin to access your news server on an alternate port, if they support it. For example, Giganews provides Usenet access on ports 23 and 80 in addition to the standard port 119. Changing the port number in NewsBin is documented here.
NewsBin Pro Version 5.05 Release...
Version 5.05 is now available to the public as our official Production Release. This is a free upgrade to anyone who registered version 3.3 or higher. Everyone is welcome to download the release here.
If you are looking for a new News Service, please consider one of our recommended services. Version 5.05 can make full use of multiple servers so if you are stuck with only your ISP's news server, you are probably missing out on alot of good stuff.
Version 5.05 Pre-Release...
Version 5.05 is packaged for final release but we need a little broader distribution with our registered users before letting it out to the public. Registered users can go to the Release Notes for the download link. If you encounter any problems that are not in the Known Issues or Bug List, let us know in the Forums or by contacting Technical Support. If there are no new issues, we will make 5.05 public tomorrow.
Version 5.05RC5 Available...
We are ready for broad testing of Release Candidate 5 for version 5.05. Any registered user running an older Version 5 series release is encouraged to upgrade. Please go to the Release Notes for the download link. If you encounter any problems that are not in the Known Issues or Bug List, let us know in the Forums or by contacting Technical Support.
Version 5.05RC3 Available...
We have another Release Candidate for version 5.05 that addresses some issues uncovered in RC2. Read the Release Notes and upgrade to RC3 if you are having any problems with the V5 version you are currently running. If those problems remain, let us know in the Forums or by contacting Technical Support.
Happy New Year ...
Version 5.05 is very close to final release. It includes several Version 4.x features that were left out of earlier Version 5 releases. Thanks to our users for pointing out that these features were missed and are important to them. Look for the next Release Candidate to be available tomorrow if our continued testing goes well.
If you are tired of dealing with the degrading peformance of your ISP provided news service, sign up for one of the Premium News Services we recommend on our Usenettools site.
Happy New Year from the guys at NewsBin.
