Talk:Comparison of download managers

Additions?
Two options that could be added :
 * 1) safefrom.net
 * 2) Ummy Downloader  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.177.168.194 (talk) 12:55, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

mms?
I've tried "LeechGet" and "Orbit Downloader" and neither of them seem to be able to postprocess a .asx file and use mms, as listed in the article. Could someone else verify this. So far I've found only "GetASFStream" (which isn't listed in the article) can do this. Maybe the option was not obvious in "LeechGet" and "Orbit Downloader", but I could not get it to work. If the claim is untrue then this article should be updated to reflect this. --98.70.129.182 (talk) 06:03, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

Merge

 * Agree. This should be merged, though all entries in here that are not there should have their pros and cons listed. --SheeEttin 19:10, 24 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Merge to? Since the list has been rebuilt to be feature compare rather than Advertising, I don't think it'll need to merge now. -- 29dupe 12:21, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Merge to download managers? I disagree, both articles have different audiences. I'll remove the merge tag since no one has agreed to your suggestion in more than 6 months. --Stephanbim 10:00, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Oppose. I disagree. Many types of programs have "list of..." and "comparison" articles. Dmitry Bukhalov 22:22, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Oppose. I disagree. A list and a comparison are two different things - one may need the one and not the other - a bad article should not be merged, deleted, etc but amended - are you really willing to compare all the programs listed ? Wouldn't this make the comparison page too cluttered ? The Ubik 15:29, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Comments
Needs a lot more entries... adding the one I use Ace of Risk 14:20, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

and Urlgfe (http://urlget.sourceforge.net/) and others too

As a general Wikipedia improvement, pages with tables like this should at the very least be able to be sorted dynamically - i.e. the user should be able to sort by column (list all linux DMs together etc). In a more advanced method, it would be good to be able to restrict and change the view of the data ala SQL, possibly with ajax or similar.

Someone should add WideStream (http://widestream.sourceforge.net/) Zero3K (talk) 06:43, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

"malware" line
This is POV. adware is mentioned in the license field. I'm rather more interested in other comparions, such as which programming language each app is developed in. Chris Cunningham 13:34, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
 * I've removed the two offending fields and wikified the licences a bit. Still needs more work. Chris Cunningham 13:53, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

I disagree with the decision to remove the adware/maware line a adware is a major concern for anywone considering using this type of software.

I agree, adware-malware is very important information to know. Call it "Require bundled software" or something if you think "malware" is POV --Guillaume777 04:23, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I also agree with the above two comments, considering that adware and malware is generally unwanted (by the end users, at least) yet seems common in free download managers (closed source, at least). Laogeodritt [ Talk 20:16, 30 December 2006 (UTC) The Wikipedia community encourages you to be bold in updating pages. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes—they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills. New contributors are always welcome. You don't even need to log in (although there are many reasons you might want to).
 * Since everybody except the original poster agree that it would be very usefull information (I agree as well), why has it not been added back in? Esn 21:44, 30 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Information.svg Thank you for your suggestion. When you believe needs improvement, please feel free to make those changes.  Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the edit this page link at the top.
 * Ive readded the column theres a few gaps though so add/correct any info as required. 213.40.103.191 (talk) 18:10, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

I disagree with the adware-malware section, unless it refers to the source of information as reference. Mistakes can be made easily, however the damage to the proprietary and commercial software vendors can be irreparable. For example, under Download accelerator Plus, I have removed the "Adware with free version" and changed to "None Known". This is because the software doesn't contain "Adware", but rather contains built-in streamed ads, on designated built-in ad bar within the software UI, that are confined to the program's running environment. Thus, these do not harm the target computer. Red marking and the word "Adware" are misleading in this case, and can cause damage to software vendor's reputation. I would ask the article creator / contributors to research Adware subject further, to be able to distinguish between harmful and non-harmful methods of advertisement delivery, and apply changes to the table in its current form, or perhaps modify and split this column in 2 parts. adisolar 12:54, 03 April 2011 (GMT) "

Perhaps the adware-malware section should be made slightly more general, e.g. "Ads, Adware, Malware & Spyware". This would be useful distinction, as with the comment above, when I first read it, I tend to think "Adware", but technically, at least from description I see, that's not Adware ... though it most certainly qualifies for Advertisements (Ads), which I think many users would want to know, and have that distinction made - as generally would the developers/providers of the software. Michael.Paoli (talk) 16:55, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps the logic of the adware-malware ought be reversed, to ease editing and translations, e.g. retitle to something like: "Free of Ads, Adware, Spyware & Malware" - then a simple yes would be yes and show green, and if a no, no could be given, would be red, and suitable descriptive text could be placed, e.g. for Download Accelerator Plus that might be something like: "free version has built-in streamed ads, on designated built-in ad bar within the software UI, that are confined to the program's running environment" (presuming that would be accurate and citing suitable reference(s), or much more concise summary of same, with suitable reference(s)). So, thoughts on changing that logic to as I've described? Michael.Paoli (talk) 18:14, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

What is a download manager and what is it not ?
(This was "outsourced")

As a new commenter i am not completely sure if i have selected the correct niche to make the following observations and questions. granted, this comment is not on the above levels, but for someone merely wondering if "download manager" refers to possibly a Windows term or is always more general, could there be more disambiguation about what it is not? for example, when i considered downloading Mozilla's latest version but saw in its forum about trouble involving a (whose?) download manager, and was prompted re using the default dmg opener app  on my mac, i could not see any Mozilla forum on that default app, and wondered if i would be better off using---possibly? a type of download manager app, or different dmg file launcher app instead, and wished more had been provided about how these differ on Mozilla's FAQ, knowledge base, or even forum. but the system requirements for this release, and the difficulties encountered in installing reflect a wide range of considerations for ordinary users considering downloads as substantial as a browser or browser release or its update(s) maybe. It's my impression that the discrete issues raised on the Mozilla forum re downloading Firefox 3.0.11 are apart from the question of whethe, or which "download manager" to employ.Fairlylowtekk (talk) 00:13, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

Replace "runs on" columns with a single "platform" column
I'd recommend merging the columns to be more descriptive. Some programs may be multiplatform but require libraries, applications or virtual machines.

Disagree, makes it much harder to sort if you pull the data out into a spreadsheet app.


 * I would like ONE "super-" title/caption above all three colums, saying: platform.
 * "Platform" is an established term, therefore I would prefer this one, instead of "Runs on".
 * Three separate colums are much easier to search: If I am searching for a DM for a specific platform, it is much easier to look for just ONE word: "yes" or "no", instad of having 3 or 4 different "words"/abbreviations in one column.
 * Steue (talk) 00:38, 4 March 2020 (UTC)

Can they be set to follow links?
One more thing I'd like to know about these download managers before I select one is whether they can be set to follow (x)html/xlink links recursively to download linked pages. Edit: I tried 2 download managers listed here (wxDownload Fast and Truedownloader) and neither of them do what I wanted. I think I'm going to have to go with the commandline tool wGet.

Also, the 5.1 build of wxDownload Fast doesn't seem that stable (it keeps crashing for me, and according to the bug reports I'm not the only one it's happened to). If this seems to be the concensus somebody should update the chart to reflect that. --Logomachist 21:18, 27 October 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree. Recursive downloading is an important feature. Would you consider making it into the chart? --Tunheim 13:50, 20 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Recursive downloading is different beast about different protocols. For example, ReGet had it for ages for FTP, and only recently added for HTML (and it is not stable to my experience) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.176.32.19 (talk) 14:32, 6 February 2007 (UTC).

I'd also like to see recursive downloading added to the list of features, as I often download from sites that have wait times, multiple screens, etc. for free users (Hotfile, Fileserve, Rapidshare, Megaupload, Uploading, etc.)

Speaking of which, I didn't notice Skipscreen (a Firefox add-on to skip screens and automate downloading from websites such as the above, but supposedly an independent program is available, although I had no success in downloading it [irony]) on the list...ReveurGAM (talk) 07:46, 7 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Following links automaticly!!, with exactly definable conditions (as to: how deep and within which domain), is THE key feature, why I 'm looking for a DM. Steue (talk) 00:52, 4 March 2020 (UTC)

aria2 on Mac and Windows?
aria2 now runs on Windows. See http://smithii.com/aria2 for details. Ross.smith 09:32, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, aria2 runs on Linux, Mac (see darwinports) and Windows. See above. Will people stop changing it so it only says Linux? Antini 18:24, 24 December 2006 (UTC)


 * I disagree. The aria2 web page states "Please note that MinGW/Cygwin port is extremely alpha stage, so don't use it other than testing purpose". There is a major difference between managing to get something to run under Cygwin and having a program supporting the Windows platform. If you think my point here is invalid, please revert my change, I will not touch it anymore. But please consider your actions: If any program that can be tweaked to run on a OS or platform by using any kind of emulators or third-party libraries ahould be considered native to that platform, we might end up with a HUGE list. --Tunheim 13:48, 20 January 2007 (UTC)


 * I second Tunheim's opinion above (that aria2 can't be considered Windows native). Though I might add that the Macports version of aria2 is at version 0.7.1 while the current official build is v0.10.1 (as of today). I also nominate Wget for inclusion in this list (see below) (even though Wget 'only' supports HTTP, HTTPS and FTP) --Lemi4 17:37, 14 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Strange that you link to a revision from 5 mos ago instead of the current one. See Macports version of aria2 for version 0.10.1 (latest version). Antini 00:24, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

Additional column Segmented downloading (from Mirrors)
How about adding a new column: Segmented downloading (from Mirrors)? --213.47.53.102 19:46, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

More protocols ???
Can there be more columns in protocols ? Say: ftps (FTP over SSL), SCP (SSH copy), File (copying from disk/LAN, for example unreliable CD-R or LAN share when bad link)?

Also perhaps TFTP, NetBEUI (Windows/SAMBA protocol, direct support apart from File)?

And WebDAV (for recursive download it is different from HTTP)


 * SSL/TLS should be listed rather than HTTPS, FTPS. the way HTTP, FTP, and for example, IMAP, SMTP and POP are wrapped under SSL/TLS are about the same. if one developer adds support for SSL and already supports HTTP and FTP, then he should be able to use SSL for both procols


 * exclusion to this is SFTP (SSH), SCP (SSH) and other SSH powered techniques, like FTP over SSH. however, as the market becomes more diverse, SSH eventually could me made a split field like SSL/TLS and have SCP and other protocols tagged to it. after all, SCP is dependant on it, likewise HTTPS is dependant on SSL/TLS
 * better yet, maybe have the "mother fields" unencrypted/plain-text, SSH and SSL, with the "child fields" SFTP, SCP, FTPS, HTTPS, etc listed bellow?
 * WebDAV should be a split field too, next to HTTP
 * it could have some other P2P protocols that are getting more common, such as Kad and eDonkey


 * as for TFTP... thats kind of old protocol. not really widely used, asides by network boot loaders and MS IIS. alas with SFTP. both protocols are bad for internet usage anyways, and a security risk even LAN-wise
 * NetBEUI and other protocols... i dont see the point here. not bash anyone, but i never saw any download manager or any app outside the LAN realm (tools, diagnosers, etc). so its kinda pointless to add it, unless there are actually many programas that support it
 * --LPCA 21:09, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
 * take a look at this - Comparison of e-mail clients. i helped the writters reach some layout upon visiting the SSL/TLS fields. they did quite a nice job. and they keep improving it, far better than i suggested ;)
 * --LPCA 03:34, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Could direct/ptp also be added to the protocols?ReveurGAM (talk) 07:42, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Speed Limit in IDM
There is no Speed Limit feature in IDM and that's too bad. I'll correct that.

There is a possible limitation of the amount of data downloaded though, but this can't be used as a speed limitation, as it stops the downloads once the limit is reached. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 200.176.140.199 (talk) 03:19, 7 March 2007 (UTC).

Wget / GWGET?
Just thinking of what I personally would consider the GNOME-based equivalent of what a typical Windows user would consider a "download manager" / "download accelerator": Wget.

Keep in mind though, that Wget for Windows is a CLI utility (though it is officially recognised by the FSF maintainers). And although Wget has at least one GUI wrapper I can think of, wGetGUI is... confusing, to put it mildly (at least in comparison to the Gnome / Linux only GWGET). "Mere mortal" Ubuntu / Gnome users might be better off using GWGET. --Lemi4 17:19, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Free DM for Windows?
(sourced out)

BTW, can anybody think of a Free Software download manager for Windows? --Lemi4 17:19, 14 March 2007 (UTC)


 * See wxDownload Fast for a Free Software download manager on Windows. Antini 00:24, 18 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Just look under the "license" field for Free licenses and the "Runs on" field for windows support! Satur9 08:45, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Set of tests?
(outsourced)

Is there a set of tests somewhere that was carried on each of these dload managers ? Still a few miss, for instance the winner (spyware-free sense) in the SpyBot 2003 comparison, which is leechget.

Resume per protocol
I propose the protocol section be expanded to reflect whether each manager can resume on each protocol supported, as some managers don't support resume on all protocols. Satur9 08:45, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Reformat
I'm trying to reformat this article by adding Sortable,
 * {The page to the following link does no longer exist. Steue (talk) 01:44, 4 March 2020 (UTC)
 * please take a look at User:29dupe/Comparison of download managers.}

There's only a basic formatting for General informations for now. There's some things to note: Please leave a comment here. - 29dupe 20:16, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
 * I added the Adware/Spyware line back because, except original poster, nobody appears to agree to remove it in the discussion.
 * The reason I separate product versions into another row (e.g. Download Express, Download Express Advance) because the feature set of these two products must be different, merging it in one row led to confusions.
 * Actually I want to use rowspan for separate product version but it breaks the sortable, either fix sortable or separate rows.


 * I agree - looks nicer —Preceding unsigned comment added by Joshmax (talk • contribs) 04:00, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

Using features on-the-fly
In my opinion, the following columns of the Features section need information about whether their values can be changed on-the-fly while the download is running: Candid Dauth 15:22, 12 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Download acceleration
 * URLs per file
 * Speed limit

is Gigaget adware?
The table shows Gigaget as adware. Their webpage states this:

Free and safe •  100% free •  No adware or spyware •  No registration required •  Data transfer encrypted

So what? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.83.1.51 (talk) 23:51, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

URLs per file
What is required for this to be green? What does "yes" mean? Shouldn't "unlimited" be green? You can't download something with no location, so you can't have zero here ... the category is really asking about support for multiple URLs per file, so "1" should be "No" and should be colored red.

I think green ("Yes") should be used for managers that can download from 2+ URLs simultaneously, yellow (called "Serial" or perhaps "Failover only") should be used for managers that can handle multiple URLs but not simultaneously, and red should be used for managers that do not support multiple URLs. The number of URLs doesn't really matter, especially since the reported lowest maximum (>1) is nine (which seems "good enough"). If you still think the number is useful, you can still do "Yes, 16" (green) or "Serial, 50" (yellow). In this case, the category should be renamed to  "simultaneous mirror d/l" or the like. Adam KatzΔtalk  19:19, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

This column heading is far from self-explanatory; it needs a big footnote in the article. -69.87.204.66 (talk) 17:04, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Speed limit
I assume this just means to be able to set a fixed throttle -- a max bandwidth for one download, or all downloads being managed? But in many cases the desire instead, certainly on dial-up, is to be able to set connection priority -- to be able to set all the downloads being managed to low-priority, so that they don't compete for bandwidth with browsing etc. Do any managers offer this feature? -69.87.204.66 (talk) 17:04, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Good question. Is the title's meaning:

A) The speed of downloads is limited.

B) The user can assign speed limits to downloads (aka prioritizing)

C) The maximum speed that the download manager can handle

???

Certainly, one would hope that no program has (A) or (C).ReveurGAM (talk) 09:31, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

MiniDM
The Mini Download Manager needs to be added to this page. Unfortunalty I do not know how to use wikipedia well enough to put the MiniDM information in myself. However I am willing to answer any questions relating to it.Suril Amin

Description of features
There should be some brief descriptions (or links) for the features. To me it is not obvious what the meaning of some of them are. What is the difference between a download manager with and one without "browser integration". And exactly what does "file browser" mean? Is it just list of downloaded files one can browse or a full fledged file manager (or something in between)? GrimFabel (talk) 02:44, 13 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I'm missing such definitions too.
 * As to your first question, GrimFabel, this is answered in the current version of Download manager first real paragraph.
 * Steue (talk) 20:45, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

Recursive downloading / web crawler and batch downloading capabilities
I think the feature table should include columns for web crawler / recursive downloading and batch downloading capabilities. -- Gordon Ecker (talk) 05:54, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

HTTP
How is it with the proxy support of HTTP

Can the features list of Nettransport be updated, because NetTransport supports the most protocols it could be one of the prime choices, if only the features list would be more clear on several points. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.168.243.40 (talk) 09:10, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

Bitcomet license
It reads "Proprietary Freeware GNU General Public License" which cannot be correct 79.177.13.219 (talk) 15:02, 5 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Right. Fixed it to the same as in BitComet. Thanks. Haakon (talk) 15:51, 5 October 2009 (UTC)

Download file type comparison....???
The reason is that

--222.64.211.100 (talk) 08:39, 16 January 2010 (UTC)
 * ViDown FLV Downloader is specific to video files

Sharelin
Sharelin is shareaza on linux I think —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.148.94.22 (talk) 11:23, 31 January 2010 (UTC)
 * No, it is intended to become Shareaza for Linux, but it is a project with a separated code base, different developers and far less features.
 * mfg, OldDeath (talk) 21:27, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

"Drop Box", "Clipboard Link Capture" and "Snatching Downloads" features
Could columns in the features table be added for:
 * "Drop box" (onscreen box where links can be dragged and dropped onto to initiate a download) such as Free Download Mgr has.


 * "Clipboard Link Capture" (links copied to the clipboard are captured to initiate a download dialog box) which seems a common enough feature


 * "Download Snatching" (the program has the ability to take control of a download that would normally be handled by the browser) which is an important feature because some websites attempt to prevent download handling by anything other than the browser. For example, if you download from RapidShare you cannot force the download into the queue of the download manager.

Thanks!

ReveurGAM (talk) 08:00, 7 July 2010 (UTC)


 * The last of the columns you suggested is already present. It's called "Web browser integration". The first point is not common enough to give it an own column. However, clipboard interception should get its own column, IMHO.
 * mfg, OldDeath - 10:05, 7 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Thanks OD, but I've recently tried a few downloaders (HiDownload Platinum, Orbit, Fresh, DAP, FDM,USD...) of which many claim to be integrated with my browser, yet are unable to snatch downloads. IMHO, I think this is an important feature that needs to be listed.
 * Further, in most of the downloaders I've checked, they have both the clipboard capture and the dropbox. I wasn't getting downloaders based on my desire to have a dropbox (which I like), yet I found that about 75% had one.  How is this too rare and since when is rarity a criteria for inclusion?  Some of the criteria listed in the tables is available on only a few downloaders, after all.


 * Thanks for your input.ReveurGAM (talk) 13:19, 8 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Browser integration means two things: either integration in the context menu, or grabbing of downloads when they are being downloaded. Note that in many programs, you need to manually activate download grabbing and sometimes you also need to install third party plugins to the browser or your download manager to make it work. Also note that a download manager that has browser integration may only have integration in some browsers, however not in others. A good example is Shareaza: it has native integration in Internet Explorer, can handle all normal downloads via FlashGot plugin in FireFox/Opera(?) and handles magnet, eD2k and .torrent links by automatic setup during first run (or manual setup at a later time).
 * If what you say about the drop box is correct, then it should get a column in the comparison table. I honestly didn't know about that feature being present in so many download managers... We can add that column once you have collected information about its presence on more than half of the clients. (As before, it doesn't make really sense to add the column, I think; Agreed?)
 * mfg, OldDeath - 16:55, 8 July 2010 (UTC)

It seems I've not been communicating very clearly so I'm going to try to very carefully clarify.


 * 1) I am a user looking for information, not an editor seeking to change the article.  I am making suggestions to improve the quality of this article, and I'm hoping that there are editors here who are actually willing to do that.  To date, my experience with Wikipedia editors hasn't been very...encouraging in the area of getting improvements made to articles that lack in information I seek.  Specifically, I find editors are all too ready to criticize suggestions, or tell me that I'm the one (the seeker) who must find the data and add it, and are rarely willing to act on my suggestions.  This is disheartening and makes me question the value of Wikipedia, but I digress.


 * 1) I have neither the time, specific detailed DM knowledge, nor indeed the ability with Wikipedia to contribute to this article as an editor.  If I did, I wouldn't be asking for additions to this article because I wouldn't have come here at all looking for information.


 * 1) Your comments have expanded to outside the theme of this thread. I had planned to bring up the issue of which browsers are supported in an ensuing thread but, since you've breached the topic, I'll add the comments I've already prepared.  IMHO, I believe it would be very useful to show which browsers each DM can integrate with.  Many only integrate with IE and MF, but some include Opera, Netscape, Chrome, Safari, etc.  People looking for a good DM will want to know this - they won't want to download something they can't use on their browser!  Codes in the integration column could be used to represent the supported browsers (IE, MF, O, NS, GC, AS etc.) to keep the table trim.  Please share your thoughts.

Thank you for your time.ReveurGAM (talk) 07:19, 12 July 2010 (UTC)
 * 1) Please don't misunderstand and think that drop boxes (either automatically or by checking an option box) are available in each program I mentioned.  Those are the DMs that I looked at, and more than half have drop boxes and clipboard capture.  And, no, I can't say I agree with you that the column must wait until "half" of the clients are shown to have it.  That's ridiculous criteria that would require the removal of most of the columns from the table!  Also, please review #1.  I'm not here as an editor - rather, a seeker of information.  Rarity of a feature is not grounds for its exclusion or inclusion in an article - many articles would be much smaller if editors were to follow your idea.  Case in point: if we're to follow your rule, then we'd have to remove CLI, Web, Mac OS & Linux from the first table, and the second table would be limited to only HTTP, HTTPS & FTP!  Now do you see my point?

Web??
What does this title mean? It makes no sense to me.ReveurGAM (talk) 09:33, 7 July 2010 (UTC)
 * A web interface. Can usually used to remote-control the application.
 * mfg, OldDeath - 10:01, 7 July 2010 (UTC)
 * So, you mean the normal interface as opposed to CLI? Thanks! ReveurGAM (talk) 12:57, 7 July 2010 (UTC)
 * How does Web differ from GUI? Is web an online interface and GUI the program running on your computer?  This should really be clarified on the page with mouse-over text - I'm no noobie and I don't get it.ReveurGAM (talk) 13:21, 8 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, a GUI is an interface integrated in the programs .exe file that opens as its own window. A web interface is similar to a GUI, but it is in fact a website the program generates and can only be viewed via a web browser. Usually, a web interface is therefore used for remote control, as you usually only need a web browser (which is installed on basically every PC) to be able to control your application from anywhere on the world (under the condition you set it up correctly).
 * mfg, OldDeath - 16:38, 8 July 2010 (UTC)

@ ReveurGAM: I had the same question.

This column entitled Web was added on 04 March 2010, unfortuunately by a user under an IP-adress, so we can't ask/ping him.

And in the disambiguation page Web / (chapter) Computing I could not figure out, which definition might apply. I now think that none of these four or five meanings in Web do apply to the column in the concerned table.

For the expression web interface, which User:OldDeath mentioned in his answer, I found a, somewhat similar definition to his explanation, in: User_interface / number 27.

And this number 27 leads to Web application which gives an even longer answer.

All 3 definitions make sensee to me, as regards to this column.

However, what still is not clear to me: Why, for a download manager, one would need a remote control that is web interface for. Steue (talk) 22:14, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

Missing Downloaders
There seem to be two major things and some minor ones about this list that need addressing. I'll just discuss downloaders themselves (not their features) in this thread.

A) Missing DMs This list is far from complete. There are a lot of DMs out there, and for me I'm extremely keen on having resources on Wikipedia that are complete.  It is a mark of distinction for Wikipedia and it improves the standards.  I'm not an expert on DMs, and I don't have the time to research them, plus my computer is achingly slow sometimes - thus, I come to Wikipedia for answers.  So, can these be added?


 * 1) A1 Website Download
 * 2) ApexDC++ (direct connect)
 * 3) Aria
 * 4) Conceiva DownloadStudio
 * 5) CryptLoad (has netcat virus/trojan in it)
 * 6) Defendant's Download Manager
 * 7) Double Commander (?)
 * 8) DownloadDirect
 * 9) Download Accelerator Manager
 * 10) Download Master
 * 11) Download Studio
 * 12) Easy RapidShare Downloader
 * 13) EDonkey (?)
 * 14) FileFront
 * 15) FilesWire
 * 16) FlashGot (not FlashGet)
 * 17) GAxel
 * 18) GetGo Download Manager
 * 19) Getright Pro
 * 20) GWGet
 * 21) HiDownload Platinum (which seems to be a copycat of FDM)
 * 22) iCab's Download Manager
 * 23) JDownloader
 * 24) MajorShare RapidShare Downloader
 * 25) Mega Manager (from MegaUpload.com)
 * 26) MetaProducts Offline Explorer
 * 27) Mipony
 * 28) NetAnts
 * 29) Netpumper Internet Download
 * 30) NewsLeecher
 * 31) QQ Download
 * 32) RapGet (RapidShare Get)
 * 33) RapidShare Auto Downloader
 * 34) RapidShare NOlimit 2010
 * 35) Retriever Downloader Manager
 * 36) SkyGrabber
 * 37) Teleporter Pro/Ultra
 * 38) TerraIM
 * 39) Tucan Manager
 * 40) USDownloader Plus (Universal Share)
 * 41) uTorrent
 * 42) wGet
 * 43) Xunlei Thunder Download Manager aka Swift Thunder

B) Built-in Browser DMs aka Browser-Specific DMs I'd also suggest the inclusion of downloaders included in browsers other than IE's MiniDM (IE) like those in Firefox, Opera, Origyn, Arora, TheWorld, Bolt, Mozilla, Netscape etc.

C) Media File DMs and Other Specialists I would think that the list should either include all types of download managers, including those specific to media files, or there should be separate lists. Of course, a new table or column would need to be added to indicate what types of downloads each handles.

It could even conceivably include other specific types of downloaders, like Google Hybrid Maps Downloader, Universal Maps Downloader and Easy OpenstreetMap Downloader. I think that, given the tendency of media downloaders to have features regular downloaders don't (like file conversion), it might be best to have two lists...?

On second thought, company/site/product specific DMs don't need to be in the list at all. There's no point in comparing them.

Media file downloaders include:
 * 1) 4easysoft Youtube Downloader
 * 2) 4u Download YouTube Video
 * 3) Aneesoft YouTube Converter (downloader too)
 * 4) Ashampoo ClipFinder HD
 * 5) BitLord (p2p)
 * 6) Bulk Image Downloader
 * 7) Dogmazic
 * 8) Download Direct
 * 9) Easy MP3 Downloader
 * 10) Easy YouTube Downloader
 * 11) Free Music Downloader Studio
 * 12) FreshDownload
 * 13) Get FLV Pro
 * 14) Hulu Downloader
 * 15) Limewire/..Pro/..Turbo
 * 16) Mediaraptor
 * 17) Metacafe Video Downloader
 * 18) Music MP3 Downloader
 * 19) MusicTuner
 * 20) NetStep
 * 21) Nuclear Coffee VideoGet
 * 22) Online Video Hunter
 * 23) Super MP3 Download Pro
 * 24) UltraGet Video Downloader
 * 25) VDownloader
 * 26) Visual Web Ripper
 * 27) VxDownloader (adult xxx version of VDownloader)
 * 28) YouTube Downloader HD
 * 29) YouTube Downloader a.k.a save2pc
 * 30) YouTube Music Downloader
 * 31) YouTubeGet
 * 32) Zinf

Any thoughts? I had prepared an even more comprehensive list, perhaps twice the size, but then the server went down without my knowledge and I lost it all when I pressed submit. I haven't the time to recreate it.

ReveurGAM (talk) 11:09, 7 July 2010 (UTC) (Revised edition)ReveurGAM (talk) 07:34, 12 July 2010 (UTC)


 * This list includes only applications that do have a Wikipedia article. If any of the listed apps has one, feel free to add it. BTW, your list would be much better to read, if you used '*' in each new line, like this:
 * my first client
 * and my second web downloader


 * mfg, OldDeath - 16:44, 8 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Pardon me, but what is the point of an article so limited in scope that it only includes those which have Wikipedia articles and then many which have articles aren't even listed? How quaint.  Is this some sort of odd Wikipedia rule?  I understand cross-referencing, but for an ongoing project for Wikipedia, it just seems impractical.  Many editors of lists would have to wait (or do it themselves) to add valid things to their lists.
 * Thanks for the suggestion, I've manually added numbering. Chrome doesn't seem to support the buttons for more than one line.
 * I've further revised the lists above, and made changes to my comments. Please reread. Thanks.ReveurGAM (talk) 07:34, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

jDownloader was featured on the page previously, so it's been removed, which makes no sense. I do think we shouldn't avoid including Torrent Managers/Programs though.

sabret00the 22:23, 2 December 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by TheReal sabret00the (talk • contribs)


 * This list cannot be just for those with articles. That doesn't work.  If it is there in red text, it then is easy for someone to add the article.  As I understand it, that's how it works in Wikipedia.


 * Also, I found these (may be some dups)for Linux from a listing at FlashGot:

1. Aria 2. Axel Download Accelerator 3. cURL 4. Downloader 4 X  5. FatRat 6. GNOME Gwget 7. JDownloader 8. KDE KGet 9. SteadyFlow 10. Uget 11. wxDownload Fast
 * Perhaps they can be added. Thanks. - KitchM (talk) 21:44, 5 August 2011 (UTC)

Why do certain editors take such a minimalist stance towards what information is provided on Wikipedia? This is one of the things that makes me loath to use Wikipedia as a reference - it's often missing too much information. I took the time to provide a partial (long) list of downloaders, some from Wikipedia's own resources, some from other sources. What's wrong with adding them? It was claimed by OldDeath that the list only shows items that already have pages here, but I've already proven that to be a falsehood. And, as KitchM has pointed out, it makes it easier for someone to add the article. I find this reluctance on the part of the resident experts to expand a section or page to be most disappointing.ReveurGAM (talk) 06:57, 23 September 2011 (UTC)


 * A couple more:
 * pyjigdo
 * zsync
 * Michael.Paoli (talk) 11:56, 27 July 2014 (UTC)


 * Hi ReveurGAM,
 * thank you for the two long lists in: Talk:Comparison_of_download_managers.


 * I "knew" there should be more download managers in this table, or, at least, mentioned in this article.


 * Me too!!, I'm a great friend of lists and tables, the more complete, the better.


 * I also LOVE that you numbered the items in your lists, although User:Old Death suggested "dotting" them.
 * Numbers make it so much easier to orient oneself in a long list and to refer to a specific item.


 * All your opinions and arguments are very profound and show experience in this subject.
 * I can only support them.




 * As for lost data due to server failure or problems,
 * I have come to the solution to write larger contrib(ution)s first off-line.
 * This also has the advantage of reducing the risk of "editing competition", or so it is called in WP, in case someone else is writing in the same article/page, and has sent his contrib earlier than oneself, which makes one loose ones whole contrib.
 * It also takes out the pressure to rapidly finish ones contrib, which also gives one all the time one needs to CHECK what one has written (this is no critique towards you), which contributes to the quality and flawlessness of ones' contrib.




 * My advice: As it says somewhere here in the WP: Be bold!!!
 * If you think it should be added, just add it!!! You don't need other people's approval.
 * And if you have written your contrib off!!-line first, you can easily add it a second time.
 * And as you allready did: one can also add information on the talk page, where the chance for getting things removed is practically zero, as long as one does not become "personal". And those readers a little more interested know that one can find many information on the talk page, which, due to some (questionable) rule, has no chance to remain in the article.
 * And if all else fails, you can publish it on your user-page or user-talk-page, or in your sandbox, AND "say"!! so in a separate chapter on the talk page.
 * Steue (talk) 05:08, 4 March 2020 (UTC)

Integration with Browsers Clarification Needed
IMHO, I believe it would be very useful to show which browsers each DM can integrate with. Many only integrate with IE and MF, but some include Opera, Netscape, Chrome, Safari, etc. People looking for a good DM will want to know this - they won't want to download something they can't use or has limited value. Codes could be used to represent the supported browsers (IE, MF, O, NS, GC, AS etc.) to keep the table trim. Please share your thoughts.

As I have iterated elsewhere, I am here as a person looking for info, thus I submit these suggestions to the editors in the hopes that these improvements will be made. I have no time to do it - why else would I come here asking for more information?ReveurGAM (talk) 07:37, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Should Specialist DMs Have Their Own List?
Another suggestion....Many DMs are also multi-purpose, meaning that they can handle not just programs and data files, but they're also designed to get media files (sound, video, pictures, etc.), while others specialize in only media files or just maps and such. IMHO, it would be a good idea to put those specialist programs into their own lists/tables, but it's also possible that they be integrated into the main DM list.

What are your thoughts on this?ReveurGAM (talk) 07:39, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Column Headings Explanations
Most should be explained. I'm not sure of the meaning of several columns like for example : CLI is Command Line Interface, GUI is Graphical User Interface but not everyone knows those.Web I don't know what that's supposed to mean : a browser plugin ? or a remote control interface ? Urls per file is a bit obscure too, though I guess this means if a downloader supports additional mirror URLs for a single file... so I think that explaining each & every column would be a good thing. 86.74.29.39 (talk) 18:12, 10 September 2011 (UTC)
 * I made a similar comment of not understanding Web. To my way of thinking, not providing explanations of column titles is both careless and assumptive that every reader knows as much as the maker of the table - which is ridiculous.  This is a research tool for all, not just for computer experts.ReveurGAM (talk) 15:52, 25 February 2012 (UTC)\
 * Web means web interface...
 * mfg, OldDeath - 16:31, 25 February 2012 (UTC)
 * If you review the notes on here, you'll see that I already asked and you already explained. That does not mitigate the need for what has been pointed out - notes on what each column means for newbies and those who don't understand this sort of technology.  Just because YOU understand, Mr. OD, doesn't mean that every visitor to this table does. The same can be said for some other requests in this talk page that have been, shall we say, given the brush-off by editors who are qualified to make the changes. Let's not keep Wikipedia mediocre, okay?(ReveurGAM)114.79.17.232 (talk) 15:39, 4 May 2012 (UTC)

I have no-idea what I'm doing? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.151.61.90 (talk) 23:51, 11 November 2012 (UTC)

Orbit Download Manager
This program seems to have gone from merely a mild browser hijack to something worse, but it would be best if others can verify what I experienced as I've got some system issues. I think there was another program, but I've forgotten what it was. Anyways, can anyone else check these out? ReveurGAM (talk) 14:02, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * 1) The software updater feature provides links to outdated and fictitious updates to programs, and is thus very unreliable.
 * 2) In addition, the software updater stopped being disable-able last year.  When I unchecked it, I continued to get notifications of updates.  I commented on this problem with Elise (head of the anti-malware training program at BleepingComputer.com), who also seemed to have experienced that, as well as other issues, and has discontinued usage.
 * 3) After uninstalling, downloads continued to be directed to Orbit even though it was no longer on my computer.  I eventually managed to get that removed.

Has anyone had an opportunity to check into this and how can it be incorporated into the info about Orbit? ReveurGAM (talk) 11:21, 17 February 2013 (UTC)

As early as 2008, it was reported that there are security issues with Orbit on the Wikipedia page for it. Nothing was done. I reported security issues (above), and the Orbit info now lists it as a security risk that is blocked by multiple security companies as of 2016. And yet, Orbit is STILL listed on this page, and it doesn't even have it in the first section that shows security risks. Well, enough of that nonsense! I've removed it from the list!ReveurGAM (talk) 04:03, 17 August 2018 (UTC)

Latest Stable Release
This column doesn't sort properly. It sorts them like this: 2 years ago, 21 months ago, 3 years ago, 4 days ago. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Torydude (talk • contribs) 07:53, 18 December 2013 (UTC)

Talk page much more useful than article
The talk page has a much more complete list of these applications - the article makes it seem like there are only a small number of programs of this nature, and I was left wondering where the rest went until I thought to come to the Talk page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.46.148.166 (talk) 00:08, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Tables too wide for PDF download/printing
In the PDF download of the article (and A4 printing), the tables are too wide so they go out of the visible paper size. We should re-factor the tables to make them less wide. Sofia Lucifairy (talk) 18:20, 25 February 2014 (UTC)

Are there any download managers with HTML5 support?
I know that there are quite a few download managers capable of downloading embedded swf and flv files, and web crawlers capable of detecting links embedded in java, but what about HTML5? Are there any download managers or web crawlers capable of downloading pages or sites with HTML5 content? -- Gordon Ecker, WikiSloth (talk) 02:29, 28 March 2014 (UTC)

Unicode and international characters support
I have downloaded and tried to use "Free Download Manager" and all the Russian and Chinese file names on my Western Windows 7 computer appeared as garbage characters in the application. However, Filezilla and various Bittorrent client applications work fine. I suggest to add a column in an apprpriate table indicating which if any download managers have and don't have Unicode (UTF8 or better) support. To start, the latest version of Free Download Manager as of today does 'not' support Unicode Petesimon2 (talk) 01:49, 24 July 2014 (UTC)

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