GrabIt

Usenet is a very popular program that allows internet users from all over the world to post and retrieve all kinds of articles and data, which is sorted into categories called newsgroups. However, to use this service, users need to have a software program called a newsreader, installed in their system. Another problem is that Usenet has a complex and intimidating interface. To cater to these issues, there is GrabIt, which is simple software created for Usenet users, to easily read and search for articles in the newsgroups and only download what interests them.

Features

For Usenet’s users, the major problem was that they would have to download articles or content, without even knowing if the article was useful to them or not. Hence, a lot of useless megabytes would get downloaded, thereby wasting the bandwidth. By using GrabIt, users can use the search option and read articles and only then should they download what seems to be useful, without the headers. Downloading is faster with GrabIt, and not only this, there is a decoding system for binary attachments, featured in the software. There is also an advanced error checking feature which monitors the data while it is getting downloaded and repairs or recovers it, if necessary. GrabIt has a very user-friendly interface and allows users to search for the topics they want to, in the various newsgroups on Usenet. A filter for showing/hiding downloaded articles and deleting them also exist. Multiple articles can be downloaded at once along with the NZB file support and SSL secure connection support, making things very convenient. GrabIt also sports a pause function.

Comparison

SABnzbd seems to be the biggest competition for a software program like GrabIt. SABnzbd is a newsreader which also has a smooth UI. However, SABnzbd has a few unique features like a customizable user interface, add-ons for Firefox and chrome, complete API for third party applications which GrabIt lacks. The user has to simply download the desired .nzb file. Unlike SABnzbd, GrabIt doesn’t download the bandwidth consuming headers though. There are other similar applications like Newsleecher as well.

Conclusion

For readers who are new to Usenet but want to easily access or post data should download GrabIt since the Usenet interface can be a bit complicated for the first time users. GrabIt is an easy to use program that lets you access the huge Usenet forum and avoiding the useless MB’s on headers. It makes life much easier with the decoding system, search and download options. Even if you aren’t a new user but depend on Usenet for articles, GrabIt will surely make things a lot faster with the multiple downloading option, faster downloading speed and efficient filters.