URD 1.0.4 is coming ...

[spearhead]

What can you expect in the forthcoming 1.0.4 release? Well we have 2 shining new features:
- compressed header support
- uploading files

Also we have some smaller improvements, such as
- better guessing of the ETA
- ability to hide the menu
- better handling of set deletion from the browse page

[thorwak]

- compressed header support

This is VERY nice

Since I'm just getting started with URD and hence have a LOT of headers to get, I decided I wanted this right away I checked out current SVN, but I couldn't get the header compression to work (not suprising since it's very much work-in-progress, so not complaining at all! ) (I'm using Giganews, and I kept getting "440: [admin not allowed]" or similar in the logs whenever I enabled "header compression" and then tried to get headers)

I went back to 1.0.3 and managed to get the Windows proxy program by Giganews to work as a remote proxy in (another) virtual machine (by using a port forwarder) so I can still get the benefit of compressed headers to URD. Routinely getting 25-30 Mbps now while using around 3 Mbps of real bandwidth. Amazing.

Will be very nice to be able to get rid of the extra proxy VM when 1.0.4 is ready however! Any hint on when this can be expected?


(Hi btw, I'm new here I'm running URD on Debian, in a VM (VMWare server 2 on Centos 5), the MySQL DB is on a btrfs compressed filesystem. Works extremely well so far, actual space occupied is about 20% or less of data stored. Will see what happens when I have indexed 600+ days of some of the larger groups )

[spearhead]

I worked this out with astraweb compressed headers, which uses xzver. It seems that giganews is using a somewhat different format, by using a kind of setting. And they disabled xzver.

[thorwak]

I see, I guess the error message makes sense then, maybe.

Have you contacted GigaNews and asked if they'd be willing to provide specs for their compression scheme? After all, it saves them a ton of bandwidth too so one would think they'd be willing to help..


While the workaround I described above works just fine it would be nicer to have a more simple setup. At the very least one would want to be able to live without a Windows installation involved...

Thanks for a fantastic piece of software by the way!

[spearhead]

I would also have to have an account to test it out. Which I don't.

[thorwak]

You could sgn up for a free test account. While quite limited when it comes to the amount you can download (10 GB), you actually have unlimited header access (amount-wise) for a while (14 days)

https://secure.giganews.com/signup/   and
http://www.giganews.com/faq.html#q1.4

I guess I could have a look at it myself at som point if I find the time though, if it feels less than important to you (since I understand you have another provider)


I'm working on a Swedish translation which I hope to finish fairly soon btw, maybe in time for 1.0.4

[spearhead]

I'll look into that free account.

A Swedish translation would be awesome! And if it is not too long I can always postpone the release a while 

[thorwak]

Yeah, that would be fantastic - I would be blamed for a delayed next version, way to get popular as a noob

Seriously though, there's not that much to it, the hardest part is actually to find the right technical words/expressions so one doesn't abuse the Swedish language too much by constructing new words, yet it can't sound too forced/ridiculous. It's a very narrow path sometimes

Expect it either today or early next week. I tend to work continuously once I get started on something, sometimes absurdly much so

[spearhead]

Early next week would be fine. I don't expect 1.0.4 to be released all that soon.

The language files get quite large - I should do some cleaning up sometimes. Anyway, I know what you're talking about. I do the Dutch translations myself.  Sometimes it just turns out difficult to find the right words.

BTW I'm a little reluctant to get the free giganews account, since I do have to provide billing info and it is automatically continued unless I take action.   

[thorwak]

I see your worry about providing credit card details. All I can say is that I've been a customer at GigaNews for 5 years, and they are honest and would not rip you off. Cancel the account in time and there won't be any charge. Still, you don't know me neither so I guess my word won't help much

You could try mailing them, presenting yourself as a URD developer and ask if you can have a freebie account for a couple of weeks, you just might get it. Because of some legal happenings lately to a certain indexing service that I guess we are all aware of I'm sure they are VERY interested to be a well supported Usenet provider when it comes to nntp readers

[thorwak]

Expect it either today or early next week.

Ok, so I obviously blew that timeline a lot. Expect it to finish this weekend though. No, really (About 70% done by now)

[thorwak]

Translation done finally, except for manual. I can't believe how many hours this took

1.0.4 was next Monday, right? Or was it tomorrow? I Won't be able to finish the manual till tomorrow, and the whole thing would need going over again (after using the ui a bit), but translation is very usable even now I'd say.

[spearhead]

19 april is the deadline... it'll be released probably in the evening.

It is also possible to adjust the language file an put it on the website separately. It's very easy to include it later on

[thorwak]

Ok I see. I guess it's one of those language barrier things - "next Monday" to me would be April 26, 19th would be "on Monday" But I realized it may be one of those English/Swedish/Dutch things so good I asked I guess..

I still won't be able to have in completed (as in 100% satisfied with it), I guess I got sidetracked following up on bugs, and also real life takes time.

I'd say, release it without Swedish. Like you say, one can just put it out there as a separate download, or for 1.0.5, or even 1.0.4.1 if some minor issue would call for a minor update.

[spearhead]

I think I'll release it as it is and update the language files on the web when they are ready...

[thorwak]

Ok. There are a couple of minos issues while installing I mentioned what I did the "urdlab" installation (stuff not being saved from install script).

Also, if you choose swedish and edit a set, you'll see that chars after any swedish chars och uppercase for some reason (like "LÄNk" when is should be "Länk". Those I would fix before relasing if it was me

Other than that I think it'll be a good one I MAY do some fixups during the day, so the later in the day you do release the better the Swedish may be However, can't promise anything. I may even revert the Manual to a copy of the English one, so it's at least consistent, if you agree.

[thorwak]

It bothered my that Swedish wouldn't completely done so I did a quick (but reasonable) translation of the rest of the manual. The translation as a whole is beta to rc quality I would say - I will change a few things here and there and there might be a few typos, but at least there is a complete first version now

(Stupid name suggestion for 1.0.4 since you seem to like those 
"1.0.4 is out - 'ave you 'urd?"

/bow Thank you, I'll be here all night

[spearhead]

Great news! I'll go through the latest version once I'm back home, later today. I corrected some bits and pieces yesterday.

For the release names we usually take film titles.... we're currently considering the URD locker as a release name

[thorwak]

Urd locker

I kneel before the masters of poor taste

[spearhead]

I'm not really familiar with swedish cinematography... other than some bergman and pipi langstrump...

[spearhead]

Just thought... how about this?

Låt den URD komma in

[thorwak]

Just thought... how about this?

Låt den URD komma in

Haha.. Maybe fittin! Would be "Låt den URDe komma in" to be even more correct. Not that it's anywhere near correct.. Would mean like "Let the URDth come in" (as if URD was a number) or "Let the one who has been URDified come in".. or similar.. Anyway it works

EDIT: Or "Låt URDen komma in", "Let the URD come in", more (grammatically) correct but nowhere near as funny

EDIT: Or if wanting Bergman: Det sjunde URD-seglet (Det sjunde inseglet, The Seventh Seal)

Or there's always http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150662/ Was a popular movie in the 90s.. Ok I'll stop now, could go on all day

[spearhead]

No need to be a language purist here... this is marketing  Låt den URDe komma in is cool enough.

Ingmar Bergman? I was considering URDtimmen (Vargtimmen)

And then that is all the Swedish movies I have seen 

[thorwak]

That would work very well for me

I could recommend you some, there's some pretty good dramas. The Danes are even better, check out the "Pusher" triology if you haven't awesome stuff.
Crime/Drama
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117407/

[thorwak]

I actually found some lines now I know I have translated, but somehow they are in English anyway now.. Possibly a merge gone bad (because of me somehow) or copying the wrong file at some point.. Anyway, it's no biggie, and I'll just keep fixing until you snapshot and release.. I'll post here again if I actually had time to fix it all (or thinkning that I did...)