JDownloader

Last updated

JDownloader
Developer(s) Appwork GmbH
Stable release
2.0 [1]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg / 26 May 2016
Repository
Written in Java
Operating system Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS
Platform Java Platform, Standard Edition
Type Download manager
License GNU GPLv3 (but partly closed-source [2] )
Website www.jdownloader.org

JDownloader is a download manager, written in Java, which allows automatic download of groups of files from one-click hosting sites. JDownloader supports the use of premium accounts. [3] Some parts of the code are open-source. As a popular software tool used in Europe, in December 2009 the program's website was in the top 1000 visited websites of Spain. [4] German online magazine Chip.de designated it "newcomer of the year" in 2009, after it ranked among the top 50 most downloaded applications, with over half a million downloads in a year. [5]

Contents

In 2011, JDownloader was superseded by its successor, JDownloader 2. While support for the original JDownloader still exists on forums, the official site only lists JDownloader 2.

During mid-2012, there were complaints that JDownloader's installer added adware without the user's consent. [6] The JDownloader installation contains adware according to several sources, including the developer's own forums. [7] [8] There were further complaints mid-2014. In response a link to the non-adware version was made available but only in a forum post.

In June 2013, JDownloader's ability to download copyrighted and protected RTMPE streams was considered illegal by a German court. This feature was never provided in an official build, but was supported by a few nightly builds. [9]

License

Contrary to the license, some source files are not publicly available. The developers stated that the license may change—the program will remain mostly open source, but will get a license which allows closed-source parts. [10]

Features

Specified features: [11]

The user-specified download links are split into packages to enable individual pausing and continuing of downloads. The program can be configured to unpack split RAR archives automatically after all parts have been downloaded.

JDownloader supports "waiting time" and CAPTCHA recognition on many file hosting sites, enabling batch downloads without user input. [13] Premium users of one-click-host sites can use multiple connections per downloaded file, which increases download speed in most cases. It also supports Metalink, a format for listing multiple mirrors. Software updates and minor patches are released frequently; by default JDownloader updates itself upon initialization. As of 2014 JDownloader uses a continuous deployment system where modifications to the program code (e.g. adapting a plugin to changes in a download site's HTTP API) can be released within minutes. [12] For the beta version, frequently occurring errors in plugins are detected via automated error reports (leaving out some privacy-sensitive data including the user's IP address and the name of the downloaded file). [12]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "JDownloader 2 has been released". 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "JDownloader Source Code - Missing Plugins". JDownloader Community. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "JDownloader official documentation". 18 January 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  4. ↑ "jdownloader.org". Alexa . 2009. Archived from the original on 14 February 2010. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
  5. ↑ (in German) Michael Humpa (2 January 2010), Download-Charts 2009 Archived 10 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine , 50. Platz: JDownloader 588.896 Downloads Archived 22 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Chip.de
  6. ↑ "JD Community – Jdownloader installer contains Adware". 23 December 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "Discussion at MajorGeeks forums".
  8. ↑ "Details and removal instruction at Spybot forums".
  9. ↑ "JDownloader Court Ruling Worries Open Source Software Developers". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "JDownloader Source Code - Missing Plugins". JDownloader Community. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Jdownloader official documentation". 12 October 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  12. 1 2 3 Thomas Rechenmacher. The JDownloader Continuous Deployment Immune System. Diploma thesis, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg: 2014.
  13. ↑ "JDownloader official documentation". jdownloader.org. 28 September 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.

Further reading

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