Favorite Files

1. Ad Muncher
2. AnyDVD HD
3. BlueScreenView
4. CCleaner
5. CuteFTP Professional
6. DVD Flick
7. DVDFab HD Decrypter
8. Epguides.com Watcher
9. FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder
10. Google Chrome for Windows
11. Koepi's XviD Codec
12. Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit)
13. mIRC
14. Mozilla Firefox (v3.5) for Windows
15. Mozilla Firefox (v3.6 Namoroka) for Windows
16. Mozilla Thunderbird (v2)
17. Mozilla Thunderbird for Windows
18. Paint.NET
19. Paint.NET (Beta)
20. Process Explorer
21. PuTTY
22. RoboForm
23. RyanVM Integrator
24. Ultimate Boot CD Full
25. UltraMon
26. VirtualBox
27. Website-Watcher
28. WinSCP

Recent Posts

1. 
   Review - Licence Protector

   3.0 Beta 1 (Nov 5, 2009)

2. 
   Review - Microsoft Media Feature Pack

   1.0 (Oct 27, 2009)

   5/5 Just for MS making this available to users getting the royal screwjob by the EU. Good on you MS!

3. 
   Review - WinSCP

   4.2.3 Beta (Oct 24, 2009)

   I love winscp. It is the one FTP Client that just feels right. That said, I have a few minor issues I feel could be addressed:
   
   1. Allowing for the F5 key to be used, windows convention, for refreshing a folder either local or remote.
   
   2. There is no way to remove something from the queue that I have been able to devise.
   
   3. The pause/suspend functionality does not work very well. I have been able to pause a transfer but never been able to restart it.
   
   4. Auto-resume does not work. I have tried every possible configuration but it does not work. It simply overwrites every file which SUCKS when you are 250MB into a 300MB upload.
   
   Other than that, I highly recommend this client. I would give this a 4.5/5 but there are no half star ratings so a 4/5 it is for now.

4. 
   Review - Ad Muncher

   4.8 Build 31318 (Oct 23, 2009)

   For those who do not understand why the features I have mentioned before are important, let me provide you some information.
   
   Gzip is used by many websites to compress data being sent by the web server to the requesting client in an attempt to lower bandwidth usage. Ad Muncher not supporting this requires that data be sent in full size thus requiring more bandwidth. Many web server administrators enable this to reduce operating costs and to help users which might not be as fortunate as you and I to have a high speed connection. It helps those who also have limits on their bandwidth usage (say, 3gb/month as I have witnessed).
   
   From the AM Forums: http://www.admuncher.com...topic.php?f=5&t=282 regarding gzip support.
   
   HTTP 1.1 is a standard finalized in 1999:
   
   http://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616.html
   
   Given that this was finalized well before ad muncher came about,k I find it hard to believe that this support is not yet implemented. HTTP 1.1 offers significant advantages over the dated original standard. The most notable is persistent connections which allow connections to a server to remain open in the theory that a client who submits one http request is likely going to submit more. Again, this cuts down on unneeded bandwidth usage, server resource usage, and traffic to/from the site.
   
   From the AM Forums: http://www.admuncher.com...amp;t=3134&start=15 regarding http 1.1
   
   Regex support offers users the ability to cut down on the number of filters required and can provide even more power in creating filters that catch various items that a single filter would miss. If you have ever messed with regex, you will understand its power when it comes to things like what ad muncher can do.
   
   Per site filtering offers users the ability to create a filter specific to one site which would help alleviate the possibility of a single filter breaking many sites. Yes, this can be done in a way now using CSS or JS, but that type of workaround should not be required. A user should not have to know CSS or javascript in order to say that a filter should only apply to one website or domain name.
   
   From the AM Forums: http://www.admuncher.com...opic.php?f=5&t=5890 regarding Per-Domain/Site filtering.
   
   While each of the above features might not make a big difference on a single request by ad muncher, adding them up during a normal users daily usage with thousands upon thousands of http and various other website requests sure will.
   
   USB portability is something that is needed given the advent of usb thumb drives. Almost all popular browsers are portable now and as such, so are any addons that come with them.
   
   From the AM Forums: http://www.admuncher.com/forum/search.php and type in portable. You will see that it is very much possible to make ad muncher portable. Only a minor change would be required to get it working and that is to make it store the registration data in the config file and make it per installation.
   
   With the advent of portable software, I feel this feature is a necessity in order for ad muncher to remain competitive. Yes, I know it will come eventually but it will also be likely at an additional cost or license addon for existing users given the latest price changes.
   
   x64 support is something that is needed because, like it or not, web browsers are not the only 64 bit application. 64 bit is the future of computing (especially if we want to move past the 3.25GB RAM limit imposed by 32 bit computing). Saying that supporting current and future technologies like this is not essential is like telling a car manufacturer not to add the auxiliary input jacks to car stereos because "It's not needed and won't make it better. People can just listen to mp3 cds".
   
   Hopefully this provides some insight to the users reading this review as to why these features are important and why you ask the developers to put more effort into these features which could help save some of us time and money. The developers of this program, which does work, don't get me wrong, are taking far too long on features which should be standard already in this application given other products support for these same standards/features. These features are things that WILL make ad muncher more efficient, easy to use, and faster. They are essential to ad muncher and the user base should realize this.
   
   I love using ad muncher but I am really starting to question whether I should keep it installed or go with a product which actually keeps up with modern (and decade-old, for that matter) times. 1 year between releases is unheard of in the modern age of computing for anything but anti-virus/security programs and operating systems. Even linux has 6 month incremental releases in some distributions and that is an entire operating system. Heck, it took one year for the .8 release to come after 4.72. Most of these features are only being touted as being in the v5 release and who knows how long it will be before that comes to exist.
   
   Do I feel a 2/5 is fair, given all of the above? Yes I do. So, until some headway is made on some of these more important features, 2/5 my rating remains. Good application but features are missing which are critical especially given the pace of modern web technology innovation.
   
   EDIT
   
   Bumped up to a 3/5. I was being unfair in the rating but I do feel that this will not get a 5/5 until all of the promised features from years ago are done.

5. 
   Review - Ad Muncher

   4.73 Build 31306 Beta (Oct 21, 2009)

   Still no real updates to this product in well over 5 years. I think they are finally starting to realize people won't pay for this product which is why they are going to offer a cheaper version. But really, what are they giving those users? A product which breaks websites and forces users into the position of "Either I upgrade and get the list updates right away, or I just deal with broken web pages". I guess basic updates are a great thing! Yes, give the users an excuse to come asking for support just to be told "Upgrade if you want the latest fix, otherwise wait X weeks".
   
   Oh, and it looks like they are relabeling this release to 4.8. I guess x64 and any REAL additions will have to wait for 4.81 or 4.82 which will probably be several years off.
   
   That list, in case you missed it, of real NEEDED features:
   
   Regex Support
   HTTP 1.1 Support
   GZIP support
   USB Portability
   x64 Support
   Per-Site filtering
   Filter comments
   Filter statistics
   Enable/Disable individual filters
   
   And look at this! $100 USD for lifetime updates to the program! Basically, pay for the cost of 4 licenses and get lifetime updates.

6. Comment - Early sales figures for Windows 7 nicely high, but do we know why?

   4.73 Build 31306 Beta (Nov 7, 2009 - 9:56 AM)

   My wife is another. She actually will not LET ME upgrade her to Windows 7 because Vista works just fine. My dad is another one. He uses his computer for work and finds vista works just fine for him as well.

7. Comment - Video: Netflix on PlayStation 3

   4.73 Build 31306 Beta (Nov 6, 2009 - 7:29 PM)

   Yes, because when you play a normal dvd/blu ray you don't already have to put in a disc. It's like watching any other movie on the system that isn't purchased through PSN or streamed over the network.

8. Comment - Sophos study suggests Windows 7 UAC's default setting is self-defeating

   4.73 Build 31306 Beta (Nov 6, 2009 - 5:47 AM)

   *awaits the sophos ads on betanews.com*, oh wait, I don't see any ads anymore.

9. Comment - At long last, Microsoft to release Outlook .PST file specifications

   4.73 Build 31306 Beta (Oct 27, 2009 - 7:28 AM)

   That must be why ODF has taken off.

10. Comment - PS3 Netflix: The best use of BD-Live yet

    4.73 Build 31306 Beta (Oct 27, 2009 - 7:27 AM)

    Is it really a hassle? Want to watch a movie, put in a disc....Sounds like the same thing that happens when I want to watch a disc now.
    
    Did you read that the disc is free, as is streaming netflix content? XBOX 360 has a yearly cost which I, as a low-end gamer, and others who enjoy being able to shop and buy items from the PSN for free would not be able to justify spending.
    
    But hey, as I always say, use whatever makes you happier.