posted 08-11-99 12:57 AM ET
I know. It sounds like spam. But give it a read.If you are like I am, you like to download lots of use(ful)(less) files and try stuff out. Games, utilities, system tweaks, Imran propaganda, etc. Well, I just came across THE BEST way to do all that (sorry if this is old news):
www.gozilla.com
Download their free program. It has, of course, resume download (a life saver, especially for 50+ MB game demos), FTP Leech (it will find and suck all the files off a given location: A handy way to click, walk away, and come back to tons of downloaded stuff), and it does all this by automatically searching all available FTP sites and choosing the fastest one. If the site slows or loses its connection, it automatically continues on the next fastest site available. Free. The only thing they do is post an ad banner on the main program, which can easily work in the background anyway. (Well, the program also has a "channels" button that you can check out for other sometimes cool downloads). There's more to this great program, but you should check it out (1.7MB download). It will make your downloading much easier and nearly hassle free.
The other program is a forum favorite: MemTurbo. I don't have the site address with me now, but just type MemTurbo into Yahoo and it'll pop up.
What is MemTurbo and why is it popular here? As we all know, Windows sucks. It, amond other evil things, "leaks" memory--stuff that should be cleared from memory often isn't, slowly but gradually slowing down your system until only a reboot gets you back to speed. Some people call that the "Fresh Boot Feeling," but anybody who combines computer talk with feminine hygiene ads should be ignored--even if they are right. SMAC is part of this ugly equation, perhaps adding its own confusion to the Windows mess, (often) resulting in a slow game after a few hours of play. (Jeff, of course, will deny this and say that I'm merely making it up to satisfy my bug-thirst, since I have no life w/o bugs. I'm sure he thinks the memory leaking in SMAC is a design feature that gives you more time to think about your next bug post on the forums...).
MemTurbo is free (at least it was when I got it), but it may be on a 30 trial thing now. Check it out. I actually ended up paying for the registered version. That's how much I like it. Oh, I forgot to tell you what it does: It clears out the memory at a level defined by you, ensuring that your computer always have enough memory available. Tip: Set the minimum and desired levels to the same number. This is much faster on the system.
Anyway, do you guys have any cool downloads like that? I figure if we aren't doing any productive discussion of SMAC, we might as well help each other prepare our computers for games we actually will talk about? 
Please post your recommendations here. Let's see who has been hiding that killer download from his friends and family...First prize will go to the biggest bastard--the man or woman who knowingly has been letting us all suffer needlessly.
(I hope I'm in the running.)