NerdoftheHerd.com News

Radio Downloader and Windows 7

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:58:24 +0000

With the release of version 0.8 yesterday, I have added Windows 7 as a supported operating system for Radio Downloader. I've also dropped support for Windows 2000 - this doesn't mean that I will block it from working on 2000, but I won't be routinely testing it on that OS from now on.

Radio Downloader works fine on Windows 7, but due to the updated behaviour of the system tray, the icon for Radio Downloader is not displayed when the main window is closed. A workaround for this is to right-click on the Radio Downloader icon in the taskbar when the main window is open and choose 'Pin this program to taskbar'. This will then keep the Radio Downloader icon on the taskbar when the window is closed, and can be used to re-open the window.

I've raised a number of bugs for improving integration with Windows 7 and the new taskbar, and I hope to address these over the next few releases.

Radio Downloader 0.8

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:47:20 +0000

I'm pleased to announce the release of Radio Downloader 0.8. The main feature added with this release is that BBC Radio programmes are directly downloaded as MP3 instead of Real Audio. This requires far less CPU power, and is able to download BBC Local and Nations Radio programmes again.

The direct MP3 download does not currently support re-encoding the downloaded MP3 files to other bitrates and frequencies, so I have added a setting in the BBC Provider options to disable the direct download option for users who require this.

This release also brings a small number of other bug fixes and enhancements, which you can find in the changelog.

BBC Real Audio Streams

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:40:50 +0100

Just a quick update about Radio Downloader - the BBC have made a blog posting about their plans to phase out the Real Audio streams that they generate for their radio programmes (which Radio Downloader uses to download and convert).

As I noted previously, they have already done this for local (and nations) radio, and have said that they will phase them out for national radio by the 30th of March 2010.

However, my implementation of an alternative method of downloading is progressing well, and I hope to start testing a new version of Radio Downloader containing this in the next couple of weeks.

Radio Downloader and BBC Local Radio

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:01:32 +0100

There currently seems to be a problem with Radio Downloader downloading episodes of BBC Local Radio programmes. This appears to be caused by the BBC not generating the Real Audio stream that Radio Downloader downloads and converts any more. I don't know if this is temporary, or a permanent change.

I'll be looking at alternative ways to access this content, but this may take some time to implement so I can't give a timescale at present.

Radio Downloader 0.6

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:12:15 +0100

Today I have released a new version of Radio Downloader. This resolves an issue with available episodes for a limited number of BBC programmes not being found, as well as fixing the most commonly reported error encountered when downloading programmes.

This release also adds the ability to use sub-folders in the downloaded programme file name template, and a number of other fixes and enhancements, which you can find in the changelog.

Please Note: There is a data loss bug in older versions of Radio Downloader, which causes the program database to become corrupted when updating between versions. This is fixed in version 0.6, but reverting to an older release of Radio Downloader (which is normally something that I would advise against) will cause your database to become permanently corrupted!

8-Bit Software Magazine Online Conversion

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:53:34 +0100

I'd like to introduce a new project - the 8-Bit Software Magazine Online Conversion.

8-Bit Software was a public domain software library and floppy disk based magazine for the owners of BBC computers, which was published between 1990 and 1998, and contains a wealth of information about BBC computers.

The magazine disk images are available elsewhere online, but to read the disk images, a BBC emulator (or BBC) is required. This makes them difficult to access easily, and searching for obscure BBC information contained in the magazines doesn't usually turn up any information from search engines.

I've currently only converted a single issue: (the fairly arbitarily chosen) Issue 64, but as the conversion is fully automated, I should be able to add more issues as time and enthusiasm permit.

So, check it out, and also feel free to let me know if you find any bugs, or if you've got any comments.

Radio Downloader 0.5.10

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:04:35 +0100

I've just released a small update to Radio Downloader. This release fixes the problem with selecting new multi-episode programmes that I mentioned previously.

This release is the first to benefit from the recent changes to the installer - just download and run the installer, and the old version will be uninstalled automatically.

Radio Downloader Problem

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:09:28 +0100

Currently, trying to select a new multi-episode BBC Radio programme in Radio Downloader causes an error. This has been caused by the BBC tinkering with the structure of their programme pages again.

I believe that I've found the solution, and I'm just in the process of validating it. I hope to release an update to Radio Downloader with the fix in the next few days.

Radio Downloader 0.5.8

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:26:41 +0100

I'm pleased to announce the release of Radio Downloader 0.5.8. This fixes the problems with browsing for BBC Radio programmes, and adds the ability to specify the MP3 encoding options for BBC Radio programmes. It also includes quite a number of other bugfixes and enhancements which you can find in the changelog.

This release also removes the automatic update feature, as it was unfortunately proving too time consuming and difficult to support. However, Radio Downloader will still notify you of new versions, and you can be kept up to date with the new Radio Downloader news feed. To make the process of installing updated versions easier, I've streamlined the installer and laid the groundwork for future releases to be installed without having to uninstall the old version first.

Radio Downloader Problems

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:27:52 +0100

Currently, trying to select a new multi-episode BBC Radio programme in Radio Downloader causes an error message to be displayed. This is caused by a change that the BBC made recently, which has broken Radio Downloader slightly.

I'm in the process of testing a new version of Radio Downloader at the moment, which fixes this problem (amongst other things), and should be released in the next few days.

Radio Downloader 0.5.6

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:02:06 +0100

Today I have released a new version of Radio Downloader, fixing the problems with browsing for BBC Radio programmes by genre and format.

This release also adds the feature of ID3 tagging downloaded BBC Radio episodes and improves the accessibility of the application from the keyboard. See the changelog for full details of what has changed in this release.

Radio Downloader Update

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:38:50 +0100

A quick update about Radio Downloader - currently browsing for new BBC Radio programmes by genre or format is broken. The workaround is to use the A to Z option for the moment. This problem should be resolved in the next release.

Radio Downloader 0.5.4

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:57:55 +0000

Today I have released an update to Radio Downloader. This is mostly a bugfix release, which should also resolve the problem selecting or downloading any BBC Radio programmes - see the changelog for full details.

This release should also fix an issue experienced by some users, which causes updates to repeatedly fail. If you are currently experiencing this problem, uninstall Radio Downloader and download and install the latest version (this will not lose the items in your downloads or subscriptions list).

If you find Radio Downloader useful, I would very much appreciate your donations to cover my costs.

Radio Downloader 0.5.3.1

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:30:34 +0000

Today I have made available a point release of Radio Downloader. This fixes a crash when minimizing the application (sorry!), as well as resolving a small problem with the statistics in the Downloads view.

Radio Downloader 0.5.3

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:18:58 +0000

I have just released an update to Radio Downloader, which mostly contains interface improvements postponed from previous releases. These should particularly benefit Windows Vista users, although there are also improvements for users on XP and 2000 as well.

This release also fixes some reported bugs relating to database compaction - see the changelog for full details.

I have also taken the opportunity to put together a help page for Radio Downloader, with some basic information to assist users.

Radio Downloader 0.5.2.1

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:17:58 +0100

Today I have made available a point release of Radio Downloader. This fixes a problem with selecting new BBC Radio programmes, as well as resolving an issue some users experienced when upgrading to the 0.5.* series.

Radio Downloader 0.5.2

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:31:11 +0100

Today I released a bugfix update to Radio Downloader. This fixes a problem experienced by some users when finding new BBC Radio Programmes. Check out the changelog for full details.

Radio Downloader 0.5.1

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:51:57 +0100

I have just released a minor update to Radio Downloader. This addresses the most pressing issues with the 0.5.0 release, namely adding a proper interface for finding BBC Radio programmes and reverting the file naming behaviour to the same as previous releases (but with new extra options).

Radio Downloader 0.5

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:38:47 +0100

Today I have released a major update to Radio Downloader. The main areas of change relate to how it stores data and interacts with plugins.

Due to the fact that the previous version had stopped working properly with the BBC's Listen Again service, this release has been put out with a number of rough edges, which include the following known issues:

Some BBC Radio subscriptions may be lost in the upgrade as there is not a one-to-one mapping with the old and new subscription systems.
Recent episodes of successfully transferred subscriptions will be re-downloaded, as the program will not know they have already been downloaded.
The interface for finding new BBC Radio programmes is very basic. This will be overhauled in future versions.

Radio Downloader Update

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:05:51 +0100

I am currently working on an updated version of Radio Downloader to work with the BBC's Listen Again service, now that it has been incorporated into their iPlayer.
Unfortunately, this is taking longer than anticipated, as it requires considerable internal refactoring.
I am aiming to have a version of this available in the next week or so. Apologies for any inconvenience caused until then.

Radio Downloader 0.4.9

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:34:55 +0100

Today I have released a small update to Radio Downloader. This fixes a bug with deleted items in the downloads list, adds a 'Last Download' column to the subscriptions list, and includes an enhancement to prevent the program database from continuously growing.

Radio Downloader 0.4.8

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:20:21 +0000

Today I have released a minor update to Radio Downloader. This adds a new cleanup feature for downloaded programmes for which the audio file has vanished. Check out the changelog for details of the changes.

BBC Graphics Viewer

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:54:23 +0000

I am pleased to announce the release of a new tool - a utility for viewing and converting images originally created on a BBC computer. Get BBC Graphics Viewer.

Radio Downloader 0.4.7

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:46:28 +0000

Today I have released a new version of Radio Downloader. This version fixes DEP problems on Vista, as well as several usability and reliability enhancements. Check out the changelog for full details of the changes in this version.

Radio Downloader 0.4.6

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

I have produced a new bugfix release of Radio Downloader. This fixes problems getting information for certain BBC Listen Again programmes, and also resolves some issues causing long pauses on startup.

Radio Downloader 0.4.5

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

I have released a new version of Radio Downloader. This is just a bugfix release to address an issue that some users experienced after upgrading to version 0.4.4.

Radio Downloader 0.4.4

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

I am pleased to announce an update to Radio Downloader. This version brings the ability to download BBC Podcasts, and the facility to manage which stations are shown on the 'Select Station' tab. You can get the new version here.

Radio Downloader 0.4.3

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0100

I have released an updated version of Radio Downloader. This version doesn't have any new features, but it improves the internal error handling routines.

Site Changes

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0100

I have updated the site design to make it easier to navigate and less cluttered. Let me know what you think of the new design!

New Tool

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:00:00 +0100

I am pleased to announce a new tool - a utility for downloading radio station content. Get Radio Downloader here.

New Article

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I've written a new article giving a good overview of how search engines work, and what you really need to do to get a good listing. Head over here to read it.

Downtime

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0100

You might have noticed that the site has looked rather broken for a couple of months. The server that the site was hosted on failed, and then my hosting provider pulled out.
It is all sorted now though and the site is on some shiny new hosting, so I should be able to get on with writing some more articles!

Site Adjustments

Fri, 19 May 2006 00:00:00 +0100

Based on visitor feedback that I have received I've made some adjustments to the site layout - let me know what you think of the changes, or suggest some more using the contact page.

New Article

Fri, 05 May 2006 00:00:00 +0100

I've added a new article based around the Meta Keywords Tag. Check out the articles section to learn more.

New Article

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I've written an article on SQL injection and escaping, aimed at users of PHP and MySQL. Head over to the articles section to read it.

Up and Running Again

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

After some domain and hosting issues, I'm back online - now at NerdoftheHerd.com.

Welcome to NerdoftheHerd

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to NerdoftheHerd - I'm currently putting together this site, and working on the content.