Test: EiskaltDC++ 2.1.0 on Windows

On 17th of November, EiskaltDC++ 2.1.0 released. For most of us, one of the more important improvements of the new version is the support for Microsoft Windows. We took this opportunity to write a review for the Windows version.

First impressions after starting the client

You can get the latest release from the project homepage by visiting the Downloads tab where you can find the Windows version as an Installer (.exe) or as a Standalone (.zip) package. Usually I prefer the latter so this time I also got the zipped package. After extracting and starting the client, I configured a few basic settings and set up a share.

EiskaltDC++ is using the Qt graphic library, which - from an end-user point of view - means that we get a customizable and stylish user interface. After starting up the client for the first time, I recommend to visit the Personal options window to choose a nick and - when required - select the proper default encoding for your country. In Hungary, I chose WINDOWS-1250 instead of UTF-8.

If you remove the check from the View share in simple mode box, you get an easy-to-use directory tree where all you need to do is to select the folders which you want to share. This is a notable improvement over DC++. StrongDC users may find this way of sharing familiar: they have a similar option to provide a directory tree. Unfortunately the option for selecting the number of Upload slots is hidden a little bit: for configuring the slot numbers, you need to go to the Advanced tab of the dialog.

Above you can see the main window of the application with a few open hubs. It's great that you can rearrange the toolbars by drag and drop: that's how I moved the buttons for the hubs from their original position below the main toolbar for better arrangement. Moreover, I switched on the Transfers window. It's not visible by default, but you can turn it on or off by using Ctrl+T or by clicking the Transfers button on the toolbar. The Transfers window's visibility can be modified in DC++ too, but in that client it is visible by default while here it's hidden.

User interface

Using EiskaltDC++ will cause no problem for anyone who used any kind of DC client in the past. It takes a little time to get used to the different icons on the toolbar, but it's not a big deal. Various features makes everyday use easier. One of them is the magnet link formatting on the chat. Magnets are links pointing to files which you can paste to the chat then by clicking on them anyone can make a search for the file or add it to the Download queue. Most modern DC client have support for this (DC++, BCDC++, StrongDC, etc.), but usually they don't format the magnet links in any way. A link I pasted into the main chat looks like this in EiskaltDC++:

By looking at the link, the file name and its size is obvious. For providing a comparsion, the same thing appears the following way in DC++ or in BCDC++:

The other feature I'm fond of is the Nick completition by using the Tab key:

When you start to type a nick, for example you enter "ma" then press Tab, you'll see a list of all nicks beginning with "ma" in which list you can move by pressing Tab repeatedly and insert the nick to the chatline by pressing Enter. If there is only one hit for the completition, the nick is inserted to the chat line without showing the popup menu. It may seem a little bit complicated by reading this, but as a matter of fact this is a very handy solution.

Advanced possibilities

EiskaltDC++ offers a few features which are not for everyday use for most of you, but if you need them you'll be happy with these features. Some of them is listed here:

• AntiSpam module, which can be used to block non-human or advertising users.
• IPFilter module, which allows blocking evil IP addresses.
• Using regular expressions in the Userlist filter field: When you enter two hash-marks into the filter, you can use Qt regular expressions then. For example, as you can see on the earlier screenshot, by entering ##S:\d\d you can show only users with two digit slot-number. It may be useful for Operators.

Summary

By releasing a Windows version, EiskaltDC++ became a good alternative DC client in no time, and it can expect a lot of sympathy from the users. Like most applications, this one also has different bugs, but generally it's an easy-to-use application with smart improvements. In the background the DC++ core does its job, so you should not count with any compatibility issues when connecting to other users.

What we liked

• Stylish user interface
• Customizable toolbars
• The Window Toolbar can be replaced by a SideBar (see GUI settings)
• You can set up the character encoding for each favorite hub individually, so you can connect to hubs with different languages simultaneously.
• It is possible to provide extra slot for all favorite users by only one checkbox
• You can copy the window titles to clipboard (right click on a hub tab then see the Copy menu)
• Support for Lua scripts

What we didn't like

• The option for setting up Upload slots is quite hidden
• Chat rooms also receive away messages, moreover the AntiSpam module neither can handle them
• Several icons on the toolbar has no straightforward meaning
• You can only reach the hublist setting window from the main Options dialog

Links

• Az EiskaltDC++ homepage: http://code.google.com/p/eiskaltdc/
• Changelog for version 2.1.0: https://github.com/negativ/eiskaltdcpp/raw/v2.1.0/ChangeLog.txt