Pull - October 2010 Release
I’m happy to share my second stable release of Pull, the simplest podcast/vidcast download tool in the world. This release has had a ton of work done to make it more usable and some plumbing improvements.
Major features in this release
Full proxy support
Proxies are either really easy to use or completely destroy your application. Previously, Pull used whatever Internet Explorer specified, but now you can specify no proxy (if your IE settings differ for some reason) or provide custom proxy settings. This should help people use it in a variety of environments.
Add multiple podcasts at once
Want to subscribe to multiple podcasts? Just use the new add dialog box to add them.
Automatic backup of feeds to OPML
Have a database? Then you’d better have a backup. These are rules for all software, and Pull now automatically backs up your feeds to an OPML file—just in case! 😊
New jumplist options
Right-click the Pull icon in Windows 7 to access the jumplist, which now includes two new options: Play next unplayed episode and Force refresh of podcasts.
Since adding the play unplayed feature, I’ve used it a lot—it lets me keep playing podcasts quickly. When one finishes, it takes just two clicks to start the next episode without switching to the application!
Ability to automatically download the latest episode when subscribing to a podcast
When you subscribe to a podcast, you’ll likely want the latest episode, so we now include an option to enable this. The setting is available in both the new podcast dialog box (see above) and in the protocol handler or OPML import.
For the latter two, you can disable this in the settings:
Ability to cancel downloads
Right-click any download in the download pane to cancel it!
Locking
I often have podcasts I want to keep forever, and now you can lock them: Right-click a podcast and select Lock to add a lock icon next to it. Repeat to unlock.
This prevents locked files from being deleted, so you can now safely delete all played episodes—locked items will be ignored.
Ability to prevent Windows from sleeping during downloads
In the settings, you can control whether the computer is allowed to sleep during active downloads.
Ability to selectively import or export podcasts from an OPML file
Want to export your podcasts—except that one you’d rather not share? Or maybe a friend sent you an OPML file with podcasts you don’t want? Now you can select individual podcasts and export or import them selectively.
Delete to recycle bin
When you delete a podcast, it now goes to the recycle bin (and not into oblivion). This also lets you retry deletion if it fails.
Scan for episodes
Another small but useful feature: Scan an existing folder for episodes you’ve already downloaded in Pull or another app. This helps with migration to Pull or re-associating deleted episodes.
Welcome wizard for easy setup
Pull used to require just two settings on first launch, but now that more options are available, we’ve introduced a welcome wizard. It asks only for the essentials to get you started—without overwhelming you with too many settings upfront.
Future
I’m planning another release in about a month. I’d love to add more download management features, so if you have any ideas, drop me a line or share them in the Pull discussions forum.