Incremental file assembly

Why must the downloaded file be assembled at the end, requiring 2x file space? Why can't it be incrementally merged as the download progresses? The 2x filespace requirement is a real drag -- if you're downloading 10 divx's for example, you can quickly need nearly 15-20 gigs free space if they all hit 80-90 percent at the same time!

[The Seeker]

Segments ARE joined together as often as they can be, but by the very nature of segmented downloading, you want the parts to be as evenly spaced as possble. watch the Temp directory for a while (view by details) and you'll see that when a segment can be joined it is. You will only need 2X the HDD space while it puts together the final peices in the very worst case scenario. An easy solution to your divx problem is to go out and BUY the DVDs.

OK -- that does make sense now... it also explains why there are a bunch of 10K segments and then one or two 100k+ segments. I guess I should be a bit more observant.

<++ BEGIN RANT V1.1.3 ++>
As for buying DVDs -- I often do, if the movie is worth the plastic it's printed on. As wonderful as DiVX is, it just doesn't do my entertainment system justice. But while I've paid my share of Blockbuster tax in the past, I don't see why I should have to pay $5 for wasting 1-2 hours of my time with a bad movie. A good movie I'll buy. You can download fully-functional trial versions of many software programs... you should be able to preview a low-quality version of a movie for free too. It's not my fault that the average hollywood movie today is so terrible it can only be watched once -- if that. Movies should have money back guarantees. Until then, this will save everyone the aggrivation.

Along those lines, most of the expensive software programs I legitimately own started off as pirated programs. Once I decide I like an app (or when I can afford it) I almost always shell out money for the real thing (thus tomorrow's trip to purchase Black and White). I'll sometimes even buy programs that I no longer need, just because I got so much use out of my "demo" version. I used to do that frequently in the Amiga days, when there was more than one software vendor and your support mattered.

I bet a lot of software would never have been developed if the developers hadn't been able to pirate their development tools initially! I wonder how many windows apps were written on PCs with a properly licensed copy of windows & related dev. tools?

And it's not like purchasing a program these days gives you any more rights to the software than pirating it... ever read one of those license agreements? The summary: by opening this package, you give us the right to beat you senslessly for any reason, and to take your first-born. In exchange for "purchasing" our product, we won't kill you ... more than once. If you don't purchase this product, you'll wish you had. Sincerely, the BSA.

Of course, now there's an even better solution, which is why every piece of software that I develop gets GPL'd (unless some other open source license is available). Of course, I'm preaching to the choir here.

<++ END RANT ++>

[The Seeker]

If you've read some of my other posts you might know that I usually never buy any software myself, because I never use it more than once or twice then leave it dormant there until I need some HDD space... I was just in an off mood and wanted to say something like "then just buy it", "then don't download 10 movies at once - geez", or something... I went for the first