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eMule 0.49a launches after 11 months

eMule new version Our workmates from OnSoftware Spain have published what they say is today’s big news: eMule releases a new version. And they’re right, because eMule developers have taken almost a year to launch this version, while they usually updated their popular P2P app every two-three months.

This long period of development has brought many improvements in the program’s functions and protocols, a bunch of bug fixes and seamless integration with the operating system. But there are other interesting changes.

The first one is a package of major improvements for the Kad protocol, like Kad obfuscation, a better NAT handling, direct callbacks and flood protections, among others. The Kad obfuscation is particularly interesting, as it hides your eMule transfers and thus prevents your ISP from detecting it, avoiding any possible blocks or interferences.

Another important change is that now eMule supports computer status, meaning that if you hibernate your PC, the program will automatically connect again when you wake up the computer again.

Other fixes and improvements include changes to the message system to get rid of spammers and stay in touch with friends with dynamic IPs, several graphical improvements like storing searches between eMule sessions, a search filter for shared files and an easier access to the comment filter.

So what are you waiting for? Try the all-new eMule and tell us what you think of it.

Beat the queues in eMule

eMule has been one of the most popular P2P apps on the planet for donkeys’ years now and is one of the best places to get hold of rare audio and video. Despite the fact that it returns so many search results, a lot of users are put off by the often sluggish download speeds. Some might say there’s something admirable about the way eMule embraces the spirit of P2P by rewarding users who share more through its credits system. However, even if you are sharing lots of files you can still end up scuppered by the client’s queuing system.

If you get tired of waiting for a specific file when you’re already sharing other files, there’s a sneaky tweak you can perform to hurry things along. If, for instance you have 10 completed files shared and you start downloading a new file, you’ll probably find that your upload queue is full of people downloading the other files you’re sharing. This then prevents people from downloading the new file from you because they get stuck further down the queue, decreasing your precious credit rating as you download parts from them but not vice versa.

To combat this time-wasting dilemma, simply go to the ‘Shared Files’ tab and select the file you’re downloading. Set this file to ‘release,’ which will give it priority and promotes people trying to access this file to the front of your upload queue, and giving you lots of juicy credits in the process. To pump up transfer speeds still futher you could try raising the Upload Limit in the Preferences Menu to prevent throttling.

Speeding up eMule

As one of the veterans of the P2P file-sharing world, eMule is still used by millions to exchange files over the Net. Although its return on searches is pretty impressive, we’ve always been a little disappointed by the speed at which the client transfers files, which is a tad sluggish compared with the likes of Ares and Limewire.

We’ve just come across a way you can inject a bit more pace into the old nag by changing the ‘Upload Limit’ option within the ‘Preferences’ menu. When you are downloading data, the client must send an ‘ack’ (acknowlegement) to the server. If your upload stream is running at your connection limit these ‘acks’ wont get back/will be slowed down so you won’t be sent the next little bit. Setting the upload cap to about 70% to 90% of your total upload total capacity should improve download speed and ensure that the client doesn’t get clogged by sending unnecessary ‘ack’ data.

eMule content database updated

The eMule database has managed to keep updating, even with a number of legal battles raging in the P2P and bittorrent worlds. All the changes have been implemented to make eMule a better user experience, “more secure”, “more functional”, and “user friendly”.

The message center has been improved and will work under a “forum based structure”. I never really chat with other userswhen I’m downloading but I suppose it’s a great way to exchange suggestions and recommend what files to download or avoid.

Following the example of a number of torrent clients, eMule has added 6 RSS feeds and set up syndication tutorials for the big three browsers, IE, Firefox and Opera. The advanced search feature has been upgraded and according to Slyck, should give you more “specific” results. I tend to find what I’m looking for, but hey, if this little improvement can rid search results of irrelevant files it can’t be bad. As Slyck arguably writes, the new “file statistics feature” will greatly improve usability. It basically allows you to see how many people are sharing a particular file “without having to download the file to find out”. That feature and the improved search should guarantee that more quality files are exchanged.

Security enhancements are probably the most important part of this update and we hope it’ll make it even safer to download P2P, although it can’t protect you from the odd dodgy file. Make sure you update your eMule to benefit from all these exciting enhancements.