SABnzbd+ 0.5 Preview : Quick-Start Wizard

NGR news: October 4, 2009

We recently had the opportunity to try out the upcoming 0.5 release of SABnzbd+ binary newsreader.  The new features and ease of use make it the best web-based newsreader we've used to date.  Whether you prefer Windows, Mac or Linux the cross-platform newsreader will support your environment.  SABnzbd+ is open source and offers an API for third-party development.

SABnzbd+ version 0.5 has lots of new features.  The first being the quick-start wizard.  We get questions into NGR all the time from new Usenet users asking how hard newsreaders are to setup.  The answer is very simple with the new version of SABnzbd as they walk you through setup and configuration.  Even allowing you to test the news server connection along the way.

Let's jump right in and take a look at the new SABnzbd+ quick start:

SABnzbd+ Quick-Start (Choose a Skin)

Choose between the Default, Plush and SMPL skins.  All three have been updated with all the SABnzbd+ 0.5 features.  Those who have tried the Plush and SMPL skins in the past will find the new versions to be much faster.

SABnzbd+ Quick-Start (Local and Network Access Options)

Choose whether to have the SABnzbd web page viewable from only your local PC or remotely via your network.  Protect your access to the site by setting up a username and password.  You can also encrypt communications through SABnzbd+ by enabling HTTPS (SSL) access.

SABnzbd+ Quick-Start (News Server Setup)

Now it's time to enter the news server information from your Usenet provider.  When you sign up most providers will send an email with the required information.  If you're not sure about the server details then visit our news server / ports page.  After entering in the username, password, connections and whether or not to use SSL, you can test the connection.

SABnzbd+ Quick-Start (Newzbin / NZBMatrix Setup)

If you have an account with Newzbin or NZBMatrix you can enter the information to simplify the process of grabbing nzb's.  If you're not already a member then you can visit NZBMatrix to join.  Newzbin is an excellent option as well but you need an invite from a current user to join.

After the SABnzbd+ quick-start is complete the newsreader site will open.  By default the address is http://localhost:8080/sabnzbd/.  For Windows users the client will automatically associate nzb files with SABnzbd+ so you can simply double click a file and it will load into the queue for downloading.  With built in par2, unrar and unzip support SABnzbd+ will take care of the rest.

Watch for future posts as SABnzbd+ version 0.5 is released.  In the meantime visit http://www.sabnzbd.org for more details.