Agent News Bulletin

25-May-2012

Forté releases Agent 7.0

Forté is pleased to announce the release of Agent 7.0, a major upgrade with functionality that accommodates the dramatic increase in the capacity of Usenet servers.

Agent 7.0 Features

Forté has re-engineered Agent's internal data structures to accommodate the capacity and size-related issues created by the huge growth of Usenet data. Agent users can now access all Usenet data from any service provider. Agent 7.0 features include:

Article Number Expansion

With the growth in the amount of data available on Usenet and the long-term retention of this data by premium news services such as Forté’s APN, some newsgroups have well over four gigabytes of headers. (The infamous alt.binaries.boneless is such a group.) We have updated Agent to store 64-bit article numbers, so that Agent is not likely to hit a limit anytime in the next millennium.

Optimized Message Retrieval

Message bodies can be retrieved not only by article number but also by Message-ID. Previously Agent’s default was to retrieve by article number, and to revert to using the Message-ID only if that failed. On modern servers retrieval by Message-ID has become more efficient and reliable, so we have made this the new default for body retrieval.

Improved Saving of Attachments

Previously, when Agent detected an error in a binary attachment, its default action was to save the attachment but also keep a copy of the file in the message stored in Agent's folder. This behavior had two problems. First, it could cause a folder to fill up if it contained a large number of messages with damaged attachments. Second, in anticipation of possibly having to retain the attachment data, Agent would simultaneously stream the attachment to both a file and to the folder. This made saving attachments slower, and it caused undue disk fragmentation. Because of these problems, we have changed the default to Save and remove from message. This, together with the default option After saving an attachment, remove it from the message should improve performance and help prevent Agent's folders from filling up.

Improved Connectivity with SMTP (Outbound Email) Servers

In keeping with the spirit of this release, Agent 7.0 has updated SMTP login options to keep pace with changes made by service providers. Selecting your correct login options is easier, and Agent automatically sets values that make your connection parameters consistent.

Other Changes

Agent 7.0 also includes bug fixes and other minor features. A list is included with the Agent Release Notes.

Agent Usenet (APN) Promotion

When you purchase Agent 7.0 you will also receive a free 15 GB / 3 month account (45GB total download) for Agent Usenet (APN). Fortés APN service allows you to experience Agent's multiple server capability with high-speed Usenet servers.

Forté Support

Forté provides you with world-class support with a single point of support for both Agent 7.0 and Agent Usenet (APN).

About Forté

Forté develops the Agent family of products. Agent 7.0 is the most powerful newsreader and email program available today for managing communications. Forté also provides the Agent Usenet (APN) a high-speed Usenet news service feed.

Regards,

The Forté Team

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