Go!Zilla
Encyclopedia
Go!Zilla is a proprietary
download manager
originally developed by Aaron Ostler in 1995, and later purchased by Radiate in 1999, for use on Windows
. It is shareware
and its previous ad supported
version drew controversy among users and privacy advocates. Upon being acquired by Headlight Software in 2008, the ad-supported versions were discontinued and the software now offers a free limited trial.
Go!Zilla was one of many download managers, also called download accelerators. These particular programs were especially useful when Dial-up internet access was more common as it was more difficult to download data due to slow speeds and disconnections. Download accelerators allowed users to stop and resume partial downloads. The software also allowed people to schedule downloads for a convenient time; including while they were away from the computer and was credited with allowing companies to provide a parallel distribution system for their products. In July 2000 the software won PC Magazine
's ZDNet
's Seventh Annual Shareware Award for Best Utility and was estimated to be used by ten million people at that time.
In January 2008, Go!Zilla was acquired by Headlight Software, and Go!Zilla 5 was the first version released with all new source code
and without the bundled adware
, which had caused some controversy despite notifying users that adware was bundled.
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
download manager
Download manager
A download manager is a computer program dedicated to the task of downloading possibly unrelated stand-alone files from the Internet for storage...
originally developed by Aaron Ostler in 1995, and later purchased by Radiate in 1999, for use on Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It is shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
and its previous ad supported
Adware
Adware, or advertising-supported software, is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer. These advertisements can be in the form of a pop-up. They may also be in the user interface of the software or on a screen presented to the user during...
version drew controversy among users and privacy advocates. Upon being acquired by Headlight Software in 2008, the ad-supported versions were discontinued and the software now offers a free limited trial.
Go!Zilla was one of many download managers, also called download accelerators. These particular programs were especially useful when Dial-up internet access was more common as it was more difficult to download data due to slow speeds and disconnections. Download accelerators allowed users to stop and resume partial downloads. The software also allowed people to schedule downloads for a convenient time; including while they were away from the computer and was credited with allowing companies to provide a parallel distribution system for their products. In July 2000 the software won PC Magazine
PC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
's ZDNet
ZDNet
ZDNet is a business technology news website published by CBS Interactive, along with TechRepublic and SmartPlanet. The brand was founded on April 1, 1991 as a general interest technology portal from Ziff Davis and evolved into an enterprise IT-focused online publication owned by CNET...
's Seventh Annual Shareware Award for Best Utility and was estimated to be used by ten million people at that time.
In January 2008, Go!Zilla was acquired by Headlight Software, and Go!Zilla 5 was the first version released with all new source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
and without the bundled adware
Adware
Adware, or advertising-supported software, is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer. These advertisements can be in the form of a pop-up. They may also be in the user interface of the software or on a screen presented to the user during...
, which had caused some controversy despite notifying users that adware was bundled.
See also
- Download accelerator
- List of download managers
- Comparison of download managersComparison of download managersList of notable download managers. A download manager is a computer program dedicated to the task of downloading possibly unrelated stand-alone files from the Internet for storage.- General information :...