Vuze gets another makeover

Never let it be said that software publishers ignore the demands of their users, at least in the full case of BitTorrent client Vuze. Back in June, the popular BitTorrent client Azureus underwent some serious reconstructive surgery. The familiar layout of top buttons and a spreadsheet interface was wrapped up in a Web 2.0 package, tied off with a bow of peer ratings and reviews and an emphasis on video content. The old UI was kept but de-emphasized, and the application was renamed Vuze 3.1. Vuze 4.0 has been redesigned in response to user complaints. Although it kept Azureus' blue frog logo, fans were not amused. Vuze 4.0 is a direct attempt to incorporate user concerns and still try to push the app forward, although in a blog post today, Chris on the Vuze blog confirmed that the new silhouetted look of the frog is not going anywhere. On to the important stuff. The new Vuze follows in the footsteps of iTunes, so if you're new to torrents the learning curve will be less steep than it was in Vuze 3.1. There's a menubar on the top, with a sidebar on the left for managing torrents and videos. Where you might expect album art in the old iTunes 6 layout, you've got a Friends panel for adding persons to share your torrents with. The search bar at the top of the central pane leads the eye directly to the rolled-in playback controls, and feels modern and slick. ShareThis has been built-in, and the former Advanced tab has been renamed My Library. Newbies shall appreciate the three-step tabbed tutorial that launches in the primary pane, and even experienced torrenters should find it helpful for getting their bearings in an completely new layout. There are some other slick touches to the client interface. F7 toggles the sidebar, a useful arrow makes it simple to hide the Friend pane, and using the hotkey combo CTRL 2, 3, 4, or 5 reveals a series of hidden panes otherwise. My Tracker, My Classic-Shares, Console, and Statistics are available under Tools on the menubar also. These panes open organically in the key program window or on the sidebar, and have been baked in well. They don't look like afterthoughts or what-the-hecks.