Do you still remember this IDM logo? If so, you’re as old as I am!
It has been a long time since the days of unstable electricity and Internet, which were both slow and prone to errors. During that time, download assistant software, notably IDM, was essential. It was like a treasure, helping to split files into smaller parts to optimize bandwidth and facilitate faster downloads; it also ensured that your downloaded files were safe from issues like power outages or network drops during the download process.
Because of this, the IDM download assistant software became extremely popular and was almost a must-have when installing Windows. However, since fiber optic technology has been widely implemented and popularized in Vietnam, things have changed. The Internet is faster and more stable, and power outages have become much rarer. If ten years ago, a download speed of 1MB/s was considered fast, today, 10MB/s is quite normal. Losing connection midway or power outages due to issues are no longer as concerning as they used to be.
These changes have made download assistant software less necessary than before. For me, the built-in download managers in browsers are sufficient. As for the Cốc Cốc browser, although I dislike it a bit due to its many ads, I must admit that its default download manager is actually quite good. In my experience, it is fast and one of the fastest available today, nearly on par with IDM.
For wireless networks and unstable connections, IDM might still be helpful, but if you are using a wired connection and don’t have any special needs, it becomes quite redundant in today’s world.
If previously I used IDM as my default download manager, now I hardly touch it anymore. The most useful feature for me was the ability to limit bandwidth so that I could download files while doing other things. Technology is always advancing, and the world will never stop changing; new and better options always emerge to replace outdated ones. In certain cases, download assistant software like IDM still has its use. However, it no longer plays a crucial role as it once did.
I have completely uninstalled IDM and have no intention of reinstalling it. What about you?