Describe FeatureSpecifications/Metalink here.
For the sake of expediency, can the responsibility of implementing this functionality be shared with whomever might be working on it through GWget?
The good folks at Kget might be able to join in too, just to make sure everyone's on the same page and playing nice.
From metalinker.org:
Specification, Client Requirements for Implementation
Metalink is a simple XML (text) format. Download one and open it with a text editor, & most of it should be self explanatory. If you want to read the long, boring Metalink 3.0 specification, here you go: Plain text - OpenDocument - PDF - Schema.
An updated version of older the specification (found at Metalink_3.0_Spec3draftX) is in progress. Please post comments or questions on our Discussion mailing list.
[An Internet Draft is a work-in-progress, intended to possibly be an update to 3.0 in the future. Details on the differences between versions can be found at the Internet Draft wiki page. Please post your comments on the Discussion list.]
If your favorite client can already read XML (Atom/RSS/Podcasts) then adding Metalink support should be relatively easy.
Minimum & optional requirements for integration into clients:
Recommended: For file verification: Ability to verify at least MD5, SHA-1, and SHA-256 Checksums.
- Optional: Ability to use multiple URIs, either sequentially or simultaneously.
Optional: BitTorrent, Magnet Links, ed2k links, and other P2P networks.
- Optional: Configurable options or settings for: language, location, operating system, etc. OpenPGP.