Shareaza

In the world of P2P applications and file sharing in general, a few programs are really popular and work as any computer user expects. One of those programs is Shareaza.

Shareaza is a P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing client for the Microsoft developed Windows operating system that comes with support for multiple network protocols: Gnutella, eDonkey, BitTorrent, HTTP. This means you can use Shareaza to download files from the Gnutella network in the same way you do with LimeWire or FrostWire, you can use it to download files from the eDonkey network in the same manner you do with eMule, and you can use it to download torrent files like you do with BitComet or µTorrent.

If you want to download and use the software, you can do so safe in the knowledge that it will not cost you a thing. Shareaza comes free of charge because when Michael Stokes, the original developer of the software, handed it over to the volunteers that maintain it now, the code was open sourced under a GNU GPL license. You can also use it safe in the knowledge that it does not come bundled with adware or spyware.

We’ve already established what Shareaza can do, but how does it perform its task? If I had to use just one word for how Shareaza works, it would have to be this one: fast. Since it spreads across four networks, this P2P files sharing client will definitely find what you are looking for and will pull it down onto your computer in a speedy manner.

Speed does not come at the expense of file integrity though. We all know how annoying it is when we anxiously wait for a music file to download and the playback skips; or when you download a video file and it is unplayable. These are problems that you will not encounter with Shareaza because it uses a sophisticated file-hashing technology that checks downloads for corruption – and fixes that corruption so that when the download completes you have an error-free file.

There will be times when the name of a file will lead you to believe that file is something else. You want to download a specific music track, for example, use Shareaza to search for it, download it, and when you play the track, you find out it is not the tune you wanted to download. It can be a frustrating experience, I know! Shareaza addresses this issue with a simple preview function conveniently available in the search panel as well as a media player that will preview the file before the download process is complete. To top things off, you can also check out the ratings and comments posted by other users who downloaded that file.

Shareaza’s interface has been developed in keeping with the speed theme we’ve got going on here – as in getting the user realize what he has to do as fast as possible. The only time you will waste any time is when you stop to admire how well the UI (user interface) is set up - apart from that you will have no trouble picking up the basics of how to use the software. If you don’t agree and think the UI could do with some customizing, there are plenty of skins to choose from and one should satisfy your tastes.