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Shareaza: Pure Class

Shareaza is the top of the range P2P file sharing application that’s built entirely from user suggestions and comments. It has everything. And it’s totally free: no ads, no spyware, no bundled crap. We’re giving it away. You simply won’t get more for less anywhere else.

Grab the latest version now at www.shareaza.com, or read on to see what’s new. Once again it’s been less than a week since the last version, and once again we’ve managed to pack a whole load of new goodies into version 1.3:

Powerful bandwidth shaping / throttling capabilities give you absolute control over how your Internet connection is used. Restrict bandwidth use per connection, with individual controls for each connection type and upstream/downstream traffic. And these actually work, too. Plus you can see it all graphically in real-time using Shareaza’s fully configurable performance and bandwidth graphing system. This is possibly the most advanced bandwidth control mechanism available in P2P software today (so it fits well next to Shareaza’s most advanced IP security system).

Brand new host browsing feature allows you to see the shared files available on a particular Gnutella host, and download the ones you want. All from within Shareaza’s comprehensive search interface, so you can filter and sort files to find what you’re looking for faster. Just right-click any connected host or search result and choose Browse Host.

Note that Shareaza supports host browsing through the new host browsing specification, which has not yet been added by all other Gnutella software. But that’s okay, because Shareaza also supports browsing older BearShare nodes through an automatic translation system. Files are all displayed in Shareaza’s unified results interface, so you can take advantage of both systems today. Finally, if you don’t want other host browse-enabled users to be able to list your shared files, simply turn it off in Sharing options!

Support for OGG Vorbis files (.ogg): This new (and open) audio format is fast becoming an alternative to mp3s and the closed Media Player formats. Shareaza now fully supports .ogg files, recognises them as audio and extracts information such as title/artist/album as well as length calculation and nominal bitrate / quality. Another first! We’re also supporting Monkey's Audio APE files, which is another new free format. Shareaza supports and decodes the widest variety of file formats in the P2P world, resulting in richer searches and more power. (This version also has improved support for variable bitrate / VBR mp3 files, with accurate length calculation, average bitrates and variable marking).

Bandwidth Boost command for downloads lets you selectively remove the bandwidth limits for specific files. Great for prioritising downloads that you want ASAP ahead of those that can wait.
A new Show All Sources mode for downloads displays download sources/locations that are not currently being used, as well as active transfers. You have full control over the source list, and can individually add / remove / access / disconnect / browse each source. Or, turn “show all sources” off and let Shareaza do it all for you!

Search window upgrade including automatic sorting, and much improved file grouping. Files which can be downloaded from more than once source now show all the relevant information without having to look at each source individually. You can see a summary of the rating (availability) icons, an average of the individual host speeds, and a superset of all metadata available on that file from every host, eg bitrate/time/title/etc.

Download integrity verification ensures the files you download are what you think they are, and are free from corruption. The finished file is verified against the SHA1 Shareaza was expecting, and the results displayed in the downloads window. Potentially unsafe files are also marked red in the library, and an extra warning message is displayed before opening them.

Generate magnet: and gnutella: links in bulk easily with a new library management feature. You can easily export custom lists of file links in magnet or gnutella protocol format, complete with optional HTML formatting.

Improved support for GWebCache discovery services, including the ability to advertise new services and browse cache statistics on the web. And all new GGEP support, to handle the next generation of Gnutella extensions and improvements. We’re already supporting hashing/HUGE encapsulated in GGEP, and browse host availability status with more to come.

There are also countless other enhancements which have been suggested by Shareaza users. If you’ve got an idea you’d like to see, send it our way and we’ll give it full consideration. No ideas go unheard, and in fact not too many go unimplemented either!

The above only lists new features in Shareaza 1.3 – if you haven’t used Shareaza before, there’s a whole lot more not even mention here. Shareaza still leads the field with its easy and powerful user interface, URL integration, download performance and advanced library management.

Check it out now at .
www.shareaza.com