Shareaza
Project name: Shareaza
Date founded/started: 2004
Project page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/shareaza/
Description of project:
It is a peer to peer application that allow to share and download every type of file from 4 networks simultaneously (Gnutella, G2, eDonkey, BitTorrent), it can also download from HTTP and FTP.
There are many things that make it unique. It is probably the only app that supports completely all features of the G2 network, it allows advanced control of downloads and searches and all aspects of the application, it can search by various hashes: sha1, tiger, ed2k, md5, btih (this also allows for revival of dead torrents by search torrent sources using btih over G2 and also allow to download from other networks the same file). It also has a library that allows you to organize files (most metadata are automatically extracted), and the files can stay in library without sharing them.
Why and how did you get started?
It was released by the developer Michael Stokes into the open source community on June 1, 2004
What is the software’s intended audience?
The software is for everyone that wants to share and/or download a file shared over the supported networks.
How many people do you believe are using your software?
Almost all users of Shareaza are connected to G2 and Shareaza is the predominant client of G2 network, so this may be the approximate number of Shareaza users: http://crawler.trillinux.org/history.html (about 300,000)
What gave you an indication that your project was becoming successful?
Probably the high load of the forum and the download counter 😀
What has been your biggest surprise?
The biggest surprise is to see many people appreciate your work.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge is continuously learning and extending the knowledge.
Why do you think your project has been so well received?
I imagine because it fulfills the demands of many people.
Where do you see your project going?
There is a hint here.
What’s on your project wish list?
There is the response on the page linked in the previous question, look in the “Future” section.
What are you most proud of?
The program has introduced many innovations that are now considered basic features in all the other P2P clients.
If you could change something about the project, what would it be?
It would be the portability between different OS.
How do you coordinate the project?
The bug tracker and the private forums are used for project coordination.
Do you work on the project full-time, or do you have another job?
In the past I was working full time, but now I have a work and I have less time.
How much time would you say you spend, per week, on it?
The time vary, it isn’t programmed.
What is your development environment like?
A PC with Windows XP and Microsoft Visual Studio 2003, some other developers have Visual Studio 2005 and some Visual Studio 2008.
How can others contribute?
There is a forum
where anyone can submit code or discuss every genre of things regarding Shareaza. There is also a bug tracker.
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