Ares is a open source file sharing program that allows one to download music, songs, movies, files, images, documentation and software to ones computer. Ares members are part of a virtual community that allows them to search and download just about any file shared by other users. With Ares one can join chat rooms or host your own channel and meet new friends. Common since and little discipline need to be used with using Ares. Ares allows users to share information around the globe. Ares allows users to share the contents of each others’ “shared folders.” If you have personal information in your shared folder, anyone else using the same P2P software has access to it. Another user could use this information to commit identity theft or to embarrass you. Please pay attention to the files you place in, or download to, your shared folder. Don’t place information in your shared folder that you aren’t comfortable sharing with strangers.

Ares connecting to the network is once again getting to be a problem, causing much frustration to new users of Ares. The popular P2P filesharing program comes with a list of IP addresses to use for the initial connection. These are snodes. Once the software has connected to the network for the first time, it gathers it’s own list of IP addresses of other users that are logged on and keeps that list to connect the next time you start Ares back up.Unfortunately, some of the older versions of Ares, like Ares Galaxy, have not been updating their initial list of snodes. Some friends that are knowledgable about this tell me that the incidence of new users having problems with Ares connecting is skyrocketing. They say it happened in late 2006, December 2007, and July 2008, but is even worse now. I found out when I installed Ares on my new laptop and couldn’t connect.Fortunately, my friends were able to point me to some of the newer versions of Ares that are constantly updating their snodes. So like me, many other frustrated users of Ares Galaxy have been finding their way to Ares Vista. Ares Vista connects pretty much instantly for me, so if you’re having trouble with some other version connecting, go give them a try.

Downloading and installing software is usually something that I leave to my son. If I try and do it then it invariably goes wrong and the computer starts having a fit at me. I really should leave well alone.

However, occasionally I want something right at this minute (my wife says I’m impatient but I think I just being proactive). This was the case yesterday when I decided I was going to become a music filesharing guru. I’d never shared a file before in my life.

I performed a cursory glance at what was to offer and the apparent simplicity of Ares Ultimate caught my beady eye. I downloaded and attempted the install. My inner daemons were shouting me down but I carried on regardless. Within seconds the install stopped and I feared the worst. I supposed that the magic elves would have to come and fix the computer again. But wait! What’s this? Ares Ultimate worked?

And it did. Ares Ultimate just worked.

So I was there downloading Bing Crosby when my son walked in. He assumed that I’d broken the computer too. How wrong was he?!? I only have the highest praise for Ares Ultimate and I certainly would recommend it to anyone; if I can make this baby sing then anyone can!

What others are saying:
Music sharing with Ares Ultimate
New to filesharing and Ares Ultimate
Ares Ultimate surprisingly easy to use
Nice results with Ares Ultimate

Free music downloads is a term that has been scaring the music industry for some time; scaring all those except the trail blazers. There are a few groups of forward thinkers that are dragging the industry towards the realisation that, in whatever form it takes, free music downloads is here to stay.

The popular rock band Nine Inch Nails have recently proved themselves as forward thinkers and, in what is undoubtedly a very brave experiment, are releasing their forthcoming album in its entirety for free. Free music downloads on their website.

This follows Radiohead’s move last year when the band released “In Rainbows” to the public for download at a price that they set. Want to pay 1 penny? Sure, go ahead. Radiohead’s lead singer Thom Yorke has since stated that this was a one off, but with such big names offering free music downloads it can only mean that the industry, finally, has to take notice.

Sony BMG’s history of suing everything ever mentions the words ‘unlimited music downloads’ makes the company’s decision to partner with Nokia to offer just that – music downloads – all the more amazing.

Nokia’s ‘Comes With Music’ campaign allows new phone customers to have unlimited free downloads for an entire year. Previously Nokia offered the catalogue of Universal for download – a good enough deal in itself – but now Sony BMG has joined the party and its tracks will soon be available.

One excellent piece of news on this front surrounds the DRM on the tracks available for unlimited music downloads: there is none. At least nothing that will prevent you playing the tracks whenever and wherever you like. Again this seems like a different Sony to the ones suing old people for downloading 7 Gigabytes of rap music to their Abacuses.

Nevertheless it is true and it is happening: music downloads are being offered by Sony.

What others are saying:
Free music downloads with Sony?
Music downloads from Sony via We7

When Sony BMG sneezes, the music industry gets a cold. When it agrees a partnership with a free online music downloads service, the whole world stands up, shocked, to take notice. If there were every to be an emphatic announcement that free music downloads were the future of the music industry, then this is it.

Peter Gabriel’s ad-supported online music store, We7, has earned the support of the publishing giant. We7 will provide Sony’s back catalogue, in full, for streaming from its site.

We7 offers music downloads – free of cost and free of DRM – of over 2 million tracks to its users. A 10 second advertisement is added to the start of the track but if you keep the track for over a month this advertisement can be removed and the track kept forever. It is a fantastic service and we all must wish it the best of luck.

Music Downloads are here to stay, and the industry leaders like Ares are getting more competition everday.