*Ares* is a successful *P2P application* that will give you free, direct
access to a huge file sharing community. It was spun-off from Gnutella in
2002, and since then has been building *a strong and dedicated base of
users*. Bittorrent and Gnutella might be hogging the headlines of the peer to
peer (P2P) world, but close behind comes Ares. Installing Ares only takes a
few minutes and the interface is simple enough that anybody will feel
comfortable with it. When you start Ares, it lets you auto-scan your PC to
find files you might like to share on the network. Beginners will be relieved
to know that there is *no complex configuration* process - all you need to do
is select the search tab and type the name of the file you want. Once it
appears, double click to begin downloading. You'll be able to check
progress in the transfer tab. The recent update adds bittorrent support,
opening Ares up to loads of new content. If you enjoy communicating with
other users, click on the chat tab and connect to one of the thousands of
channels available. You can pick up tips on how to use Ares better, ask which
files other users recommend or just talk about your life in general. You can
even insert emoticons into your conversation and keep a list of your favorite
chat channels. Of all the P2P programs, Ares probably features *the widest
preview screen*. You can set it to fit to screen or adjust it to your
preference. This is a great way of making sure you're downloading the right
movie or to get a sneak peak at your downloads. Unlike WinMX or
FileNavigator, the two other spin-off Gnutella projects, Ares did not drop
into obscurity and unites a flourishing community of users. However, the same
old problems seem to arise. According to many Ares users, the application
suffers from connection problems that make it difficult to properly search
for a file or successfully complete downloads. Others will worry that Ares is
a smaller network than the globally used Gnutella and does not offer as many
download sources. Ares is an ambitious project, and the fact that it still
remains standing while eDonkey has fallen is characteristic of its
reliability. Thanks to a strong community of users, a simple interface, a
great preview page and multichat service, it's a sharing app that's still
going strong. Ares is the P2P app of choice for anybody interested in sharing
files over the internet.Download *Ares 2.1.8* in Softonic
