(Editors’ note: After publishing this article, we heard from a member of the open-source team that originally developed Shareaza. The developers say that the version of Shareaza we pointed to is based on the open-source code they developed, but is not authorized by them. For more on the controversy, see http://torrentfreak.com/the-shareaza-conspiracy-in-a-nutshell-080313/ And to download the open-source version of Shareaza, go to http://shareaza.sourceforge.net.

Some “free” peer-to-peer programs still make you pay by installing spyware or unwanted third-party products. Shareaza is a P2P client that lets you download any file type you find on any of a number of popular networks. And yes, Shareaza is spyware-free and pleasantly devoid of pop-up ads or third-party products. It lets you download from–and upload to–the EDonkey2000, Gnutella, BitTorrent, and Gnutella2 networks, allowing you to swarm the networks and get fast service.

Note: If you’re using Windows 95, you’ll need the Winsock 2 Update to run Shareaza. NT4 Users may need to download Microsoft’s Tahoma font to make the interface look right. If you’re using Windows 95, you’ll need the Winsock 2 Update to run Shareaza. NT4 Users may need to download Microsoft’s Tahoma font to make the interface look right.

–Preston Gralla

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