When you run BearShare, it will automatically try to connect
to the network by consulting a Gnutella service provider.
Gnutella service providers grant you the IP addresses of
several other computers in the network for you to connect to.
BearShare then tries to connect to those computers, and
collect the addresses of more hosts. This process continues
until the number of connections you specify is reached.
When you have a few steady connections, it is time to move on
to the Search Page. You enter in the key words or phrases for
files you are searching for into the Search Edit box, then
start your search. After a little while, the results will appear
in the Search Results List. Due to the nature of the Gnutella
network, and depending on your connection speed and the number
of hosts you are connected to, some searches may take a little
longer than expected. Be patient! Issuing your search multiple
times will not cause results to come back any faster. In fact,
it might take even longer or not bring back any results at all.
When you find a file you want, double click it in the list.
Your file will be queued for downloading and you will automatically
be switched to the Downloads page.
The Downloads page shows you the status of all of your pending,
in progress, and completed downloads. Sometimes you will not be
able to download a file from a host, for a number of reasons.
You should try the download again in a little while, or get the
file from another host.
Sharing your files is a rewarding experience. The Uploads page
shows you the files other people have requested from you. Sharing
forms the basis of the Gnutella community, and is strongly encouraged.
Don't share anything illegally though.
The BearShare Setup Wizard configures your settings to automatically
share completed downloads by adding your downloads directory to the
list of shared directories.
The BearShare Monitor page shows you all of the files you are sharing,
along with the number of times each file has been downloaded, requested,
or returned as a search result. You can also see what other people
are searching for from here. The BearShare monitor ranks files
according to their popularity, so this is a good way to get an idea
of what kinds of files people are looking for. You can open or play
shared files using the program associated with the file type directly
from the Monitor window. BearShare automatically 'watches' the shared
folders for changes, so if you add or remove files from the folder
using the Windows Explorer or desktop, the Monitor will update to reflect
the new status.
The next sections explain each of the pages in the main window
in more detail. Read them thoroughly to give yourself a good
understanding of how the program works, and you will have a powerful
tool for sharing files on the Internet.
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