[news=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/monochromecrystals/Random/p2p_ares.jpg]File sharing network Ares began life in December 2002, when the Ares Gnutella client broke away from the Open Source Gnutella network to form its own proprietary decentralized network.
As the FastTrack network faltered under the pressure of fake files and lawsuits, Ares was in the right place at the right time to pick up the refugees.
With help from the Warez P2P client for Ares, the network grew exponentially, reaching a reported 500,000 by mid-2004.
Warez P2P claimed the network reached 1,000,000 in September last year and that the network briefly topped 2,000,000 early this year.
The figures produced by Warez P2P are hotly debated, but one thing is for sure, Ares is a big player in the market.
Alberto, the developer of Ares P2P, has up to now funded his project by including adware, although the installer did give users the option to opt-out.
Now, however, Alberto has cleared all adware and spyware from the installer and opened the source code to developers.
The new Open Source Ares is available at Sourceforge, who provide free services to Open Source developers.
There is some speculation the decision to release the source code is related to the RIAA, who, emboldened by recent court decisions, have been sending cease-and-desist letters to various P2P companies, demanding they stop “enabling and inducing the infringement of RIAA member sound recordings.”
Alberto was not available for immediate comment.
This is not the first time Open Source fans have been able to connect to the network. In January, KCeasy gained support for Ares.
:source: Source: Slyck.com[/news]
