Soulseek
Soulseek is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network and application, used mostly to exchange music. It was created by Nir Arbel, an Israeli programmer from Safed. The current Soulseek network is the second to have been in operation, both run by the same management. The older network, used up to version 156 of the client, was shut down after usage dropped to almost nothing. Version 157 of the client was the last for Microsoft Windows only, and work on it ceased in 2008. Its replacement, SoulseekQT, is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. SoulseekQt has slightly different functionality compared to the 157 client interface. Key features Content As a peer to peer (P2P) file sharing program, the accessible content is determined by the users of the Soulseek client, and what files they choose to share. The network has historically had a diverse mix of music, including underground and independent artists, unreleased music, such as demos and mixtapes, bootlegs, live tracks, and live DJ sets, but releases from major and independent labels can also be found. Central server Soulseek depends on a pair of central servers. One server supports the original client and network Version 156, with the other supporting the newer network (functioning with clients 157 and Qt). While these central servers are key to coordinating searches and hosting chat rooms, they do not actually play a part in the transfer of files between users, which takes place directly between the users concerned. (See Single Source Downloads below). Searching Users can search for items; the results returned being a list of files whose names match the search term used. Searches may be explicit or may use wildcards/patterns or terms to be excluded. For example, searching for blue suede -shoes will return a list of files whose names containing the strings blue and suede, but files containing the string shoes in their names will be excluded. A feature specific to the Soulseek search engine is the inclusion of the folder names and file paths in the search list. This allows users to search by folder name. For example, typing in experimental will return all the files that are contained in folders having that name, providing quick access to bands and albums in a determined musical genre. The list of search results shows details, such as the full name and path of the file, its size, the user who is hosting the file, together with that users' average transfer rate, and brief details about the encoded track itself, such as bit rate, length, etc. The resulting search list may then be sorted in a variety of ways and individual files (or folders) chosen for download. The Soulseek protocol search algorithms are not published, as those algorithms run on the server. Single source (one-to-one) downloads Soulseek does not support multi-source downloading or "swarming" like other post-Napster clients, and must fetch a requested file from a single source. (By contrast, swarming allows a requested file to be sourced from a number of users who have