IMPROVE FILE EXCHANGE

[Lysergic D]

We need improve the sharing schema with Soulseek.
Many time while searching for music we get file not shared or insane queues.
This need to be addressed somehow.
You can say that music is visible but not shared because of multiple reasons, but even talking to the user about that file, they don't respond. So why have results in the search that aren't available? This pollute the search and is a total waste of time.
Also many users just download content without sharing anything, it must be mandatory for users if they want content, they also need to share it. Messages asking the user to share are completely useless.
I love Soulseek, found really great stuff here but I lost hours searching for music just to hit my head in wall, which is totally pointless to see content that isn't available.
Please guys, lets come up with something to improve this great tool.
Regards to all the staff!

[Nick Polak]

"Lysergic D" wrote:

===Many time while searching for music we get file not shared or insane queues.

You can easily filter out 'unshared' files using the Options in Soulseek. Also you can limit the number of results. You can also use modifiers in your search query string (+ - % etc). 

Additionally, you can 'jump the queue' by donating to Soulseek'; that grants you privileges which include jumping the queue.

===You can say that music is visible but not shared because of multiple reasons, but even talking to the user about that file, they don't respond. 

There are many users who are not actually "there". The increased use of automated processes, including AI-powered scraping tools, has vastly increased the number of machines downloading from Soulseek users. Many of these "users" share nothing, but obviously this will not contribute to the excess of search results.remember that there are users all over the world, many using VPN for access which will limit their ability to respond to you. Many users simply run a fully automated seeding library, and will not know you have sent them a message. 

===So why have results in the search that aren't available? 

The search engine is simply reporting the existence of files, not their availability to you. See above for filtering suggestions, etc.

===Also many users just download content without sharing anything

And here we come to the oldest argument in the file-sharing world, irrespective of method - DC++, Bittorrent, Slsk, blogs - some people want to be part of a vibrant sharing community and others simply want to grab that song they heard somewhere. There are many fixes for this, and it's why some users lock their shares. To me that is a terrible solution. A much better one can be found here: https://github.com/CompositeRegister/Anti-Leecher-for-Nicotine-ProveIt/tree/master

It simply asks a user to prove they are human, and requires them to be sharing a certain amount of files (configurable). It's what I use and I highly recommend it.

===I love Soulseek, found really great stuff here but I lost hours searching for music

Soulseek is the best. I hope you will find some of my suggestions useful.

nick_in_mersey4

[Lysergic D]

Hi Nick,
Thanks a lot for your detailed reply and the suggestions regarding filters; I do use some filters, but I hadn't found the option to hide non-shared files.
I hid private shares, but even so, when I search for and immediately mark items for download, I still get "file not shared" messages.
I’ve attached some images.

I was actually suggesting the implementation of subscription models, which would allow access to more reliable search results and high-quality files; I’d love to contribute that way, as I think it would provide the Soulseek team with greater security and predictability regarding funding.
As for bots and autonomous systems, I really feel they just get in the way and clutter the system.
I’ll look into using your plugin suggestion—thanks again.
Best regards!

[Nick Polak]

You are probably getting 'file not shared' or 'file error' messages as a result of the user either changing the location of the file or modifying/deleting it, but not yet having re-scanned their shares. Sometimes you can 'fix this' by scanning the user's files and manually locating what you were looking for, but obviously if they have deleted it you won't find it. I tend to "ignore" users whose files are badly organised or otherwise unsearchable (by right-clicking the user and selecting the 'scan files' option).

As far as a subscription model, for rather obvious reasons that could never be implemented; as far as more reliable search results and high-quality files, we will all always be at the mercy of the individual user's standards of quality, both in terms of what they are sharing, but more importantly, how they represent what they are sharing. This comes down to a lot of very labour-intensive work of listening, identifying, tagging, labelling, and organising which sadly, for most soulseek users is simply not a priority. We can be saddened and disappointed by that, but we can't control it :)

The biggest problem with 'bots and autonomous systems is that they clog up the available upload slots, particularly for users whose upload speed is capped or otherwise limited.

Good luck with the plug-in and shoot me a message on slsk under my user name and let me know how you get on!

Best,

nick_in_mersey4