Virtual Shareware Library

[ Search now ! * Shase mirrors ]

This Virtual Shareware Library (VSL) catalogues some 111000 free programs available from 21 biggest software archives and their mirrors free over the Internet. The combined size of the files is about 13 gigabytes. The library can be accessed through a front desk which runs the Shareware search engine (SHASE). SHASE simplifies the search for files and eases the downloading into client's computer.

Unlike Archie Shase enables you to search by file descriptions, dates and sizes, In addition to file names. Shase is thus only available for managed software archives like Cica, Simtel, Hobbes OS/2 archive ...

Mirror Sites

HKUST became the SHASE mirror sites in May 1995. There are other mirror sites arround the world.
Main site
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Australasia
Telstra Corporation, Melbourne, Australia.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, HongKong.
Europe
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine London, England.
University of Vaasa, Finland.
Technical University of Chemnitz-Zwickau, Germany.
North America
OAK Repository, Oakland University, Michigan, USA.
Computerlink/Internet Direct, Toronto, Canada.
Compusult Limited in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, Canada.

Acknowledgements

  1. This library would not have been possible without archive managers who manage archives which are part of this virtual library.
  2. Hudreds of thosands requests per month created an obligation to maintain and develop the service.
  3. Improvements to this service are greatly due to the numerous feedback emails. It's nice to read a thank-you from a satisfied user!
  4. In particular I'd like to thank surfers who reported a bug irelated to a particular client and also took the time to diagnoze the problem or test the correction.
  5. The forthcomming batch-ftp support and some refinements matured through numerous discussions with Angelo Haritsis.
  6. Some legal aspects of this service were made clearer by Timo Salmi and Keith Petersen.
  7. Last but not least, this service run on a faculty computer which was donated by the EC. I hope we made good use of it!

Copyright

The Virtual Shareware Library (VSL) is copyrighted as a collection. This copyright does NOT have precedence over the copyrights of individual archives which are included in the VSL. Neither has this copyright precedence over the copyrights of the programs which are indexed in the VSL.

The VSL is offered free for individual use. Any other use of the VSL, including mirroring, copying parts of the database or the search engine must have explicit permission by the VSL manager. To protect the rights of individual archives such permissions will be granted only for purposes equivalent to those of the VSL which is to simplify the search of software on the Internet.

Last Revised: 28/6/95