In my honest opinion, bearshare is NOT a good peer-to-peer program. Not only is the interface not brilliant, but when I used it, I was the target of repeated Denial of Service attacks as a result (Anne and Barry can probably provide more technical information on this). One of my friends in America recently introduced me to a program called Morpheus that is not only easier to use, but he has never had any malicious attacks through it's use. Perhaps one to investigate as an alternative.
Basic rule of thumb with ANY peer-to-peer program, ALWAYS restrict what files it's allowed to share! Otherwise you could not only let someone access private details, but they could also set you up for seeding copyright files and then you might get your computer confiscated by the police!
