View and vote on the article here: What is P2P File Sharing
What is P2P File Sharing| Category | | | Summary | | As the name suggests, P2P file sharing allows files to be shared between two people. Although there is no need for a central server, there will always be intermediaries. There will sometimes be an access point to the network, and there will nearly always |
| | Body | BitTorrent
?BitTorrent is a P2P system that makes transferring large files (or groups of files) amongst a large group of people easy, fast and efficient. The BitTorrent network is set up in a slightly different way than a normal P2P network. On Bittorrent, you really don't search for files that other users have via the client, as you would with traditional clients like Kazaa. Rather, you go to websites that have lists of recently released files.?*1
Bittorrent seems to be the network of choice for most serious geeks; those people who know where to go to find the filenames, and know how to use the applications to download those files. It tends not to be used by beginners so much due to the lack of a search option within the download application.
DirectConnect
?DirectConnect, developed by Neo Modus, is one of the older file-sharing communities still in existence. What began as a small community of only a few thousand individuals has grown into a major P2P player. Over time, DirectConnect's popularity was spurred by the decline of Napster. In this community, hundreds of servers (Hubs) are operated by independent individuals worldwide. Many hubs have specialties which include; music, movies and CD images. While music is quite prolific on this network, DirectConnect is best known for the latter two.?*2
My only experience with DirectConnect is through university. It seems to be the main source of file sharing at my university within the residence halls. They even have hubs for each residence, and people assigned to monitor them and look after them.
LimeWire
?LimeWire is a file sharing program running on the Gnutella Network. It is open standard software running on an open protocol, free for the public to use. LimeWire allows you to share files such as .mp3s, .avis, .jpgs, tiffs, etc. Limewire is written in Java, and will run on Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Sun, and other computing platforms. Publish your original content to the world without setting up a website!?*3
Limewire is a generic and popular file sharing program. It is simple to use and gives you results. It has a search option that allows beginners to type a keyword and get a list of files. It has advanced search features in case you?re looking for a particular file or file type, and it has a large number of users.
Evaluation of good + bad points
It?s quite difficult to look at P2P file sharing as a whole and point out the good and bad points, because there are so many different types of network that allow P2P file sharing, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
For example, the BitTorrent network has the disadvantage that there is no search function built into the download application. So, you need to know where to find the files you want. However, it does have the advantage of being much quicker and easier to use once you know where to look.
The DirectConnect type of network is very easy to use but is an aging system, and as such the number of users (and the amount of up to date content) is progressively getting smaller.
The LimeWire type of network is very simple to use and has a growing userbase, which makes it easy to find and download up-to-date content. However, due to the number of users on the network at any given time, you often have to wait to download files, or you get poor download speeds.
Larger Issues
Of course, if we are going to ask if P2P file sharing is good or evil, we need to look deeper than different types of applications. We need to consider some of the other issues associated with it.
Spyware
One of the major issues with most P2P file sharing applications is that they come with a whole multitude of spyware attached. In order to keep the software free (and often for other less altruistic reasons), the software designers ?package in? various bits of spyware. This provides us with adverts and provides them with whatever they want. Some of this spyware goes further than just providing us with information. I won?t go into the many issues associated with spyware as that is outside the scope of this article. Simply put, you should be aware that spyware is commonly packaged with P2P File Sharing applications.
One exception to this seems to be BitTorrent. The system used to share files on BitTorrent differs greatly from other generic P2P file sharing applications (as discussed above) and as such doesn?t have the large search interface. This also seems to reduce the need for advertising and spyware. For a better idea of why this is the case I recommend looking at the various protocols used for different types of P2P file sharing networks.
Legal Issues
There are two issues I wish to consider here. The first has to do with spyware and the EULA that you agree to when you install the P2P software. The second regards the copyright of the files that are shared on the network.
When you install a generic P2P file sharing application, you agree to the EULA (End User License Agreement). However, no one ever reads the EULA; they just click 'OK' and carry on with the installation. If you were to read it, you would see that it is often a breach of terms to remove the spyware packaged with the application. Therefore, everyone who thinks they?ll install the software and then run AdAware is violating the EULA, and is using the application illegally.
Considering the fact that people often use P2P file sharing networks to find and share illegal copies of music, movies, and software, it probably doesn?t bother them too much that the software itself is illegal. However, if you are using it for a legal reason (sharing documents, free music, etc.), it is something you need to be aware of.
Secondly, the content downloaded and transferred on the network: As I am sure you are aware, the most popular things shared on P2P Networks are music files (MP3s), movies, and software.
First we consider music. The music is often ripped from CDs or from digital radio stations or other sources that have a strict policy on how the music can be shared (i.e. normally it can?t be shared, only recorded and stored for your own playback). Nevertheless, these songs are often shared freely on File Sharing Networks. This is illegal.
Next we consider movies. These are either ripped from DVD?s (into a DivX format), made as videos from within cinemas which are often of very poor quality, or copies of ?preview films? before they have been classified or released (identified by the times and copyright notices). All of these are illegal.
Finally we consider software. While P2P file sharing networks can be used to great effect for sharing freeware and getting your software known by people, the majority of software transferred is illegal copies of well-known software packages and operating systems. These are either supplied with keys or have been cracked in some way. Again, these copies are illegal.
So just remember when you use these programs to share the latest movie with your friends or to get the latest Top 40 singles, it is all illegal!
Corporate and Economic Issues
While the copyright and EULA agreements are legal matters, there are a number of economic issues to consider as well.
One side says that for every person who downloads an illegal copy of a song, album, or movie, that?s one less person who will buy the item legally. This then reduces the income of the people providing the content. While it may not seem like much money to begin with, a few pounds for a single, a few more to go to the movies, a few more for a DVD, it all adds up and makes it difficult for lesser known artists to make a living.
The other side contends that as artists gain more exposure through file sharing, their sales actually increase. This is attributed to the high cost of products deterring the public from taking a chance on lesser known artists.
When considering the sharing of unlicensed software, the loss can be anything from a few pounds up to hundreds of pounds (e.g. for a Microsoft based OS). While some say this doesn?t affect a company of that size, if hundreds or thousands of people begin doing this, it could have a big effect on the company.
Software corporations are facing the ever-increasing popularity of free open source products that outperform their costly rivals, and some claim that this competition has a much larger effect on the corporate bottom line than file sharing does.
These issues could have a larger economic effect as well. For example; less money going into the local economy. Consider the small CD shop that sells the latest singles. People stop going there because they can save a few pounds by downloading it for free online,so the shop goes out of business. This affects the local economy - people stop going to the cinema because they can get the movie for free online. People stop buying software from their local computer shops because they can get illegal copies shared on P2P networks.
This takes money out of the local economy, and when you consider the scale of a P2P network, it can affect national economies. It could furthermore be argued that the increase of online sales will have a similar effect on the global economy, but since these issues are almost impossible to prove either way, it's likely to remain a controversy whenever File Sharing is discussed.
MalWare
How do you know what it is that you are downloading before it gets to your computer and you open it? This is a very important question. How do you know if that newly released film is what it says it is? It could be a different film, a corrupt file, or it could even be a worm or virus.
There are plenty of people out there who find it highly amusing to take their latest virus, rename it to something appealing, and put it in their shared directory. The next thing that happens is someone does a search for that latest film and finds an entry. They click on it and wait for it to download. Eager to see the film before all their friends do, they immediately run it once it?s finished downloading. What happens next is anyone's guess. If the virus writer is just a bit of a joker, your machine may restart or print a message to the screen. If they are more malicious, you could end up with data being erased, a corrupt operating system, and the prospect of reinstalling everything from a backup (if you make them) - just to be able to see the latest film before your friends, listen to the latest music, or get that new bit of software for free.
The question you have to ask is: is it really worth it?
Summary
In this article I have looked at several things. I have considered some of the advantages and disadvantages of various types of P2P file sharing applications. I then moved on to consider some of the underlying issues associated with P2P file sharing in general. So what conclusions can be drawn from all this? Is file sharing good or evil?
My personal opinion is that file sharing technology in general is a good thing. It allows us to send files to our friends quickly and easily over the Internet. I use it to share photos, project work, and documentation with people I know.
However, there are lots of issues that people must be aware of when using P2P, such as spyware and malware, as well as illegal content.
We could also argue that the existence of P2P file sharing networks encourages this illegal behavior.
So when we add this all up what do we decide? Good? or Evil?
I?ll let you decide for yourselves!
References
*1 http://www.slyck.com/bt.php
*2 http://www.slyck.com/dc.php
*3 http://www.limewire.com/english/content/company.shtml
|
|
This article was imported from zZine. (original author: Tacheon)
There are no replies to this post yet.
|