It was just about two decades ago that an online technology called Peer-to-Peer evolved. Also known popularly and in short as P2P, it refers to the connection of 2 computers or 2 network systems via the internet. In P2P downloads, there is no intermediary server involved; the 2 computers are the server and the client.



Their roles change depending on which of them is downloading and which is uploading. Sometime, both actions can happen simultaneously so that each computer becomes a server as well as a client. All you need for P2P downloading is only a simple internet connection and Peer-to-Peer software, which is readily available online, frequently in the form of a membership service.

Napster:

One of the pioneers in this field is Napster, which was developed in 1999, soon after the MP3 digitally compressed format of music became popularly accepted. Napster developed a kind of software that enabled users to connect to one another freely, but the connection was done in a rather cumbersome manner. The server (Napster) would match a user's request for downloads with other users' availability, and then the two parties would be connected through a telephone switchboard!

However, this scheme was destined to become a hit since the more the people that downloaded, the greater the availability of downloads. By 2001, Napster P2P membership had grown to over one million, with over 20 million files available for download.

However, as the Napster Company expanded and became more popular, they faced many lawsuits, especially from the Record Industry Association of America, and even from bands and artists who filed lawsuits against Napster for fear that their CD sales and royalties will be adversely affected.

Napster were eventually forced to close, and then restarted in a different format, charging for copyrighted downloads, the free provision of which was the reason for their original demise. Napster's weakness was that they were the central server through which all downloads were made, and hence could be targeted as being legally responsible for those that were downloaded illegally.

We will now discuss briefly a few of the most outstanding Peer-to-Peer server companies operating today:

Kazaa is one of the earliest to descend on the P2P scene. It provides facilities for search and downloading of files from Kazaa users and sources of shared premium content. It uses a process that makes your searches very fast, and this is possible because it connects to "supermodes" which are computers or networks with very high internet speeds. If a required file cannot be found, Kazaa's "Search Agent" will automatically perform searches every 30 minutes for the next 24 hours to look for the file.

Limewire:

Limewire is one of the open source P2P programs. It has a number of great features, such as unlimited simultaneous searches, integrated chat, "swarm downloads" from multiple hosts, and many more advanced search options. However, only the paid Pro version offers download speeds worth considering.

BitTorrent:

This is one of the latest and most popular Peer-to-Peer file distribution programs. To access the BitTorrent Network for downloading, you have to download the BitTorrent Client which is available in over 20 languages. Once the set-up is complete, you will be in the elite company of over 70 million users who can upload and download at will, not only music and videos but also entire movies at incredible speeds.

You can actually complete the download and watch the movie while it is still running at its original destination! However, such fantastic speeds are attainable only with a broadband internet connection. Due to its excellent speed and other highly favorable features, millions of viewers are downloading original films, videos and music freely, and this has led to many protests and law suits for infringement of provisions of copyright and intellectual property laws. Its weakness is that you don't not receive the entire movie from one client, but only parts from each of a number of them and for this reason it sometimes fails.

BearShare:

Its free edition has many useful P2P features, including MP3 and WAV audio sound files sharing and a messenger service for chatting. It used to use the same Gnutella network as Limewire, but no longer.

Ares makes it possible for you to access the shared folders of other users for searching images, videos, sounds, documents, software and other types of files. Users can decide to share or keep their files or folders as private. It can handle Bittorrent and Shoutcast, and is based on the Gnutella open source software.

Morpheus:

Morpheus has features for the elimination of spyware, video and audio streaming, and support for BitTorrent, podcasts, iTunes, parental controls, and integrated playlist development, among other advanced options. Another novel feature that is incorporated in its latest version is a tool for the detection of copyrighted material.

Although peer-to-peer file sharing services have got a bad press at the moment due to illegal use to download copyrighted movies and music, the p2p software itself is not illegal. It is the way that some people use that creates the problem. However, many musicians make a lot of money due to people downloading tracks and then going out and buying either the albums, or tickets for live shows.

I would think twice about complaining were I them, because they could lose a lot of potential fans by complaining about what to them is a mere drop in the bucket. I have yet to read about a singer or musician who has become poor through music downloads.

In saying that, there is a lot of debate and confusion surrounding the legality of downloading copyrighted material. Apart from the companies that make P2P file sharing possible, many individual users have also been taken to court to face charges, and it is in your interest to use the utmost discretion as to what you download and from what sources you download files. It is also fact that those that have been prosecuted are a very miniscule minority.

However, you are advised not to download copyrighted material, and use the software for the originally intended purpose.