What are P2Ps?

The acronym P2P stands for “peer-to-peer.” Simply, computer users hooked into the Internet are able to come together with Person A “sharing” a file with Person B while the two are connected to one another’s computers via a P2P program.

Napster was the Internet’s first P2P cause celebre. Napster used a central server to allow users to connect to one another. These days, however, file-sharing programs are designed to connect users without connecting them to the Web site, but through the software.

So, in layman’s terms, a P2P is a program that acts as a conduit to allow you and another computer user to share files (music, movies, games, applications, etc.) The P2P program will normally have a search function that will allow you to find the files for which you are looking.

Is This legal?

Well, owning file-sharing software is not illegal. In fact, there’s nothing illegal with sharing files, either. The problems come when the files being shared are copyrighted. Now, being that the majority of files being traded are copyright protected, then, yes, a lot of P2P activity is illegal.

While many will stand under the banner that the music/film/gaming/computer industry has gouged them for years, and file sharing is sweet payback. Justify it as you will, as we are not here to judge. But, technically, the P2P networks have created a lot of new petty criminals.

Courts around the globe have been working on the copyright-infringement laws in regards to file sharing for the last several years. Of Course, in Napster’s early days, a few young people were actually convicted of music piracy, though at the moment, it does not appear any government is looking to punish random, normal file-sharers.

In the Beginning: Napster

Like nearly everything on the Internet, Napster was created by an 18-year-ol college dropout. Shawn Fanning created the original Napster P2P software so that friends could get together online and share files they enjoy.

The software changed everything. Quickly, Napster’s Web site and software was the hottest thing on the Internet, with countless people swapping files throughout the cyber universe.

Napster’s success led to a flurry of lawsuits in the end. Losing most of those battles, Napster’s remaining assets were purchased by the company Roxio for $5 Million(US). Currently, Napster’s Web site is a legal P2P file-sharing site, with users paying a monthly fee to access the files they want.

Legal File Sharing

As the file sharing of music goes, there are plenty of bands out there that have no problem with, and actually encourage their music to be shared. These are usually unsigned bands, however. Once the music companies are involved, they will want their share.

There are new P2P networks opening almost daily on the Internet. Wippit and Weed are two that will allow you to trade files for a fee but free of guilt. Unfortunately, for most of the free networks, the amounts of, and choices of files can be small.

Most, if not all, record companies are working on sites for people to buy their music in MP3 form (the form of encoding used for music files). Make sure to check any file-sharing software you want to use for compatibility. For example: Apples ITunes Web site has a great library of songs, but you can only download files to play for Apple’s Ipod.

File-Sharing Programs

P2P programs work on networks. Thus far, no single program has been able to connect to all of them, though some support multiple networks. Larger networks include Gnutella, FastTrack, OpenNap. EDonkey and Filetopia.

The FastTrack Network is used by the software programs KaZaA, Grokster, and Morpheus, with all three being extremely popular P2P programs currently. These programs are all available for free to download and use. There are many Web sites available that can help you research P2P programs, to find the best one for yourself.

Opening a Can of Worms

So you’ve decided you want to be a part of the file-sharing revolution, moral consequences be darned. Well, good for you. However, the road to file-sharing bliss has become blocked with all types of malicious bugs.

Files downloaded other users can contain spyware that can track your online activity or control your computer. They can also contain computer trojans, worms, or viruses that can potentially damage your computer. Also, the viruses can be sent from you to other users once you have downloaded files and begun sharing them. Keeping your anti-virus program updated and checking your computer often for viruses and spyware is recommended. Also, P2P programs normally allow users to view the contents of each others' shared folders, i.e., give another person access to your computer. If you have personal information in your shared folder, anyone else using the same P2P software has access to it, opening the door for identity theft.

The New Contender

The new buzzword for file sharing these days is BitTorrent. Peer-to-peer in nature, the BitTorrent program encourages users to upload and download files simultaneously to utilize bandwidth efficiently.

In network like FastTrack, a downloader receives a file from a single source, however the newest version of some clients allow downloading a single file from multiple sources for higher speeds. With these networks, popular files become harder to access. With BitTorrents technology, popular files would actually become easier to use. The BitTorrent technology allows file-sharing transactions to be tracked anonymously, removing the need for a larger program and network.

The Future of File Sharing

Lets face it, P2P file sharing issues should be in the courts for a long, long time. As technology advances, however, companies are beginning to understand the possibilities of P2P and are working to make their products available for a fee.

So, yes, while they are murky waters we currently stand in, the likelihood is that file sharing is here to stay. The consumer’s have spoken, and the music, film and gaming companies are starting to respond, hopefully making us all winners in the end.

External Links:

• The File-Sharing Portal - A very big site where you can research, download P2P programs, etc. A must for new P2Pers.
• The official BitTorrent site - Learn about and download BitTorrent here.
• All the music you want, any way you want it. - The New, fee-based Napster currently has more than 1 million music files in its library.
• Fighting for P2P Technology - They are like Robin Hoods of file sharing, it seems.