MEDIA FILE SHARING OVER NETWORKS
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
BY
RHONDA LEWIS
Introduction:
- The definition of file sharing software
- Brief history on how MP3 file sharing got
started
- The three types of internet file sharing
exchanges
- Pros and Cons of each of The exchanges
- Other File sharing software
- The legal battle of several file sharing
companies
- The future of file sharing
- Conclusion
- Reference page
Intro
First off, I would like to explain what file sharing software. File sharing software is anything that allows the swapping of files (audio, graphics, animation, etc) between users across a network. This means every time you burn CD’s, or download movies, you are probably file sharing, or down loading this information form someone else’s computer file. This has become a big problem in the music industry. Why buy CD when you can download music form someone else’s computer file?
How file sharing got started (The History)
File sharing was started by a nineteen-year-old college student Shawn Fanning, who wanted to trade music with his friends in MP3 format all over the country. They discovered that they where having problems finding all the music they wanted, and that I when they came up with the Napster program, which was a way for people to each other and trade files. Fanning started this program in September of 1999. The next wave in file sharing can from a program call Scour. This was a “wide-media” file-sharing program, which means a variety of file types. With Scour you could down load movies, audio, text and pictures and music, while Napster you could only download music.
There are three types of Internet file sharing exchanges and before you can understand the pro and cons of Napster and programs like Napster and Scour I will briefly explain each one:
1. Centrally indexed Exchanges
These exchanges distribute, free of charge software that allows you to log into their servers. As you logon, a description of a portion of the files on you heard drive usually Mp3 files are uploaded to the server. Every on else logged on can have access to your files from the server and you have access to theirs.
Pros and Cons of Centrally Indexed Exchanges
Pros: easy to use, excellent selection and quick searches.
Cons: Lack of Privacy, not enough security.
The Big Four of centrally indexed exchanges are Napster, CuteMX, iMesh, and Scour Exchange.
- Peer to Peer Exchanges
Much like centrally indexed exchanges, users download a free program, which gives access to the exchange; however, there is no central indexing of files. Everyone logged-on has access to everyone else’s files. So each computer is a client and a server, each user can see which files are for sharing and download. Gnutella is an example of peer-to-peer exchange. This exchange has been available since 2000.
Pros and cons of Peer-to-Peer Exchanges
Pros: High degree of privacy, good selection,
Cons: More complex to configure, slower searches, higher bandwidth requirements.
- Gateway Portal
Gateway portals are a new class of Internet portal that have just became available in the last few months. The distinguishing feature of the gateway portals is that users typically do not need to download software before searching and downloading a file, and Gateway portals are not really exchanges, but it gives users access to other exchanges.
How to use a Gateway Portal
Go to the website www.zeropaid.com/gnusearch/, and type the name of the file you are looking for, like you would do in ask Jeeves or yahoo and hit search. Then the portal searches Gnutella, Napster, Scour, or any other the other exchanges and return with the results of the search. These portals acts are a big search engine that specializes in file sharing exchanges. ZeroPaid is an example of a gateway that searches Gnutella network.
Pro and Cons of Gateway Portals
Pros: Good to excellent selection, higher degree of privacy than exchanges, easy to use
Cons: A bit clunky in their current incarnation, users can download files but can’t upload files.
Centrally Indexed Exchanges
The big for of the centrally indexed exchanges are Napster, CuteMX, iMesh, and Scour Exchange.
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Napster has the greatest music
selection of the centrally indexed exchanges, which is also the pioneer of mp3
file sharing. Napster in the past few
months have figured out how to connect all of their serves at one time. You used to have access to about 500,000
files with 5,000 users at one time but know you have access to almost twice
that many files at one time. Napsters
other features include searches by artists and song title, and also the bit
rate. Napster is measured in
CuteMX (www.cutemx.com) is great for music and other media exchanges as well. But cutemx can’t search both by artist and song title and It is also suffering from low awareness few people know about CuteMX, and have little network effects.
Peer-to-Peer Exchanges
There are primarily two peer-to-peer exchanges Gnutella and Ian Clarke’s Free Network project. The Free Network is promising from a security standpoint but is not ready for primetime.
With Gnutella a user is connected to several other computers
at once, and information can be received from many sources simultaneously. Gnutella is a networking protocol, which in
definition can speak to other computers who are signed in with Gnutella
compatible software
LL
LimeWire
User interface is Gnutella application available
A favorite Gnuetella clone is FURI. FURI is Java based, so it can run on MACS as well as PCs. FURI as has a chat option like Napster and CuteMX. The only downfall to FURI is that it takes at least 100 Megs of RAM and a cable modem or more to operate it.
Gateway Portals
The newest group of file sharing applications, gateway portals doesn’t really use file sharing. By using these portals you can search for a particular MP3 or MPEG but others are not able to search your files. You are sharing on centrally exchange files like Napster, and peer-to-peer files like Gnutella. So as long as they stay in business this is the best way to search as far as security goes.
File sharing grows at a very fast paste. At the height of its popularity in early February 2001, the service Shawn Fanning’s and 80 million registered users. Being the pioneer of media file sharing many other companies founded with very similar results. Like Yahoo, which in the same, year and month had 54 million users per month? Besides Yahoo here are a few more file sharing programs:
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The RIAA and Music Labels Sue Several File Sharing Companies
Even though will love all of the free download services the music industry is having a big problem with Napster and Scour and a few more like it. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) representing the music labels and leading organizations are fighting copyright violations online.
Six companies have been targeted—Napster, Scour, Aimster, MuisCity, Grokster, and Consumer Empowerment faced copyright infringement lawsuits for creating software applications that allowed users to trade media files with others. The same six have also been accused of illegally using copyrighted entertainment like movies, music, etc…
Napster is still in a legal battle with the RIAA but have came out with an application which allows the record labels to see and restrict with filters what you can download. Because of this record companies are coming out with there own downloading sites one is PRESSPLAY by Sonya.
This is something that I don’t see going away. People have become used to be able to download any song they want at a touch of a button. And the record industry can’t afford to just take it away are start arresting people for downloading music. Downloading in a way is a way for marketing music some people will down load certain sound and go and stay buy the CD.
I see file sharing a lot like the DVD or VCR even a tape recorder. You could record a lot of movies right off of TV, but you will which the movie on TV and still go and buy a copy at the store to watch again.
The future of Media File Sharing
Most likely music companies and record labels will first attempt to undercut the momentum of the free services the giving you a better deal at the marketplace if you buy a CD, with special promotions like buy one get one free or by cutting the price of CD’s. Or they may find a way to get some of the profit by having the sites to only let you download small snippets of each song on a CD and making you pay for the whole CD. Using the sites as samplers. Or they will just wait it out a lot of record labels see this as a fad and they feel that people will get bored with this and eventually stop downloading because of lack of band width or not good quality downloads and start buying from the marketplace again.
Conclusion
Napster programs started by a nine-teen-year old College freshman have opened a Pandora’s Box, and the music industry will never be the same. File sharing has been the fastest growing service in history. I don’t see it going away, I see it changing somewhat and some of the companies may even let the record labels in on the profits. But to say that this is a fad that will just go away, I don’t think so. File sharing is too convenient. You can download a movie, a CD, or whatever in a push of a button. There are some people that will whether go and buy a CD and don’t have to go thru the trouble of searching for it and these will be the people that will continue to go to the store and purchase DVD’s, CD, movies. File sharing is here to stay on the job as well as in the entertainment industry.
References
Green, Matthew, student author. Source:
http://newfirstsearch.oloc.org/webZ/FTFETCH?sessionid=sp04sw01-61211-deoikf7p-mw
Www.
Pitchforkmedia.com/watw/02-06/audiogalazy.shtml.
King, Brad File instantly Is Easier<
www.
Wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,48071,00.html
www. Wired.com/news/print/0,1294,48071,00.html
http: www.rapstation.com/swapmeet/reviews/