diary
of a cyberjunkie
by EleKTriKAyE
~ file
sharing programs--a review
~ KaZaa
shutdown: UPDATE
~ cool link
~ cool download
file sharing programs: a review
many people have asked about
alternatives to the napster p2p file sharing community and what are really the
best alternatives now that the RIAA brethren once again have squashed another
freedom that the web provides us. as
a cyberjunkie, i have taken a vow to investigate all that is cool on the
web...at least in the eyes of this geek.
there are literally 138 different
p2p file swapping/sharing communities on the web...at least at my last count
while researching this article...and as of late, KaZaa is now suspending
downloads pending a court decision on 31 january (hotspot)...obviously someone
does not seem to see that these programs are actually a great marketing tool to
enhance sales, for mp3 downloads tend not to be a the high caliber quality of
the real thing, but yet provides us with the ability to see if we are inclined
to purchase legit copies of their wares...it is also a great outlet for small
indie projects to get their material out on the web...without having to pay fees
(like over at mp3.com)...
with this said, lets take a peek
at what is out there on the web...
i have opted to write on a few
p2p proggies which in my opinion are the top of the heap...KaZaa is my personal
fave, but now that is about to meet the same fate as Napster i too had to find
alternatives...Newtella, Morpheus (KaZaa's sister), and AudioGalaxy Satellite
are definitely worth checking out...
NEWTELLA:
this is a spin-off of the other Gnutella, but at least is easier to
use...though i found it to be a pain on the DL front. the network of users was not too high, but i was able to find
some pretty eclectic material while surfing about, but about 80% of the time was
i unable to get the entire song, or was unable to connect to the particular user
who was listed. i found it really
simplistic and not too eye appealing, but that in itself is not a bad thing.
one thing I would like to know is what the 'connections' feature is for.
i asked about and no one seems to have a clue, although i am willing to bet it
is for direct pc-2-pc linking among members (such as is utilized with messenger
programs). it is a cool program to
use with Gnutella (i personally LOATHE Gnutella for it is for the MTV-generation
and not much to offer there re: types of media), but if you are looking for an
alternative to use with Gnutella, i'd personally use BearShare.
MORPHEUS:
this is my pick of the lot of RIAA survivors...now, to you gung-ho
cyber-revolutionaries who are dead against MS products, do not cringe at my
words--but this proggie integrates/has the feel of IE and Media player...making
it easy for most to use for it appears familiar to them...it is not flashy,
definitely is not a resource-hog...this (like its sister, KaZaa) gives you a
list of all users online who have what you are looking for (audio, video, wares,
and documents), and the FastStream setup on Music City pieces together
fragmented DLs from a variety of users to give you a complete DL...you can run a
zillion DLs at one time if you opt to...i found EVERYTHING i was looking
for...this is a very, very cool setup.
AUDIOGALAXY SATELLITE:
though this is the easiest program i have used, i personally CANNOT STAND
the color blue--and this has that famed blue/gray theme that drives me batty
(though Satellite itself is gray)...it is a great program, great community of
users, and one thing i personally like about it is that they are gearing to the
new generation of indie artists--offering musicians 25mb of web space to aid in
career enhancement via the web...was able to find some pretty cool stuff out
there, but was limited when it came to finding some indie stuff that i was
interested in searching for...they claim that you can access over a million
songs, but for some reason i am hesitant to believe that.
KaZaa
shutdown: UPDATE
if you already have the program,
you can still utilize it--but you cannot go to the site or to C-net's
www.downloads.com and get it...the deal here with respect to the differences
between KaZaa and Napster is that KaZaa does not use a central server as Napster
did, so the millions of copies of the proggie that are out there can still
work...regarding the rumour that it has the capability to shut off the copies
that are already downloaded is in fact true...but come on, folks--aren't you all
hip to the fact that nothing is sacred on the web?
we shall see what the Dutch courts decide after their deliberation at
their favorite hash bar...
cool
site:
MATROX GRAPHICS 3D GAMING SITE
(http://www.matrox.com/mga/3d_gaming/home.cfm): matrox cards rule, and this is definitely a great guide to
some of the latest games, demos, interviews, etc.
cool
download:
LoftTech's SoundServer
(http://www.lofttech.com/soundserver/):
free and very cool cd/mp3 player system, ripper/encoder, and mixing
system. it is now freeware! CHECK
THIS ONE OUT!
next
issue:
~ update on the KaZaa ruling and
it's impact on p2p sharing
~ who is afraid of the big bad
wolf? (Why is XP not selling as well as expected)
~ COOL SITE: genre: graphics/digital art
~ COOL DOWNLOAD: genre: utility
EleKTriKAyE is a digital artist/web designer and existentialista in belleville, michigan. she teaches HTML and Photoshop at a local community college. in her spare time she raises 2 kids, records some techno noise, writes erotica/essays/poetry, and torments our editorial staff. if you have any suggestions for articles, information, cool links/downloads, or just wish to spam her, email her at gothicrose@existentialista.com