Posted: 12/11/2002 9:27:51 AM EDT
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Anyone have any suggestions for the best free peer to peer file sharing software? I have kazaa but can't find files many times, you can't have buddy lists, you cant keep jerks who don't share from downloading, etc... is there anything better out there? |
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I'm fairly new to ICQ, but it does have file sharing available. Additionally, who may access your "ICQ Shared Files" folder is customizable. When you install ICQ, an "ICQ Shared Files" folder (or shortcut) will appear on your desktop after installation. Having said that, these "shared files" utils sorta make me uncomfortable in terms of security. I would not use such a utility unless I was running Win 2000 Pro or Xp Pro (or better) as I believe they are more rigorous in terms of security. Additionally I have both hardware and software firewalls. Additionally, I keep all my sensitive files on a PGP (encrypted) disk so that even if my PC is swiped, the files are inaccessible to those who don't know my passphrase. I'm pretty much a security neophyte, so I'm hoping others will chime-in on this topic. Hope this helps, Kevin |
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Have you ever heard of IRC (internet relay chat)??? The most popular windows client is MIRC at [url]www.mirc.com[/url] It was origionally just chatting software years ago, but quickly became a forum for trading software. It's been around I don't know how long. I first used it way before napster for mp3s but you can get any software you want including playstation and playstation 2 games, dreamcast games, PALM software and of course PC games...There may be xbox ones alos, but I haven't messed with it in quite awhile...since I found AR15.com [:D] It can be QUITE envolved at first, and a pain if you run a firewall to get setup right. But once you figure it out, it's just liek anything else. They have different ettiquet in different rooms. Some rooms you can ask for stuff, others will ban for asking. They want you to download lists of what they have, and often have long queues to receive files. Mp3 rooms are the easiest and most generous. Best to try and get started with mp3z.... You should download it and try it out...email me if you get stuck. It has been around and will be around. Once you get the hang of it, it is the most reliable too. |
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I've tried them all, and for one reason or another, I now ONLY use WinMX. No spyware, and it lets you select a very wide range of parameters for all file downloads. MP3's, Video, DVD, Software....you name it. In my opinion, there is nothing that comes close, except for Kazaa and the number of people who use Kazaa. WinMX however comes with ZERO spyware, and due to the nature of peer to peer file sharing, spyware is not acceptable on any level for me. [url]http://www.winmx.com/[/url] [b][i]What is WinMX? WinMX is a FREE file-sharing program like no other. It allows you to connect, download, and share files with MILLIONS of other users through the decentralized WinMX Peer Network. Once WinMX is installed, you'll have access to one of the largest and most diverse networks of shared media files in the world. And unlike many other 'peer to peer' software providers, we respect your privacy and will never sell you out to spyware. When you download WinMX, you're getting WinMX and only WinMX, no bundled spyware, no ads, no B.S. Features High performance peer-to-peer protocol Share and DOWNLOAD ANY FILE TYPE Multi-sourced downloading for maximum speed on broadband connections Auto-Complete feature continuously seeks out new download sources, even after WinMX is restarted Detailed bandwidth monitoring and throttling controls Complete upload and download queuing system Fully decentralized chat OpenNap connectivity for expert users Powerful docking window interface great for hi-res and multi-monitor systems Compatible with most LAN configurations WinMX respects your privacy and doesn't contain spyware[/b][/i] |
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imesh and xolox sucked compared to kazaa IMO (just got done dinking with them) I have used IRC in the past but don't care for it...too time consuming to establish relationships with people to get the good stuff. I don't care about MP3Z as I already have more music than I can listen to....mostly looking to trade video clips...the newsgroups are good for this but I don't have access to any good groups through my provider and I don't know if any of the pay newsgroups are worth it...would rather not find out the hard way |
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M4's got it pegged with [url=www.winmx.com]WinMX[/url]. Multipoint downloads, auto-complete with automatic find alternative sources and queue, an easy to use interface with a lot of customizing ability... And it works through the LAN Nothing comes close Jonathan |
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Kazaa user: Torf (Supreme Being) checking in... Popular stuff is easily found there. Obscure stuff is a bit harder to come by, but really, all services or programs will be that way. I had a hard time finding obscure stuff on Napster before they closed it down. I believe that the bigger the community you enter, the better selection of stuff you will find. |
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I hear ya torf but let me give you an example of my Kazaa frustamications (yes I know its not a word so hold the flames, plz) I found one guy that has about 20 clips I am looking for...but I'm constantly remotely queued and I know he's sharing and he says he got the files on kazaa...so why on earth is he the only one I can find with the files!!?? Most of the people sucking up my bandwidth are not sharing! that drives me mad...I don't care if they have nothing I want but if they aren't going to share with other people, I'd rather let someone who shares with others d/l and share the wealth. These people cannot be banned/executed/ etc so that they cannot d/l from me ARGH! Why is it that there are TONS of EXCELLENT HIGH QUALITY video clips available on newsgroups but these same clips cannot be found on kazaa...if I knew of a good newsgroup server I would probably use that instead of kazaa...found terific stuff when I was on 56K and had uncensored groups for free...anyone know of a good newsgroup service? I'll try WinMX next and see if that's any better *grumble* |
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Quoted: I hear ya torf but let me give you an example of my Kazaa frustamications (yes I know its not a word so hold the flames, plz) Sax-o-mo-phone! I found one guy that has about 20 clips I am looking for...but I'm constantly remotely queued and I know he's sharing and he says he got the files on kazaa...so why on earth is he the only one I can find with the files!!?? Probably because the people that he is uploading to are placing these files in a "not shared" folder as soon as they are complete. I do that sometimes if I download a file I know will be particularly popular. I also have a T1 here, so I can afford to allow a few simultaneous uploaders. Most of the people sucking up my bandwidth are not sharing! that drives me mad...I don't care if they have nothing I want but if they aren't going to share with other people, I'd rather let someone who shares with others d/l and share the wealth. These people cannot be banned/executed/ etc so that they cannot d/l from me ARGH! You should definately limit the number of simultaneous unloads if you are running into bandwidth issues. I can hardly blame people for not sharing much if they are on a 28.8k modem! Remember the good old days of FTP sharing? Then you could specify a download/upload ratio. In order to get credits for downloading, you could upload a song. Most good FTP servers were 4:1 or 5:1. I actually enjoyed uploading stuff to other people's computers. I always tried to upload some relatively obscure stuff that I thought many people would like. Remember, the more stuff that is out there, the better the chances are that you can download it! I don't really like their whole notion of Supernodes though. I think that you should be able to search through all supernodes or all users if you are having trouble finding somthing. What good is a search if you can't make it universal enough to pick up what you want? I wouldn't mind waiting several minutes for a search to complete, if it meant that I could find what I was looking for. |
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I don't mind giving up bandwidth to share but it's ridiculous when people are downlaoding at 6 and 7 kb/sec and not sharing... I wouldnt expect a 14.4 or for that matter a 56k guy to share that much and I sure wouldn't wanna wait to d/l video from them... but if you're getting 5+ k from me alone and not sharing I hate you on the upside...winmx seems to have a lot more files but queues are huge....havent gotten any files yet so I'll reserve judgment til I play with it more |
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Quoted: winmx seems to have a lot more files but queues are huge....havent gotten any files yet so I'll reserve judgment til I play with it more [url]http://www.slyck.com/newssep2002/091402b.html[/url] An interview with the head guy behind WinMX. He addresses the issue of long queues (related to the fact that there is an auto-search and auto-enter-queue) I usually set it to recheck for sources every 30-45 minutes, and auto-enter the queue for queues less than 100 and let it sit til it gets the file... usually only takes a day or so unless its an obscure file - might take a few days then Jonathan |
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Hey...you sound like you know what you are talking about (much more so than I) I just grabbed this prog based on the suggestions made here and love the fact that I actually have access to files I could never find before!!! I have figured a couple things out...u/l d/l bandwidth limits... how to change auto find sources and auto enter queue and a couple of other things....What I'm clueless about is how to interpret certain portions of the interface and what the hell auto enter queue means and why wouldn't I auto search for sources as frequently as possible? I cannot interpret the download screen at all... I haven't spent all day trying to figure it out (cause its at work) but it certainly isn't intuitive...or I'm not...either way... I'm not catching on to the meaning of the different numbers and color codes...fill me in |
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Quoted: WInmx, brought to you by the US GOVT. Probably part of the govt's settlement with MS [tin foil hat mode on] TXLEWIS Tin foil hat or not, that is totally untrue. WinMX is the ONLY private peer to peer file sharing out there and the results it gets are absolutely fantastic. It doesn't get any better than WinMX....and they have nothing to do with the government or Microsoft. |
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I think these are defaults, but I may have configured them somewhere down the line on the transfers screen, the + or - in the box next to the file name expands or collapses the list of people you are downloading from on multi-point downloads Light blue = complete Green = downloading Regular blue = local queue (if you've set a limit on the no files you can download from one person at a time) dark blue = remote queue Red = problem somewhere in the lower half, orange means they are in your queue; light blue for complete, green for current xfer Setting the auto search and auto enter for as low and as high as they can go (respectively) is what makes the queue lengths so long. I set mine at 30-45 mins because I figure its a waste of bandwidth to search any faster. Things can change some in 30 minutes, less so in 10 mins. The Auto enter queue works like this: When you find someone with the file and they have people in line waiting (queued), it tells you how many people are waiting. If the number returned is lower than your "auto enter queue" number, then you enter their queue, and wait in line. HTH Jonathan |
| For those of you using WinMX I might suggest you get NapMX. NapMX is a little program that loads the latest active server list into WinMX. Without it I seldom find a good active server without a wait. With it I connect to 7 or 8 servers right away. Gotta love it. |
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Quoted: I think these are defaults, but I may have configured them somewhere down the line on the transfers screen, the + or - in the box next to the file name expands or collapses the list of people you are downloading from on multi-point downloads Light blue = complete Green = downloading Regular blue = local queue (if you've set a limit on the no files you can download from one person at a time) dark blue = remote queue Red = problem somewhere in the lower half, orange means they are in your queue; light blue for complete, green for current xfer Setting the auto search and auto enter for as low and as high as they can go (respectively) is what makes the queue lengths so long. I set mine at 30-45 mins because I figure its a waste of bandwidth to search any faster. Things can change some in 30 minutes, less so in 10 mins. The Auto enter queue works like this: When you find someone with the file and they have people in line waiting (queued), it tells you how many people are waiting. If the number returned is lower than your "auto enter queue" number, then you enter their queue, and wait in line. HTH Jonathan ok, that helps a TON (particularly the auto enter queue thing, that really had me confused) ok...as to red...I had a bunch of files that weren't red...and now they are...will the ever turn not red? is it b/c I had my AEQ set way too low? I don't care how long I queue as long as I can find and actually get the file anyone else know about napMX? I should probably master winmx before complicating things... so far so good, I think winmx is pretty darn good although the interface leaves something to be desired it's not a critical flaw IMO |
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Quoted: For those of you using WinMX I might suggest you get NapMX. NapMX is a little program that loads the latest active server list into WinMX. Without it I seldom find a good active server without a wait. With it I connect to 7 or 8 servers right away. Gotta love it. I seldom have any trouble nailing the files Im looking for, but anything that give more choices is a good thing. Thanks for the tip....do you have a link? |
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If the filename is red, and the users in the list are Purple (Queuable - I forgot to add that one), you can select the user (left click), then right click and select enter remote queue to get into their queue. It'll then turn dark blue and tell you what place you have in line. If the user name is red, then the status column should tell you what went wrong. Disconnection, timeout, etc. Left click the name, right click and select retry if you want, but most of the time it wont help. Jonathan |
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If the filename is in red, then it has no users its downloading from... just select find sources to see if you can get in queue or start downloading it again (it will resume from where it left off) You can browse what the other user is sharing by right clicking their name and selecting browse Edited to add: If you dont resume or get queued for a period of time on a file, it will automatically get cleared. Push the Load Incomplete button to show these again so you can resume them Jonathan |
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