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Wheeling, IL
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When the Music’s Over—The
Buzz over
Filesharing Software and MP3 Music
Much has been made in the press recently over a
internet file sharing software (Kazza, Morpheus, Edonkey, etc.) that
lets everyone share MP3 (see article, below) music files over the
internet.
What does it do, exactly? It
quickly and elegantly connects your computer (by sharing a single directory) to
everyone else in the world who also has the same software running. Through a
decentralized server scheme that keeps track of everyone’s files, you
can quickly and easily locate virtually any song by any artist in any genre and
have it sent to your computer as you watch it download. And the cost for
this...it’s free! And that’s the problem. Intellectual copyright laws
created before the internet existed have a “fair use” clause that say you
can share your purchased music with your friends without paying royalties to the
artist. “So I got 20 or 30 million friends, I’m a popular guy!” you say,
siding with the sharing advocates. Don’t hold your breath. Even a our computer
brain dead judicial system knows that this is essentially theft and efforts are
underway to stop it. Most opinion is that file sharing won’t
go away, but will have to change. What’s emerged is a world of both
legitimate subscription based services and illegal underground internet sharing
for the diehard anarchists. In the meantime, the World Wide Web has yet another
frontier opportunity more like the Wild Wild West. Our advice? Follow your
conscience, and support your artists, but watch out for big brother if you
don't.
One caveat: Many of these
services have signed deals with commercial spyware companies to support
themselves (see Spyware Newsletter) and may setup commercial trackers of
your internet buying patterns, but will offer low cost versions stripped of the
software. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Still one of the best - Get a copy of Sharazza with
NO spyware here. Be sure
and follow the directions carefully for proper setup.
Starting the Revolution: The MP3 File
The enabling factor for file-sharing and the whole MP3
phenomenon is the creation of The MP3 format itself. By filtering out “inaudible”
musical overtones, it compresses gargantuan CD format songs (30-50MB.) by a
factor of 10 or more to a size that can both transfer quickly and be stored in
numbers on most decent size hard drives. The MP3 Player followed shortly after.
Capable of holding 90 minutes to hours of MP3 files (depending on memory), these
allow the luxury of building and downloading your own favorite song list over
and over and taking it mobile.
Recently an explosion of MP3 Players have surfaced,
along with hybrid devices that mix it with a phone, a camera, voice
recorder, etc.
Quick File-Sharing Q&A:
Is it safe from viruses?
Generally, yes, if you only trade files with .MP3 extensions,
We haven’t seen any way to “virusize” these files. (so far). However, it
also can trade programs, and these can carry viruses. As always, PROTECT
YOUR SYSTEM WITH ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE, AND KEEP THE VIRUS DEFINITIONS UP TO DATE.
PERIOD.
How fast is it?
Depending
on the speed of both ends, a 3 minute song can take 15 minutes (between two 56KB
modems) or literally a few seconds between cable, DSL, or T1 connections.
Will I find my favorite song?
As
of this writing there were 1.5 million songs out there. We hit over 400 of our
faves, and are only still looking for two so far.
Is it legal?
er...no. But "oh go on—arrest me. Just try!”)
Tip: unload your MP3
music directory if you find that sharing your files slows down your transfer of
theirs! But, please, no more talk about “fair use”... :-) - Chris
PCSS
Carries hundreds of MP3 Players ready for next day delivery.
Call us to find the best one for you and your budget! |
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