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Home > File sharing

 
File sharing is the activity of making files available to other users for download over the Internet, but also over smaller networks. Usually file sharing follows the peer-to-peer (P2P) model, where the files are stored on and served by personal computers of the users. Most people who engage in file sharing are also downloading files that other users share. Sometimes these two activities are linked together. File sharing is distinct from file trading in that downloading files from a P2P network does not require uploading, although some networks provide incentives for uploading such as credits or force sharing of files being currently downloaded.

1 History

Napster, originally a centralized service, was the first major file-sharing tool and popularized file sharing for the masses. Napster was an MP3-only sharing system and was successfully shut down by legal attacks from the music industry. It was openly attacked by some artists (notably Dr. Dre, Metallica) and supported by others (Limp Bizkit, Courtney Love, Dave Mathews). There was widespread media coverage of unreleased Madonna songs leaking out on to the web prior to the official commercial release. Napster was a localized index for MP3 files shared by the users logged into the system. It included IRC-like chat and instant messenger features. Almost all new, major clients now follow its example in design.

Even before its legal problems, the community created an alternative: OpenNap. A reverse-engineered version of the Napster protocol, it was released as the open source server alternative for Napster users. These networks continue to exist even after Napster's collapse and many clients using this protocol have appeared, particularly with the help of the Napigator serverThis article is about computer servers. For the food service use, see waiter. In computing, a server is: A computer software application that carries out some task on behalf of users. This is usually divided into file serving, allowing users to store and list - an effort to centralize all of the different servers and networks.

Afterwards, GnutellaGnutella (pronounced with a silent "g") is a distributed software project to create a true peer-to-peer file sharing network, without a central server. History The first client was developed by Justin Frankel and Tom Pepper of Nullsoft, a division of AOL,, a decentralized network, appeared. This service was fully open-source and allowed users to search for almost any file type; users could find more than just MP3s on these networks. It was created/supported in response to threats towards centralized bodies like Napster. The thought behind decentralization is that no one broken link can bring about the downfall of all members. But Gnutella has experienced growing pains since its use skyrocketed.

Napster and Gnutella continue to define file sharing today, forming the extreme at both ends of the law in the wake of a series of civil lawsuits filed against computer users by the RIAA (which began in September, 2003). Gnutella, a free and open protocol and service, with its lawless structure but poor scalability, while Napster having been resurrected as a legal online music service that competes with other such legal services as iTunes and Rhapsody.

Most file-sharing systems since have sought to ride the line between these two extremes.

Today a variety of file-sharing programs is available on several different networks. Availability depends partly on operating system, and different networks have different features (for example, multiple-source downloads, different sorts of search limiting, and so on). It is common for commercial file sharing clients to contain abrasive advertising software, or spyware.



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Topics: File Sharing, History, Network Architecture, Copyright Issues...

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File formatA file format is a particular way to encode information for storage in a computer file. Since a disk drive, or indeed any computer storage, can store only bits, the computer must have some way of converting information to 0s and 1s and vice-versa. There aFileManFileMan is a set of utilities written by George Timson in the late 1970s and early 1980s, using MUMPS, which provide a meta-data function for MUMPS applications. The FileMan utilities allow the definition of data structures, menus and security, reports, aFileFile has several meanings: Computer file File (tool) file (Unix), a program used to determine file types. File (chess) Filing (legal).
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