LimeWire
4.9 automatically upgrades Windows users who don't
have Java 1.4.1 or higher to Java 1.5, which runs
faster and is more visually appealing. UPnP-enabled
(Universal Plug and Play) routers are detected
and automatically configured for optimal performance.
LimeWire also offers the ability to search for
Creative Commons and Weedshare licensed files.
Licenses, once looked up, will be displayed in
the library and search results. Also, of course,
LimeWire continues its guarantee of no adware
or spyware.
LimeWire is the world's fastest P2P file-sharing
application, letting users share and search for
all types of computer files, including movies,
pictures, games, and text documents. The application's
other features include dynamic querying, the ability
to preview files while downloading, advanced techniques
for locating rare files, and an extremely intuitive
user interface. Download
LimeWire
LimeWire Music review
LimeWire is a free and open source Gnutella peer-to-peer
network client released under the GNU General
Public License. The program allows users to share
files using the Gnutella peer-to-peer protocol.
It was the first file sharing program to support
firewall-to-firewall file transfers, a feature
introduced in version 4.2, which was released
in November 2004.
It is written in Java and hence runs on any computer
with the Java virtual machine installed. To facilitate
installation for casual users, the developers
release installation packages for Microsoft Windows,
Mac OS X, and for Linux, in RPM format.
Free LimeWire uses the SHA-1 and Tiger tree hash
cryptographically secure hash functions to ensure
that downloaded data is uncompromised. Although
Ed Felten and others have identified possible
vulnerabilities in the SHA1 algorithm, because
LimeWire does not rely on SHA1 alone these vulnerabilities
do not have many adverse implications for LimeWire's
verification of downloaded files.
The Windows version of the product installer
includes a stripped-down version of Sun's Java
installer which will download and install version
1.5 of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) if it
detects the machine doesn't have Java, or has
a version of Java below version 1.4.1.
Lime Wire LLC, the developer of the product,
distributes two versions of the program; a basic,
free version, and an enhanced version sold for
a small fee, which is said to offer faster downloads.
Prior to April 2004, the free version of the software
was distributed with a bundled program called
"LimeShop" (a variant of TopMoxie),
which was considered by computer security experts
to be spyware. With the removal of all bundled
software in LimeWire 4.0, these objections were
addressed.
Being open source, LimeWire has spawned several
forks, including LionShare, an experimental software
development project at Penn State University,
and Acquisition, a popular Apple Macintosh-based
Gnutella client with a proprietary interface.
According to a 28 June 2005 report in The New
York Times Lime Wire LLC may stop distributing
LimeWire due to the outcome of MGM v. Grokster.
However, new versions are being released (4.9
released on August 26) with smarter search results,
optimized downloads and other features. |
