Fast file transfer with a catch (FrostWire)

Member Name: thole09

Product:	FrostWire
Date:	30/03/09 (206 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick transfer

Disadvantages: Numerous masked malware files

FrostWire is a P2P, or peer-to-peer- file sharing application released for the personal computer in 2005. FrostWire is used to access the "Gnutella" network of files which is widely regarded as the largest network of file sharing users currently online, having an estimated user share of 40%. FrostWire also supports the BitTorrent protocol for the "leeching" and "seeding", or downloading and uploading respectively, of files. FrostWire is capable of searching and downloading audio, images, video, documents and programs. As the name may imply, "FrostWire" is a clone of the popular "LimeWire" file sharing client but is distributed as a "professional edition" free of charge.

FrostWire requires Java Runtime Environment, a widely used and popular programming language, to operate and this makes it cross compatible with numerous operating systems such as Windows, Macintosh and various Linux distributions. This use of Java, however, may require a somewhat more modern computer to run as it is known as being a "resource hogging" application; that is using much of the computer's available processing and memory power. I have not tested it for its BitTorrent usage as I prefer my personal client of choice for that transfer method, but do find general downloads to be fast and completed within seconds using a broadband Internet connection. The system requirements of the application include 128 MB RAM, Java 1.5 or greater and "an active Internet connection".

I find FrostWire to be a reliable program but it is not always fully trustworthy in the content available. LimeWire is known for its numerous hosted viruses and other malware masked as desired files and, being as those specific files are hosted on the same network, FrostWire is also affected. Safe Internet practices would be required for effective use of FrostWire. It is also recommended from a personal point of view to maintain a regularly updated antivirus package when transferring files using FrostWire.

The program features acceptable ease of use but does require some knowledge of the basics required to transfer. Upon loading the application, the user is presented with a blank screen and must click from one of the various available file types to search (for example "audio"). From there it is up to the user to input a certain search command and await the results to appear. In my experience I have never had a search strand go without a result but the content can be of a questionable nature, for example the various viruses being sent through the servers.

Overall, FrostWire is an application which I would recommend for quick and effective file transfer amongst close-knit peers. It is not something that I would suggest using for files as and when one wants to fill a certain need.

Summary: Thumbs in the middle

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