Movies, music and games all under one roof (KaZaA)

Member Name: craigy_baby_2000

Product:	KaZaA
Date:	16/01/02 (1667 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great number of files, Great number of users, Files always accessible

Disadvantages: Fluctuating download speeds

File-sharing has become a standard part of Internet practice for many users nowadays. MP3s are the new CDs and file transfer sites and machines are the new HMVs. People can download material which would otherwise be inaccessible, or extremely difficult to find, within seconds of searching for it, and have all their music located in one convenient spot for them whenever they want to listen to it. But with Napster, the main system used by millions of people several months back, pretty much out of the picture now, due to record companies sueing them left, right and centre for letting people access their music for free, alternatives are being seeked with a greater urgency than Harry Potter Trading Cards, and online companies have done their very best to come up with the best on the market.

One of my personal favourite file transfer systems is Kazaa. I like to think of it as 'Napster - the next generation' - where Napster was plain 2D song downloading off other users, this is 67D song, image, video, movie, software and game downloading, which is what makes it so much better, and, although not unique, pretty rare. Also, because of its popularity it has received in the US, there are literally thousands of users on at any one time, so the chances of you being able to download the file you want is pretty good.

So why, apart from the massive number of files is it better than any other previous or other system? Allow me to explain...

----The advantages of Kazaa----

Firstly, as opposed to Napster, where files could only be downloaded from one person at once, you can now download parts of the same file off different users at the same time, meaning that a) people don't get so annoyed if you're downloading off them because the speed of their transfer upload is less and, because they might only have to upload, say, 500KB, they don't mind sharing as much as uploading several MB and slowing down the transfer at their end, an
d b) you don't have to worry so much about people dropping out - the system automatically acknowledges other users with the same file when they come online and adds them to the users you are downloading your information from, and viceversa.

Secondly, files can be started and stopped whenever you want. If you want to download certain files faster than others, you have the option of pausing the other files and then starting them up again, even the next time you come online. They will remain in their current downloaded state, and, although it might download slower (or faster) as there will be a different number of users online, you'll have the option of which take priority, which is something I really like.

As I said before, Kazaa has a large number of files. At the time when I am writing this, it is approximately 8am on the west coast of the US, where most of the files originate, and there are still 625000 users online, carrying 480176GB worth of files. Pretty mind-blowing stats, huh? I also said that you can download films, images, games and software as well as songs. This is true, and even the most recent files are available for download. For example, the new episode of 'Friends' (sorry, but I really like the show), was available for download just an hour after being aired for the first time in America, which is certainly an advantage for us Brits who otherwise have to wait months before being able to watch them.

Kazaa has a wide number of features, enabling you to make the most out of the system. First off, there's the search. The search is clever, as not only can you search individual words or phrases whilst blocking unsuitable material and certain words, which you can enter yourself, it also allows you to pick what format you want the file in. For example, if you are searching for the new 'Weakest Link' game, and you want to exclude any sound clips that are available, you can do that. Pretty impressive. No
t only this, but the search is very accurate, and it tells you everything about the files that it finds before you choose which one to download, even how many users you will be able to download off.

It also contains a theatre, where you can watch and listen to all of the things you download, as well as a very neatly presented section entitled 'My Kazaa', where all of the files are kept in a very logical order. You can create your own playlist, and, what's more, you can even talk to other users (and block them effectively, unlike with Napster) and rate the items that you download to help future users.

There are also frequent updates to download, which improve the system even more (it's still in it's baby stages, apparently!) and these are available through other users as well as being on the site.

----The Disadvantages of Kazaa----

Of course, nothing in this world is perfect, particularly on the Internet, so there are undoubtedly going to be a small number of faults in the program. The main one, as with most of these programs, is that they tend to crash a lot. Unfortunately, the bad thing about Kazaa is, crash, and you lose it all. All the files that are in the process of downloading (although, unfortunately not those which you pause or have fully downloaded and put into 'My Kazaa') go. Which can be a pain if you're downloading something that's nearly 300MB big and you're right at the end. With a 56k modem. Grrr.

Secondly, advertising. Not a main focus of the program, but it is always there at the bottom of the screen, just getting in the way all the time. Although there are no pop-ups, and the poor guys need some way to make money out of all of this, they can get annoying.

Finally, users. As with Napster, people have the option as to whether they want people to upload off them. Only fair, but it can be annoying, especially when your download turns from one going at 5K
B/s to 0.3KB/s in a matter of seconds. And, of course, people can upload from you. And this does tend to happen quite a lot, being a massive community and all. You can limit the number of consecutive uploads coming from your computer, but unless you do, you will soon find that all of your modem is being taken up by other people's needs and not your own's!

----Conclusion----

As you can no-doubt see, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages ten to one, and if you are prepared to have people upload off you every 30 seconds, and fluctuating download speeds, then this program is a haven for users like you and me. It's free, it's effective, and although not exactly moral, it's certainly better than spending hours looking for the right version of a song, when you can download it and even listen to snippets as it's doing so. In my mind, a definite must for all frequent users, and something I would recommend without hesitation every time.

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