NAPSTERS ILLEGITIMATE CHILD (WinMX)

Member Name: DJBorley

Product:	WinMX
Date:	18/10/03 (401 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, Quick download, Popular software which means more people to download from

Disadvantages: Sharing files can be illegal

For nigh on a thousand years, Man had foretold of weird and wonderful things that lay ahead of mankind in the 21st Century. The year 2000 was spoken about in awe, as if it were a key turning point in history. As if the changing of a date would prove to be a big factor in the transition from past and present to future. In the months leading up to the new Millennium, we saw an eclipse in the UK, A prediction of the end of the world, that dated from the Middle-Ages, go by without a hitch, and just about the one thing that delivered on it's promise of changing the world forever. Napster had become big business, and the file-sharing world took a step out of the shadows and became a thriving part of everyday online culture.

And then it was closed down not long after. But by now file-sharing was big business, and with media interest in Napster's court case against the record companies trying to get it closed being huge, more than 80 million people had logged on and used the service. Despite Napster shutting down, there was never any chance of these 80 million going back to how things had been before, and as each Napster style site was closed, several more were opening up. A few years later and you could argue that there are two main sites that everyone uses now: Kazaa and WinMX.

Anyone who is a big file-share fan will tell you that for sheer content, Kazaa is the best program to use. However, installing Kazaa also installs spyware onto your machine, which in turn tells certain companies how you use your PC, what sites you have visited and so on and so forth. Although I am quite happy for people to know what sites I visit, I don't like them doing so without my permission, which is why my software of choice for file sharing is WinMX.

* So what is WinMX?

WinMX advertises itself as a free file-sharing program like no other. By using a decentralised Peer Network, which makes it much harder for law enforcement officials to close do

wn, it allows you to connect, download, and share files with millions of other users. The company also promises on it's website: "When you download WinMX, you're getting WinMX and only WinMX, no bundled spyware, no ads, no B.S."

* Best Feature

The best features about WinMX in my view is that, unlike some other programs, and Napster was one of them if I recall correctly, you can share ANY type of file that you like, and not just mp3 files. The other feature that stands out is the fact that WinMX allows you to multi-source downloads, meaning that if you are a Broadband user, like myself, you can download the same track from several users at the same time, thus achieving download speeds at the top end of your Broadband connection. In fact, as a Blueyonder customer, I should be able to download at 50K per second, though through WinMX at times I have been downloading at in excess of 3 times that speed.

* - Downloading the program

To use WinMX, you need to download the program, which you can then run independently of the website. In fact, the website, WinMX.com, is a very basic website that gives you news updates with regards to WinMX, and a link to download the latest version of the software. The latest version as I write this is 752K, which is a quick download over a Broadband connection, and should be no more than a five minute download over a 56K modem.

Installation is the standard "agree to everything" procedure, and with a few clicks you should see WinMX installed on your PC and ready to go.

* - Using WinMX

Once you've chosen a username, and entered basic details, such as how you will be using the program (via Broadband or 56K modem etc), you will be presented with the first of several screens that you can choose from the list that sits across the top of the program. These are as follows:

1) Networks

This screen is the one that stares blankly at you

each and every time you open the program. This is the screen that allows you to connect to the WinMX peer network (highly recommended!) or through the OpenNap Protocol Networks. As a rule, you should automatically connect through the WinMX peer network, and unless you're an experienced user, I wouldn't change it. I've been using WinMX for 2-3 years now, and I've never needed to use the OpenNap Protocol Networks. This screen also allows you to amend your User Name, and the connection type (from a 56K modem to connecting through a Local Area Network, for example)

2) Shared files

This screen shows which files you are sharing, and allows you to add or take away files and folders as you feel necessary. A general rule of file sharing is that the more you share, the more likely you are to be allowed to download from others. As an example, I choose to share any music, movie and program file that I download. I don't allow anyone access to parts of my PC such as Program Files though, as I don't want anyone downloading from that particular section. The buttons at the top of this screen are fairly self-explanatory, and allow you to: "Share folder", "Unshare folder", "Refresh" your sharing options, change your "Shared file types", to include just MP3s, for example, or to include programs and movies, and lastly "Scan for media", which searches your system for certain types of files.

3) Chat

The third screen available is the "Chat" screen. Pressing this button causes a warning to pop up, telling you that the chat is unmoderated by all except the person who originally opened the chat room, and that there may be strong language or graphics used in the rooms. In other words, if easily offended, don't use the chat feature. However, if you're feeling particularly brave, you can enter and search through the room names to find some like-minded individuals.
A qui
ck browse as I write this tells me that, if I were a hip-hop fanm I could jump into the "#1 Hip hop Chat room_D7937F181A2B" room, where I
should find other hip-hop fans. As a WWE fan, I can enter the WWE-titled rooms.

Upon entering a room, you will be shown a list of other users in the same room on the right hand side. Alongside each member's name is the number of files they are sharing (216 in my case) and their connection speed (DSL) By right-clicking on a member's name, you can choose to "Send a message" to them, which is a one-on-one private chat, and is usually handy if you want to download something without being stuck in a queue (more on queues later), you can invite the member to your own "Chat" room, you can "Ignore" or "Unignore" them, "Browse" the files that they are sharing, "Add to Hotlist" so that you can look them up next time you're online, or any of the "Advanced" features, which allow you to stop them downloading from you by pressing: "Kick now", stop them downloading from you and ban them from adding future downloads from you by clicking "Kick + ban now". You also have the simple options to just "Ban now" and "Unban now"

4) Search

This is the bread and butter of file sharing - The search facility. By clicking on "Open new search", and typing the name of whatever you want to download into the "Artist and / or title" space, and by clicking to say which type of file you want, you can start downloading. For example, if I wanted to download "Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen", I'd simply type in "Bohemian Rhapsody" into the space given, ensure that "MP3 Audo - Any bitrate" was showing as the type of file I wanted, and click "search". I will now get a list brought up of any file on the network that contains the words "Boh
emian Rhap
sody" This result has brought up a possible 460 results, ranging from what I actually want: "Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody", through to Guns 'N' Roses and Iron Maiden covers of the same. Also listed is the file size, the length of the audio file, the bitrate (the higher the bitrate, the better the quality, as a rule) and various other pieces of info that you are unlikely to need, such as user names, and download speed. Double clicking on the name of the file will start it downloading, and you will immediately be taken to the "Transfers" screen, which is detailed below.

5) Hotlist

The next button along is the Hotlist button. When pressed, this opens a small window at the side of whichever screen you are currently on. This new screen shows a list of people that you have chosen to add to your shortlist, and also a list of people that have messaged you. Right-clicking on the name in the hotlist gives similar results as the ones described above in the Chat room, with the added features of being able to "Perm add to list" so that the user's name remains on your Hotlist, even when you sign off, and "Rename on list", so that your best friend can now appear as "Bob" as opposed to "SexyStudMuffinUK18762".

6) Transfers

This is where you can see files that are being downloaded by you, and uploaded to others. The top half of the screen shows files that you are downloading. A file that appears in red means that the download has failed, and you will need to try downloading this file again. This can be done by right-clicking the file and choosing one of the options, the main ones being: "Find Sources now", which will make WinMX look for a file exactly the same as the one you have been trying to download, "Search for similar", which will cause WinMX to search for a file with the same name, but not necessarily the same size or bitrate and &qu
ot;Delete file&
quot;, which will delete any part-downloaded files from your hard drive.

The bottom half of the transfer screen shows a list of items that people are downloading from your machine. Right-clicking on these gives you control as to who can download what, and when. You can choose how many people you want to allow to download from you at once, and general play God in your little file-sharing world.

* - Other Options

There are a number of other options available to use. You can check the bandwith of incoming and outgoing files, you can restrict the number of files that each user can download off of you simultaneously, and you can set your system to show your internet connection at just 14.4K if you have more than one transfer going on at the same time.

* - Overall

For such a quick download, this is an excellent program. It may not have the sheer amount of files available as Kazaa, but that is offset by the lack of spyware that is packaged with WinMX. Fairly easy to use, though with options that allow the program to be manipulated by more experienced users, this is an ideal program for everyone. It's easy to install, easy to download, and generally a program that all file-sharers should use.

One thing that you need to remember is that there is a grey area when it comes to the laws about downloading copyrighted files. Some say that if you already hold a legitimate recording of a song, in the form of CD, tape etc, then you are legally allowed to hold a digital copy online. Others say that as long as you only have the files for 24 hours for "research purposes", then you will also be fine. I would be inclined to say that if you're in any doubt, don't file-share.

Five out of five.
*****

Summary: