by Jamie Lewis
Primary Text: LimeWire/FrostWire
Technology
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multi-media (audio, video), documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of storage, transmission, and distribution models and common methods of file sharing incorporate manual sharing using removable media, centralized computer file server installations on computer networks, World Wide Web-based hyperlinked documents, and the use of distributed peer-to-peer (P2P) networking.
File sharing is not in and of itself illegal. However, the increasing popularity of the mp3 music format in the late 1990s led to the release and growth of Napster and other software that aided the sharing of electronic files. This in practice led to a huge growth in illegal file sharing: the sharing of copyright protected files
without authorization. History
In the early days of the internet, the most popular file sharing was the (anonymous) file transfer protocol. The user can find the files which they want in anonymous FTP from a server called ARCHIE.
Next, from 1995 to 1997, FTP (file transfer protocol) file sharing and free Homepage file sharing become the major way to share files. By using free Homepage, you are able to upload the files to let people who want it to download the certain file.
Around 1997, Hotline, or ICQ (messenger) become the major way to share files. Messenger is a communication tool on internet which allows you to have chat or electric bulletin board. And in messenger service, there is a category for file sharing.
In 1999, Napster becomes the major way to share files. Napster changed the way of sharing files than before because this service lets peers download music files and also the capacity of it is much greater than other file sharing programs before. If you download the application, you’re able to share files with the peoples who also have the application downloaded in the computer, which means that you’re able to share files with people around the whole world. Due to this merit, about 60 million people were using this in the world and 1 million Japanese were using this application. Because of there were so many Napster users, copyright on music files become a major problem in this application. From this problem, the Napster Company crashed down and the application is no longer useable.
But in 2001, another file sharing application called WinMX have been made. This WinMX lets you share music files and also other files such as pictures, movies, and computer software. The main idea of the application is mostly same as Napster but the function have been improved. Due to the boom of WinMX, there become another problem about copyright, not just music, also on pictures, movies, and computer software. On November, 2001, first WinMX user got arrested by using the application in a wicked way.
Economy
The current economic climate has a lot to do with how opinions on File Sharing have changed. Since the recession has hit the world, particularly the U.K., more and more people have thought twice about the ethics of File Sharing because they cannot afford to purchase all the music they want to. Music genres and variety is expanding and iTunes prices are rising and people don’t want to lose interest in music because of their financial status and therefore look to file sharing to illegally download and obtain all the music they’d like.
Social/Cultural
The ethics of file sharing come into social discussion. Through two-step-flow people’s opinions and ethics are changed to adjust to deciding that file sharing may be for them, again referring to the economic status of the country; some might not be able to afford the rising prices of mp3 downloads.
Political
The political discussion that surrounds the file sharing debate is whether or not it is ethical; of course it is illegal but with increasing prices, faults in technology and data storage lead to loss of files – is it right that we should pay as much as a pound per song possibly filling the latest iPods such as 160GB: 75,000 songs – with music and files. That’s a potential £75,000 spent on music – still with the risk of losing it all at any point.
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