Introduction
P2P, or peer-to-peer networks, are often used to share files with other users. Some people use them primarily as a way to find and download MP3 or movie files; others use them as a way of finding software programs, system updates or documents. In each of these areas, the potential for copyright infringement exists -- please be mindful of intellectual property rights when downloading files. Just because they're available, doesn't mean these files are necessarily legal to possess. In this article, we'll look at some of the best file-swapping tools available for the Mac.
Limewire - perhaps the best known of the "Gnutella" network clients, Limewire suffers from fairly sluggish performance, but provides a reasonably intuitive interface and tends to be a good source of .SIT and .DMG archives for Mac. As there are versions for other platforms, including Windows, there are a lot of files for PCs available, as well. Version 2.5.5 is considered the fastest release overall. A commercially available "Pro" version eliminates the banner ad at the bottom of the main window. Newbies will probably have the best luck with this program.
Carracho - This upstart in the "Hotline" category of Mac-only tools tends to be popular with "ratio" upload/download sites where file sharing is required before access to others' files is permitted.
Hotline - The granddaddy of Mac file-swapping programs, the company behind Hotline fell on hard times a few years ago. There is still an avaid user base, though. Novices may find the interface -- and the occasionally seedy world it reveals -- less pleasant than that offered by other alternatives.
iSwipe - This program is undeniably ambitious -- it searches OpenNap (Napster protocol) networks, Hotline servers, Gnutella networks and FTP servers, too. It hardly ever seems to find downloadable files, though.
Acquisition (formerly 'Aquisition') - Sporting the best interface of the bunch, Acquisition is similar in scope and download success rates to LimeWire, although it is, at this writing, unable to upload at all. It's certainly worth a look if you are running Mac OS X. Get it here.
This is by no means a complete list. There are many other tools able to swap files, ranging from FTP and FTP-like tools to instant messaging and email-based applications. There are also early Mac versions of popular Windows and Linux tools such as edonkey2000 and Neo (a Kazaa "shadow client") that are currently rather buggy and complicated to use, but hold promise. If hassle-free P2P file-swapping is your aim, though, Limewire and Acquisition are currently your best bets on the Mac.
For Further Reading
www.carracho.com
www.limewire.com
edonkey-related links
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