Do you know of any attempts to monetize peer-to-peer file sharing? That is to say if a user is sharing a file, she gets compensated for uploading bits of the file? I'm interested in knowing who's looking in to it and what kind of success they may have had.
posted by storybored on Aug 20, 2009 - 14 answers

Ways to improve my Spotify experience? [more inside]
posted by nam3d on Mar 10, 2009 - 4 answers

How worried should I be about the recent rash of stories in the mainstream media about P2P software being used to commit identity theft? [more inside]
posted by The Ardship of Cambry on Mar 2, 2009 - 9 answers

What's the best P2P direct connect software for University networks? [more inside]
posted by ilumos on Sep 12, 2008 - 8 answers

Can the hive recommend a good alternative to Soulseek? [more inside]
posted by MrMerlot on Aug 12, 2008 - 5 answers

Grrrr, Time Warner Cable has unceremoniously removed their stellar USENET access. What do I do now? [more inside]
posted by willie11 on Jun 25, 2008 - 18 answers

So which P2P networks garner the most RIAA lawsuits? The lawsuits are, of course, a sort of cloak and dagger affair, but isn't there some data on this kind of thing? [more inside]
posted by tmcw on Jun 20, 2008 - 5 answers

Can someone explain to me the magic of bittorrents? [more inside]
posted by barrakuda on Mar 28, 2008 - 14 answers

I'm looking for a complete or brief history of downloading. [more inside]
posted by Wanderlust88 on Feb 15, 2008 - 13 answers

Can anyone recommend software to syncronise files between multiple servers ? [more inside]
posted by matholio on Feb 3, 2008 - 14 answers

How do torrents work? [more inside]
posted by daksya on Jan 12, 2008 - 6 answers

Help me find a Gnutella client with advanced search options [more inside]
posted by KenFox on Jan 2, 2008 - 1 answer

Anyone ever use the Chinese streaming software UUSee? [more inside]
posted by RavinDave on Dec 30, 2007 - 9 answers

Help me make sure that my money gets to Handsome Dick Manitoba: downloading vs buying music, and how to find out if an artist actually gets money from their own album sales? [more inside]
posted by intermod on May 22, 2007 - 32 answers

Has the "force seed" option been removed from the latest version of Azureus (2.5.0.2)? It used to be a simple right-click away, but now I can't seem to locate it anywhere... (I've searched the Wiki.)
posted by mykescipark on Jan 14, 2007 - 5 answers

I need compelling examples of legitimate/legal uses of bittorrent or other p2p applications/protocols. [more inside]
posted by spock on Nov 28, 2006 - 26 answers

Two-pronged question: (1) How common are virus/spyware-infected applications on P2P, assuming the filesize is big (50+ MB) and it's not one of those stupid 50 KB bait files? (2) Are there any good free or shareware virus scanners that are especially designed to examine the contents of executable setup programs? Most protection programs just look at existing files on a hard drive. [more inside]
posted by chef_boyardee on Oct 8, 2006 - 9 answers

As of two weeks ago, my (entirely legal) Soulseek downloads won't go any faster than exactly 4.1 k/s. If I download more than one file at a time, they'll each go at 2 k/s; four at a time go at 1 k/s each; any more than that and they all fail. My internet is otherwise speedy and the relevant ports are forwarded. Why is this happening to me? What have I done wrong?
posted by stammer on Sep 24, 2006 - 6 answers

Are there any P2P protocols (with clients for Windows, OS X, and Linux ideally) that are ideal for sharing files between a small group of friends? [more inside]
posted by thebabelfish on Aug 31, 2006 - 10 answers

Usenet question. [more inside]
posted by PenguinBukkake on Jul 25, 2006 - 22 answers

I haven't really downloaded music since the days of Napster, then Audiogalaxy and then Soulseek (until it started to suck). [more inside]
posted by falameufilho on Jan 15, 2006 - 42 answers

I only ping intermittently if at all, to a wireless router whenever bittorrent is started. Its not upload/download limits/bandwidth or the usual, as there does not need be any data tranfer to time out, just having the BT program running. Bittorrent itself is fast as a button throughout. [more inside]
posted by ugrndhg on Jan 15, 2006 - 10 answers

Is there any easy way to universally disallow P2P traffic on an office lan? [more inside]
posted by Afroblanco on Jan 6, 2006 - 16 answers

I need to begin to secure a network against IP "theft" liability and security breaches. Please help me compile a list of every known IM and P2P/filesharing protocol and/or client. [more inside]
posted by loquacious on Nov 22, 2005 - 22 answers

Why does my Windows XP laptop keep losing the internets? [more inside]
posted by ajp on Nov 17, 2005 - 12 answers

How can I detect if my ISP is using traffic-shaping software to throttle my P2P connections? [more inside]
posted by ChrisR on Nov 13, 2005 - 21 answers

P2PFilter: Is there a way, using Limewire for preference, to see my friends shared music folder? [more inside]
posted by dash_slot- on Oct 28, 2005 - 7 answers

Are all P2P file sharting networks evil and infect your computer with wiruses and spyware? Also, does anyone know how to copy DVDs (that I have legally purchased and copy them to my video iPod?
posted by danielpcummings on Oct 26, 2005 - 8 answers

Are there any good replacements for Torrent Typhoon? [more inside]
posted by Hildago on Oct 13, 2005 - 11 answers

There's a version of the US national anthem on the movie "The Sum of All Fears" that I would like to download. Had no luck with P2P networks. Any clues?
posted by falameufilho on Oct 9, 2005 - 3 answers

Can you recommend a P2P client that uses the Magnet Protocol? [more inside]
posted by horseblind on Sep 15, 2005 - 10 answers

How can I use Azureus to download just one file out of a big torrent that includes many files? [more inside]
posted by jojopizza on Aug 7, 2005 - 4 answers

What sort of protection do you use when you use p2p programs? [more inside]
posted by signal on Jul 26, 2005 - 12 answers

p2p kills my browser [more inside]
posted by hayeled on Jun 30, 2005 - 10 answers

Illegal Uses for iTunesFilter: How do you copy the mp3s from Shared libraries on iTunes to your HD? I seem to recall a program that achieved this task, but don't remember its name.
posted by mowglisambo on May 24, 2005 - 8 answers

When I download files with "Bits On Wheels" the torrents remain in a folder on my drive, but they are inactive. How does one keep them 'seeding' and searchable by other P2P people? When I search for programs, it appears only recent episodes are available. I'd like to make all my older torrents available too.
posted by DickStock on Apr 28, 2005 - 6 answers

I've just recently set up my first wireless home network consisting of a Win XP box on a cable modem hooked up to an AirPort Extreme sending a signal to an iBook. It's working great except for problems with my favorite p2p program (WinMX). I now have to use a "secondary" connection to the network which yeilds less effective search results and performance and I am unable to upload files to the network. My research tells me that I need to do some fiddling with my firewall to make things work better, which is uncharted territory for me. Does anyone know what I need to do, and can you explain it to me in basic, clear terms. Thanks.
posted by jonmc on Feb 27, 2005 - 17 answers

p2pFilter: Is my ISP pulling a fast one on me? [mi] [more inside]
posted by drpynchon on Dec 12, 2004 - 15 answers

Best peer-to-peer file sharing program for Mac OS X? I'm using Limewire now, and am wondering if there is another program offering a better selection, ie, with more members. I'm mostly interested in audio files. Is there software allowing the downloading of entire albums at a time?
posted by cahlers on Dec 11, 2004 - 9 answers

What are things like these days in the p2p universe? I've been using BitTorrent exclusively for a while but friends and family have asked for my help with p2p but BitTorrent is overkill for the small files (songs, ringtones, etc) they're looking for. Also, BitTorrent has no search facilities which they'll need. What programs are out there? How spyware-ridden are they? How corrupted with bogus files? And, are there any sites you'd recommend to keep up-to-date with p2p?
posted by TimeFactor on Dec 10, 2004 - 14 answers

Everybody knows about music, warez, pr0n and movies. Everybody who reads AskMe now knows about comicz.
What else do you download from p2p networks? Not looking to get Matt in trouble here, so please no links to files / "sharing" sites, etc. I'm just curious as to what other sorts of media are being p2ped.
posted by signal on Nov 24, 2004 - 21 answers

What's next after bittorrent? [more inside]
posted by filmgeek on Nov 10, 2004 - 16 answers

I know that the RIAA has sued users of certain P2P networks like Kazaa, with mixed results. I'd like to know if there are any other examples of companies or agencies suing individuals for alleged copyright infringement...(like maybe the MPAA going after people on BitTorrent or something.) [more inside]
posted by thewittyname on Oct 31, 2004 - 4 answers

I'm sure it's been asked before, but I can't find it. What's the best free mp3 downloader out there now? Kazaa is kaput with ads now, in my opinion.
posted by agregoli on Sep 2, 2004 - 16 answers

What is the best P2P application for the Mac?
posted by dydecker on Aug 17, 2004 - 17 answers

My google-fu has left me.

Once, long ago, I found a web page (a weblog entry?) that described how one might search for mp3s (or other media files) via google, by asking google to reveal all mp3 files hosted in the index of a directory on an Apache-based web server. I can't remember how to do this.

Can anyone help me remember this trick? Direct me to the page that talks about it so that I can bookmark it permanently?
posted by jdroth on Jul 7, 2004 - 10 answers

So, now that napster and audiogalaxy are long dead, where would you go online to find a really obscure song (like "Softcore" by Maurice and the Cliches, for example)?
posted by dogwelder on Jun 29, 2004 - 10 answers

I'm convinced that until they figure out a way to make publishing a torrent file easier, bittorrent will never become completely popular. So I have torrentmaker. I have a valid announcement url. I can create the torrent file easily enough but I can't seem to find a reliable tracker to upload the file to to make it publically available. It seems like most tracker sites require people to log in in order to download the file, and that's just a pain in the ass. Short of setting up my own tracker, anyone know of good public trackers that don't require end-user logins? (And that don't have obnoxious popunders, like &$%#*&@ing Suprnova)?
posted by crunchland on Jun 28, 2004 - 10 answers

If you were writing a new p2p application -- leaving ethical and legal issues aside for a moment -- which programming language would you use? I know Visual Basic and PHP, but neither is really any good for this purpose. I dislike things that require the user to install a big VM (.NET, Java) and find C++ a complete nightmare. [more inside]
posted by reklaw on Jun 2, 2004 - 36 answers

Can anyone direct me to a site detailing current treatments of the legality of music sharing and downloading?
posted by Phatty Lumpkin on May 23, 2004 - 2 answers