Visiting iTunes, LimeWire, Kazaa & eDonkey

I'm glad that this was part of the Learning Experience. I was really impressed by how many different types of media iTunes offers and how clearly the information is laid out on the website, with tutorials even! I didn't install iTunes, so I wasn't able to look at the iTunes inventory. But it makes me wonder if video stores and video mail delivery services will have a hard time competing with a service that lets customers download at reasonable prices and then store, organize, compress, and transfer files. I guess iTunes has purchased distribution rights to a ton of songs, movies, and audiobooks. Right now, Net Library's audiobooks inventory seems much smaller. But our subscription does allow patrons to listen to books for free, so maybe that's the way NetLibrary will compete.

The peer-to-peer concept behind Kazaa and LimeWire is new to me. Maybe it appeals to people who want more than they can get from Yahoo and Google or MySpace- the ability to search files which others are willing to share, without an intermediary that injects advertising and spyware. Kazaa offers downloads you pay for (commercial products, I guess) and free downloads from private users who are willing to share their stuff. I read the Parents Guide - it clearly explained how the site operates and how filters and virus blockers work.

LimeWire sounds visionary, but I'm not sure I get all the concept of an "open-protocol, prejudice-free development" to promote "competition among entities choosing to respond to the same queries". But I guess the big difference between LimeWire and Google/Yahoo is that LimeWire (and Kazaa) users are connected to several computers at once and information can be received from many sources. Chat rooms and MySpace also allow users to connect to multiple other users. Doesn't MySpace allow users to post files or links to their files, which others can then copy?

The eDonkey is closed but has a stern warning about the illegalilty of downloading copyrighted material. Was eDonkey permitting or encouraging illegal downloading?