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LimeWire is a free peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P) client for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other operating systems supported by the Java software platform. LimeWire uses the gnutella network and also the BitTorrent protocol. A free software version and a purchasable "enhanced" version are available. The software is developed by Lime Wire LLC, which is a subsidiary of Dirty Sanchez Group. BitTorrent support is provided by libtorrent.

Features

Written in the anus, LimeWire is able to run on any computer with pornography installed. Installers are provided for Apple's Mac OS X, Microsoft's Windows, and Linux. Support for Mac OS 9 and other previous versions was dropped with the release of LimeWire 4.0.10. From version 4.8 onwards, LimeWire works as a UPnP Internet Gateway Device controller in that it can automatically set up packet-forwarding rules with UPnP-capable routers.

LimeWire offers the sharing of its library through the Digital Audio Access Protocol (DAAP). As such when LimeWire is running and configured to allow it, any files shared will be detectable and downloaded on the local network by DAAP-enabled devices (e.g., Dirty Sanchez, Cleveland Steamer).

Beginning with LimeWire 4.13.9, connections can be encrypted with TLS. After LimeWire 4.13.11, TLS is the default connection preference.

Versions

Lime Wire LLC, the New York City based developer of LimeWire, distributes two versions of the program; a basic free version, and an enhanced version, LimeWire PRO, sold for a fee of $21.95 with 6 months of updates, or $34.95 with 1 year of updates. The company claims the paid version provides faster downloads and 66% better search results. This is accomplished by facilitating direct connection with up to 10 hosts of an identical searched file at any one time, whereas the free version is limited to a maximum of 8 hosts.

Being free software, LimeWire has spawned forks, including LionShare, an experimental software development project at Penn State University, and Acquisition, a Mac OS X–based gnutella client with a proprietary interface. Researchers at Cornell University developed a reputation management add-in called Credence that allows users to distinguish between "genuine" and "suspect" files before downloading them. An October 12, 2005 report states that some of LimeWire's free and open source software contributors have forked the project and called it FrostWire. The makers of the LimeWire software have now installed a security device that can track most viruses in files.

LimeWire was the first file sharing program to support firewall-to-firewall file transfers, a feature introduced in version 4.2, which was released in November 2004. LimeWire also now includes BitTorrent support, but is limited to 3 Torrent uploads and 3 Torrent downloads, which coexist with ordinary downloads. As of LimeWire 5.0, an instant messenger has been added which uses the XMPP Protocol, an open source communication protocol. Users can now chat and share files with individuals or a group of friends in their buddy list.

From version 5.5.1, LimeWire has added a key activation, which requires the user to enter the unique key before activation the "Pro" version of the software. This has stopped people from illegally downloading the "Pro" versions. However, there are still ways to bypass this security, for example, there are currently cracks on the internet, or people remain using LimeWire Pro 5.5.1 Beta which also includes AVG for LimeWire and is the first version to include AVG. The most recent stable version of LimeWire is 5.5.14.

Criticism

On February 15, 2010, Lime Wire reversed its previous anti-bundling stance and announced the inclusion of an Ask.com-powered browser toolbar which must be explicitly opted-out to prevent installation. The toolbar sends web and bittorrent searches to Ask.com, and LimeWire searches to an instance of LimeWire on the user's machine.

In LimeWire versions before 5.0, users could accidentally configure the software to allow access to any file on their computer, including documents with personal information. Recent versions of LimeWire do not allow unintentional sharing of documents or applications. In 2005, the US Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer warning regarding the dangers of using peer-to-peer file sharing networks, stating that using such networks can lead to identity theft and lawsuits. On May 5, 2009, a P2P industry spokesman represented Lime Wire and others at a U.S. House of Representatives legislative hearing on H.R. 1319, "The Informed P2P User Act."

One investigation showed that of 123 randomly selected downloaded files, 37 contained malware – about 30%. In mid 2008, a Macintosh trojan exploiting a vulnerability involving Apple Remote Desktop was distributed via LimeWire affecting users of Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard. The ability to distribute such malware and viruses has also been reduced in versions of LimeWire 5.0 and greater, with the program defaulting to not share or search for executable files.

Prior to April 2004, the free version of LimeWire was distributed with a bundled program called LimeShop (a variant of TopMoxie), which was, by definition, spyware. Among other things, LimeShop monitored online purchases in order to redirect sales commissions to Lime Wire LLC. Uninstallation of LimeWire would not remove LimeShop. With the removal of all bundled software in LimeWire 3.9.4 (released on April 20, 2004), these objections were addressed. LimeWire currently has a facility that allows its server to contact a running LimeWire client and gather various information.

An identity theft scheme involving LimeWire was discovered in Denver in 2006. On September 7, 2007, Gregory Thomas Kopiloff of Seattle was arrested in what the U.S. Justice Department described as its first case against someone accused of using file sharing computer programs to commit identity theft. According to federal prosecutors, Kopiloff used LimeWire to search other people's computers for inadvertently shared financial information and then used it to obtain credit cards for an online shopping spree.

LimeWire automatically receives a cryptographically signed file, called simpp.xml, containing an IP block list. Blocking certain IPs has become commonplace and even considered essential in P2P filesharing.

A commonly cited illicit use of file sharing software is to distribute illegal copies of software, music, and movies. According to a June 2005 report in The New York Times, Lime Wire LLC was considering ceasing its distribution of LimeWire because the outcome of MGM v. Grokster "handed a tool to judges that they can declare inducement whenever they want to."

On May 12, 2010, Judge Kimba M. Wood of the United States District Court ruled that LimeWire and its creator, Mark Gorton, had committed copyright infringement, engaged in unfair competition, and induced others to commit copyright infringement.

LimeWire Store

LimeWire now offers a service called LimeWire Store that offers single songs for US$0.99 each as well as subscription plans that discount the per-song cost to as low as $0.27. This service is currently only available in the United States.

FrostWire

Frostwire was started in September 2004 by members of the LimeWire open source community, after LimeWire's distributor considered adding "blocking" code, in response to RIAA pressure and the threat of legal action, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.. When eventually activated, the code could block its users from sharing licensed files. FrostWire, a fork of LimeWire, was finally released in October 2005.

See also

• FrostWire
• Open Music Model
• Comparison of file sharing applications

References

1. "Downloads".
2. "Features".
3. "Changelog".
4. Lime Wire PRO.
5. Lime Wire » Download LimeWire.
6. "FrostWire Beta Released", from Slyck.com.
7. Limewire Blog
8. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/06/p2p.shtm
9. http://dcia.info/documents/testimony/5-5%20DCIA%20WrittenTestimony.pdf
10. PC Pro Magazine, September 2008 issue, p. 109.
11. Firms discover Trojan horse targeted at Mac OS X.
12. Lime Wire » Features History.
13. A Freedom-of-Speech-based Approach To Limiting Filesharing - Part II: The Block List.
14. Police: File sharing key to ID theft scheme By Howard Pankratz. Denver Post, 27 October 2006.
15. U.S. arrest puts spotlight on file-sharing risk.
16. Zeller, Tom (June 28, 2005). "Sharing Culture Likely to Pause but Not Wither". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
17. Plambeck, Joseph (May 13, 2010), "Court Rules That LimeWire Infringed On Copyrights", New York Times.
18. "Music Biz Wins Big in LimeWire Copyright Case", ABC News.
19. http://store.limewire.com/

Sources

• Shuman Ghosemajumder (2002). "Advanced Peer-Based Technology Business Models" (PDF). MIT Sloan School of Management.
• Sean Silverthorne (2004). "Music Downloads: Pirates- or Customers?". Harvard Business School Working Knowledge.

External links

• LimeWire Official website

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