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WinMX MP3 music sharing software for free
Since many Internet users are keen on downloading software in order to listen to and trade songs and videos Windows' WinMX MP3 provides the software for free.
Here is an overview of the WinMX software: This product is designed to trade songs and videos across the Internet using "peer to peer" (P2P) networking.
It works like this: thousands of users install WinMX on their PCs, and willingly open their hard drives to each other. As these thousands of people log on to the Net using WinMX, the pool of available WinMX hard drives changes moment-to-moment. Every WinMX user is empowered to search for songs and movies, and then begin downloading and uploading music files to each other. Equitable sharing of music and movies is promoted, and people will often share gigabytes of files with their fellow WinMX users.
This WinMX P2P network system employs its own custom file sharing client software, created by Front Code Technologies. The current version of WinMX is 3.53, and is free to download.
Warning: WinMX is a highly controversial software because of copyright laws, and WinMX users do risk possible fines and lawsuits.
What you need to run WinMX (System Requirements): Windows 98 / ME / 2000 / XP. Pentium166 with 64MB of RAM or better recommended. MacIntosh "grey-market" versions are available for around $50USD.
Why WinMX is good P2P software: WinMX is simple to install, easy to use, available for free, and is the only no-cost P2P software that is free of malignant spyware. In short, if you choose to participate in P2P file sharing, WinMX is the friendliest and cheapest choice available.
The Downsides of WinMX: Other than in Canada, it is a copyright infringement in most countries to share music and movie files. WinMX users risk being fined or even sued everytime they trade music files.
Legalities and technicalities
True WinMX software is free, but you must decide if you will risk being sued for copyright infringement. The only country that legally sanctions Internet music- and video-sharing is Canada. If you are in the USA, the UK, Mexico, Australia, or elsewhere, you do run a risk of being caught and fined for sharing music.
Here's an example of an American user being fined: On May 6th, 2004, a woman from Connecticut was fined six thousand dollars for downloading copyright-protected music from the Internet, and was barred from downloading, uploading or distributing copyrighted songs over the Internet.
Some P2P networks will unethically sell you paid versions of various file sharing software, including WinMX, and claim that this paid software absolves you of copyright responsibility. This is a lie. While the software itself may be legal (you paid for it), the copyright aspect is not addressed by these surcharges.
These unethical scammers will obscure the issue with hazy statements like: Due to the nature of peer-to-peer software, we are unable to monitor or control the types of files shared within the peer-to-peer communities. In the end, despite what these unethical vendors will tell you, you are still liable for music sharing copyright regardless if you pay for the software or not.
Source: BonusGambler.com Editors' Choice
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