LimeWire

LimeWire is a free and open source Gnutella peer-to-peer network client released under the GNU General Public License. The program allows users to share files using the Gnutella peer-to-peer protocol. It 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 is written in Java and hence runs on any computer with the Java virtual machine installed. To facilitate installation for casual users, the developers release installation packages for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and for Linux, in RPM format. Classic Mac OS (Mac OS 9 and before) support has been dropped with LimeWire 4.0.10.

LimeWire uses the SHA-1 and Tiger tree hash cryptographically secure hash functions to ensure that downloaded data is uncompromised. Although researchers have identified possible vulnerabilities in the SHA1 algorithm, because LimeWire does not rely on SHA1 alone these vulnerabilities do not have many adverse implications for LimeWire's verification of downloaded files.

The Windows version of LimeWire installer includes a stripped-down version of Sun's Java installer which will download and install version 1.5 of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) if it detects the machine doesn't have Java, or has a version of Java below version 1.4.1.

Lime Wire LLC, the developer of LimeWire, distributes two versions of the program; a basic, free version, and an enhanced version sold for a small fee, which is said to offer faster downloads. Prior to April 2004, the free version of LimeWire was distributed with a bundled program called "LimeShop" (a variant of TopMoxie), which was considered by computer security experts to be spyware. Among other things, LimeShop monitored online purchases in order to redirect sales commissions to LimeWire LLC. Uninstallation of LimeWire would not remove LimeShop. With the removal of all bundled software in LimeWire 4.0 (released May 14, 2004[1]), these objections were addressed.

Being open source, LimeWire has spawned several forks, including LionShare, an experimental software development project at Penn State University, FrostWire, and Acquisition, a popular Macintosh-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.

According to a 28 June 2005 report in The New York Times, LimeWire LLC may stop distributing LimeWire due to the outcome of MGM v. Grokster. However, new versions are being released (4.9 released on August 26) with smarter search results, optimized downloads and other features. On September 25, it was reported that Lime Wire LLC was working on a version of the program which will refuse to share files that lack valid license information. [2]

An October 12 report [3] states that some of the LimeWire open source contributors have forked the project and called it FrostWire. The FrostWire project has a beta release, which is claimed to be equivalent in power to the nonfree version of Limewire. The FrostWire developers emphasize that they will never place any sharing-related restrictions on the client.

References

• Felten, Edward W. 'SHA1 Break Rumored', Freedom To Tinker Discussion Forum (2004). Retrieved July 8, 2005.
• Advanced Peer-Based Technology Business Models. Ghosemajumder, Shuman. MIT Sloan School of Management, 2002.
• Music Downloads: Pirates- or Customers?. Silverthorne, Sean. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, 2004.