Calrissian.com : Techguides : File Sharing using Kazaa lite

To provide a basic understanding of Kazaa lite, arguably the best file sharing program available.

Summary recommendation : If you really want to get hold of any number of files, then Kazaa lite will be the least problematic free piece of software you might ever use.

What is Kazaa lite ?

Kazaa lite is a piece of software that you can install on your computer, and allows both the downloading and uploading (sharing) of files on your computer, with other computers across the world.

A little history...

Kazaa lite is a version of 'Kazaa'. The original Kazaa appeared a few years ago and was very successful. However, the net-kids did'nt like all that they were experiencing with Kazaa. So, they made their own hacked version of the original program, calling it Kazaa lite.

The difference between the two programs is that the original 'Kazaa' is full of adverts, and various 'spyware' which amongst other various things, monitors your internet habits for instance. Hence the name 'kazaa lite', you get all the benefits of the original kazaa (and a lot more) without all the junk spyware and adverts.

Currently, when you log into kazaa lite you will usually see around 3-4 million users connected at any given time, and they tend to be sharing around 750 million different files.

Files types available. Essentially, everything is available online. You will be able to find software, games, music files, tv episodes, and entire movies. Availability of files is generally amazing. At any given time, it is likely that the file you are looking to get hold of will be available to receive - although there might be a queue.
Once a file becomes available on one computer it can spread across the world onto thousands of computers in a matter of days.

Where do you get it ?

Costs : Kazaa lite is freeware, no subscriptions, no costs of any kind.
File Size : Kazaa lite is a relatively small size program, taking up no more than 3mb of disk space.
Time to download the software : Even on a slow 56k modem net connection, it should take no more than 15minutes to download the software.

A good place to start is the official Kazaa lite site below, which has links to download/mirror sites across the globe.

Using Kazaa lite

When using Kazaa lite it is important that you are aware of the following issues.

Internet Service Provider issues

1. Bandwidth issues.

The company that provides your internet link - such as Aol, Ntl, BT, etc, have limits on the amount of information you may download and upload each day/week or month.
For instance, unofficially, BT in the United Kingdom have a limit of around 1Gigabyte of data on any given day. Users that go above this limit consistently on a number of days will be emailed and receive a warning they are 'abusing the service'.

However, 1Gig is a lot of data, and such limits should not be a problem for 95% of users. This is especially the case since most people still only have 512k-1mb internet connections which means the maximum you can usually d/l each hour is around 360mb in an hour. That figure is though the theoretical maximum available on a 512k connection, something that is rarely achieved in practice - due to the usual signal/noise issues on ADSL which result in a loss in speed of about 10-20%.

2. Running a server

Some ISP's do state in their 'terms and conditions' that they do not allow the 'running of a server' on the line you are renting. The operation of any one of the file sharing programs (including Kazaa lite), is thus in violation of some contracts. You should check your contract to see if this is the case.

3. File sharing programs

A number of ISP's do explicitly state that use of Kazaa or any other filesharing program is not allowed. Again, you should check this. Although in practice this regulation is very rarely enforced, or indeed enforceable.

	Via the http://doa2.host.sk/ site, this is the place to start your experience of Kazaa lite. Daily updates regarding the latest software. An onsite web forum offers answers to all common problems/questions.
	A superb site, offering links to hundred of different movies, and many different TV series.
	Sharemonkey: a very large resource for movies, music, and tv. This site is used also for file sharing programs other than Kazaa lite.

A summary article on Kazaa lite would not be complete without mention of copyright issues.

The philosophy amongst the internet community is that file sharing is 'mostly okay', so long as you don't sell anything to make money. Clearly, making hundreds, even thousands of copies of a CD or DVD is simply outright illegal.

Q . Is it okay though to download the latest chart-topping single ?

Well, legally speaking it is fine to download music, movie files etc, but it is illegal to share such files over the net (that is UK law at least, I think). The issue that you will often see in news reports about file sharing, is that someone is a 'distributor of copyright material'. Sharing is seen as bad, downloading as 'less bad' - curious eh ? As noted earlier, your ISP may also get upset if they see you d/l large amounts of data via Kazaa lite.

As of writing, Various companies are trying to Sue 'Sharman Networks' (who run the original Kazaa, NOT Kazaa lite) for copyright infringement. It is a distinct possibility that Sharman networks - like Napster, will be sued and forced to close.
However, File sharing WILL always be around, close one place down and another will take its place in a very short time.