11. Closing Thoughts

As you can see, there are many choices in the world of P2P downloading. The program you'll be happy with is generally the one that sets up easily, provides acceptable speed and has the variety of content that you are looking for. Of course, there is also the variable of how much harassment by adware, ads, toolbars and browser home page hijacking that you're willing to put up with.

I have always been a fan of BitTorrent for its download speeds and like LimeWire for its ease of use, lack of adware, and relatively high speed. I have been using DC++ for many years for its ability to link a small group of friends together to exchange TV program recordings from our common cable company. BitComet should also be on my favorites list, but since I am so used to BitTorrent, BitComet does not seem worth the extra memory it takes.

Morpheus is not among my favorites because I just don't trust it. Programs should not automatically start up with your computer without giving you the option to disable that behavior during installation. Morpheus also frankly has the stigma of its previous track record as well as its weird toolbar.

Note that all of my recommended programs work without having to do a lot of router or general network tweaking. I have probably had to forward about 10 ports through my router for all the programs. Even though this is an easy task both router makers and software designers need to come up with a way to automate this task so even my sister can install a P2P program. I still can't figure out why both Shereaza and Xolox would not work even when I forwarded the specified ports.

On the other hand, after reviewing these programs, my computer is now crawling with cookies and whenUSave installs. I have had my browser home page changed and one tool bar installed. I do not believe that a P2P user should have to put up with this and fortunately, it looks like some of these companies are getting the message.

That being said, if you have fallen in love with a particular program and mastered the removal of all of its annoying properties, then by all means stick with it. But if you've been unhappy with the results from the program you've been using, then I hope this guide helps you find something better.

Legal or illegal, file sharing using P2P is not going away. Just the opposite, its use seems to be continuing to grow with hundreds of millions of users and available files soaring into the petabytes! Just as prohibition in the U.S. didn't stop the consumption of alcohol, it's unlikely that the DMCA and all the other laws intended to squash file sharing will stop it.

After all, P2P has been proven to be a scalable, robust way to distribute a huge variety of content among millions and millions of users. What's needed (and coming...someday) is a way to protect all forms of digital content from uncontrolled copying and distribution, while allowing legitimate purchasers of that content to use it on the wide range of playback devices that continue to pour out from the design labs. When fair and easy-to-use DRM finally arrives, then P2P will step out of the shadows and into its proper place as the distribution system of choice for all forms of digital content.

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