When you search for a file, Gnutella first checks the computers you are directly connected to, then (if it doesn't find the song) sends the search criteria down the chain. It's common to connect to three PCs, each of which connects to three computers. Through that computer, you are connected to another computer, and another and so on, in a daisy-chain fashion.

When you access its network, you connect to another PC that is already on the network. On the other hand, Gnutella is a decentralized network - no central server facilitates searching and downloading.

MP3.com finds it slow going after lawsuits.The upside is that the less-centralized OpenNap system prevents the servers from being shut down quickly the downside is that your search results on one server will suffer due to the fractured nature of the OpenNap peer-to-peer music community. When you find one you want, you connect directly to the PC that has it for download.īut unlike Napster, which had one massive central server, hundreds of OpenNap servers exist, and you can use an OpenNap-compatible application such as Napigator or WinMX to access any of them to find music. OpenNap, short for Open Source Napster, works (as the name implies) just like Napster: You log in to a single, centralized server that mediates your search for a file. Most of these upstart tools are based on two types of networks: OpenNap and Gnutella. If you want to avoid any worries about illegal sharing, you can use one of the many sites that charge users a fee to download copyrighted music. None has been taken to court for violating copyright laws - though many of the sites do freely share copyrighted materials, the same thing that got Napster in trouble.

If you have ethical concerns about using Napster, the alternative sites offer some solace. A couple of sites in development look interesting, but weren't ready for our testing. All were available on Napster before the service began filtering. We searched for popular songs, like Jennifer Lopez's Top 40 hit 'Love Don't Cost a Thing.' We sought songs that are filtered on Napster, such as Metallica's 'Enter Sandman.' And we looked for the obscure, in this instance a San Francisco-based jazz ensemble named Tin Hat Trio. We tested each tool for ease of use, and evaluated the song selection available.

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