Steal This File-Sharing Book

Rating:
Summary: Good review of this topic
Review: If you haven't downloaded a music or DVD file and you don't hang around file swapping channels then this book will quickly bring you up to date on the subject.

Using the same approach as in his "Steal this Computer Book" series, Wang gives us uncensored information on this topic. Too many journalists are either technically uninformed or seem to have signed up to the thought police to make media reports reliable. The author provides the information and allows you to draw your own conclusions.

Topics covered include:
- how to look for files;
- an explanation of the main peer-to-peer technologies from the user's point of view;
- searching in newsgroups, instant messaging services, chat rooms, on web servers and ftp sites;
- hiding your identity and protecting your computer from searches and malicious software;
- file formats;
- finding and sharing music, movies and TV shows, photos and images, books, software, and video games (emulators, ROM images).

Wang uncovers some some forms of theft which were news to me: sound bites and samples, guitar chords, bandwidth theft, website theft, recipes even needlework patterns! Can you imagine a group of hardened needlewarz pirates?

What is disappointing is that this book is sold world wide, but the author only covers legal liabilities and possible lawsuits from the US viewpoint. It would have been relatively easy to include international viewpoints since there is a great deal of uniformity with the US being odd man out. This is an unfortunate and common limitation of US authors.

The author also describes legal filesharing with those vendors who have come to terms withm the new technology.

Well worth the read!

Rating:
Summary: Ethics aside, this is a pretty good book...
Review: If you want a better understanding of the often murky world of file sharing, you can get it from the book Steal This File Sharing Book by Wallace Wang (No Starch Press).

Chapter list: Finding The Files; The Peer-To-Peer File Sharing Networks; Navigating Newsgroups; Instant Messaging and Online Chat Rooms; Finding Files on Web and FTP Sites; Protecting Your Identity; Protecting Your Computer; The File Formats; Sharing Music; Finding Movies (or TV Shows); Sharing Books; Pirating Software (Warez); Sharing Video Games; Sharing Pornography; Miscellaneous Thievery; The Legal Alternatives; How The Corporations Fight Back; Index

With a subtitle of "What They Won't Tell You About File Sharing" and the back cover disclaimer of "WARNING: This book is not to be used for violating copyright, pirating software, bootlegging movies, stealing video games, or any other miscellaneous thievery or illegal activity", you can figure this book pretty much deals with topics that in most cases are considered illegal. I'm going to avoid addressing the ethical considerations of file sharing and comment strictly on the content of the book. You get to draw your own ethical lines.

Overall, the book is good. I came away with a much better understanding of how peer-to-peer networks work, and how there are multiple networks available, each with their own clients for access. It's also been awhile since I messed around with newsgroups, and I now understand the RAR format. Wang includes a lot of software recommendations (along with URLs) for each type of file acquisition (like newsgroup readers and online proxy sites), so you can quickly start trying out some of the techniques he outlines. The style and type layout of the book is also "dirty", much like an underground publishing effort. It gives the book a look of something that you'd probably not display on your bookshelf because "proper" people don't read things like this.

While there's plenty of stuff you already know here, there's also quite a bit of material that will fill in some gaps (if they are gaps you want filled in)...

Rating:
Summary: The other side
Review: It's a nice overview book. Goes into how musicians, writers and other artists can use file sharing to get attention outside the large media outlets, which is probably why the large media outlets ignore this subject.
There's the downside, mostly spyware, and Wang goes into that. His interview was good on First Voice Books (www.firstvoicebooks.com/filesharing.html).
I think file sharing will grow up as the years go by and morph into a tool for companies and associations to distribute their work. Is it just a dream? Yahoo, MSN and Google don't think so.



Rating:
Summary: No samizdat
Review: Looking for controversy? No shortage of it in this book. One can readily imagine this book as contraband in some regimes. Wang describes the major file sharing networks of our time. Gnutella, FastTrack, BitTorrent and others. He gives you the gist of each and how to get started using them to download files. All the major networks are designed to be easy to use for the layperson. Indeed, we see that this is a necessary condition for their popularity.

IRC usage is also explained. This is also an important electronic modality for downloading files. Ditto with Instant Messaging offerings from MSN, Yahoo and ICQ.

Naturally, a large portion of the book discusses what types of files get downloaded. Most music. Some video. But still limited because of the sheer amount of data in a typical film. Wang covers the continuing controversies in a fairly neutral tone. Overall, he supports the usage of the networks. Though he decries the copyright infringement. One might wonder, though, if it is because for practical reasons, he cannot take any other stance, given that he is espousing his view in the permanent form of this book. And that he is doing so with a reputable publisher, No Starch. So this is no samizdat.

Rating:
Summary: A virtual tour of the Darknet
Review: The title of Steal This File Sharing Book: What They Won't Tell Your About File Sharing, by Wallace Wang (No Starch Press), may make it sound as if you're thumbing through a blueprint on how to take down the entertainment industry and their allies at the Justice Department, but what we really have here is the definitive look at the file sharing movement.

Wang's right: You won't find this kind of information about the ins and outs of the P2P networks in the traditional press. Music, movie, video games, software, porn -- it's all here, ready to snag with a few mouse clicks.

The author pokes and prods his way through the shadowy corners of the Darknet, exposing the realms where millions of people come together to trade files and engage in other furtive activities that threaten the republic's foundations. Or not.

Most of us know about the Kazaas and eDonkeys of the world. Wang takes us deeper, showing how to conduct more effective searches for the files we crave. Level by level, we descend through the rungs of P2P, from file sharing software like Shareaza, Deepnet Explorer and <a href=http://songcrawler.com>Songcrawler</a> to Usenet, Internet Relay Chat, and Manolito, "a treasure trove for finding rare and bootleg music that you probably won't find anywhere else."

Anonymity and hiding your identity are covered, natch, for the readers who want to do more than just read about these services. Wang offers tips on data protection, how to stop spyware and pop-up ads, and how to securely delete files. There's even a section on building your own private encrypted network, or darknet.

Unlike Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book, which openly advocated counterculture legal hijinks a generation ago, Wang is no bomb-thrower, offering a fairly down-the-middle discourse on the legalities of all this rather than advocating a mass P2P assault on the door of the entertainment industries' Bastille.

While a few chapters briefly touch on the causes and ethics of illegal file sharing, Steal This File Sharing Book is less interested in the whys or whos than with the how-to's. For anyone who seriously dabbles in digital media, has a stake in the file sharing wars or is simply interested in how today's generation of kids has found new ways of sticking it to The Man, Wang's book is a must-read.

Rating:
Summary: Legal and illegal file sharing information
Review: This book is a lot of fun. It covers both legal and illegal aspects of file sharing, primarily of finding music, movies, hacked software and adult entertainment. He covers a variety of file sharing networks and applications. But the primary value of the book is in the experience he impart. The etiquette of file sharing, how to secure your files and avoid the security problems.

The coverage is fairly high level. You won't be getting step-by-step instructions in how to rip DVDs. The topics are covered, but the author generally leaves it to you to navigate all of the features of any particular application.

This book is better than the shoddy cover would imply, but the organization could have used some work. Definitely worth a look for those interested in doing a lot of file sharing.

Rating:
Summary: Information packed, great resource
Review: Whether it's music, programs, games, books or other files it seems that everyone is downloading something over the Internet these days. If you want to know how to find the files you want and download them safely then you will be interested in this book.

The author covers a wide array of places to find files including newsgroups, websites, Instant Messenger, Internet Relay Chat, FTP, and networks that are designed specifically for file sharing such as Gnutella, FastTrack, and eDonkey. One of the most interesting parts for the average computer user is the one with information on how to remain anonymous when sharing files. Of course, this section also includes information on the problems of file sharing - viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, adware, and even warez.

I've traded files and worked on the Internet for years and I still learned a few tips in this book. The author includes lots of illustrations and specific web sites where you can download the programs he mentions as well as several alternative ones. Mr. Wang even provides a complete analysis of each program's advantages and disadvantages. One of the things I really like is the fact that he includes information on programs you should be careful downloading and using including Fast Track clients that come loaded with spyware like Kazaa and iMesh.

If you don't like AIM he even covers Private Internet Messenger products like Meet Gate, P2P Instant Messenger, and Pal Talk. The breadth of coverage is impressive, the writing and organization excellent. Steal This File-Sharing Book is highly recommended to anyone who shares files over the Internet.