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Gnutella Versus OpenNap

Most of these upstart tools are based on two types of networks: OpenNap and Gnutella. 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. When you find one you want, you connect directly to the PC that has it for download.

But 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. 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.

On the other hand, Gnutella is a decentralized network--no central server facilitates searching and downloading. When you access its network, you connect to another PC that is already on the network. Through that computer, you are connected to another computer, and another and so on, in a daisy-chain fashion. It's common to connect to three PCs, each of which connects to three computers.

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. When the results come back, your PC makes a direct connection to the computer that has the file. Applications such as BearShare or LimeWire use the Gnutella network.

Advantages and Problems

Both networks have their advantages. Unlike Napster, you can trade any kind of file you want, not just MP3 files. Searching on an OpenNap network is generally faster than searching on Gnutella, because a central computer already knows what files everyone has. Gnutella also slows as more users sign on. But Gnutella has one big advantage over Napster and OpenNap networks: Because it's decentralized, there is no single server that can be shut down.

All the Napster alternatives inherit some of Napster's problems: Downloaded files can sound bad, they can be incomplete, or you could get an error that stops the download mid-transfer. But there's an additional problem: A sharing network is only as useful as the users (and files) on it. According to Lee Black, director of research for digital entertainment research firm Webnoize, "Five users on Napster aren't worth a lot. Sixty million users are." None of the other services have nearly as large a user base as Napster's.

"Napster changed everything," says Dannielle Romano, an associate analyst with research firm Jupiter Media Metrix. But the alternatives don't have much incentive to improve. Created mostly by hobbyists, the software isn't as user-friendly as Napster. That's not likely to change: There's no financial incentive to make the experience easy for non-geeks. In the end, these programs tend to be more difficult to configure and use than commercial software made by a company that's in it for profit, Black says.

One typical downside to OpenNap is that it Balkanizes Napster's massive music community: You may need to search several OpenNap servers to get results. Each server is a separate fiefdom, and the only way to figure out which one might have the music you're looking for is to pick a few and keep trying. With Gnutella, you have a different problem: The search will likely find the target song, but it could take hours to wend its way through the Gnutella network of users.

One more thing to consider when you're looking at a file-sharing program: Unless you've paid for a copyrighted piece of music (such as when you buy the CD), it's illegal to download it. Although Black and Romano say the FBI probably won't knock on your door to arrest you for copyright violations--it tends to go after the big fish, like Napster--you're still breaking the law.

Subscription Music Around the Corner

If you're looking for clearly legal alternatives, you might want to take a look at sites in the works that will charge a subscription to download music.

Every major record label is working on a service that will let you download songs for a monthly fee. Sony Music plans to launch a service called Duet this summer; Bertelsmann AG has invested in Napster to create a pay service as well. Other record companies are working on ways to license their songs to subscription services. These services will provide the same easy access to digital music as Napster did, and promise you a guaranteed sound quality and more stable downloads.

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