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eXeem Lite Public Beta Released
TheKarateMaster writes "Just days after the release of eXeem Open Beta comes eXeem lite 0.19 Public Beta. Much like with KaZaA, the official version of eXeem comes chock full of spy/adware -- specifically, cydoor. eXeem lite is spyware free and free of bloat -- and free. Version .20, which should fix a few minor bugs, is expected 'in next coming days.' (read: soon)"
Whilst this is excellent news indeed, I fear only the so called "computer savvy" will reap the benefits of this (ie no spyware). There are a lot of people out there who seemingly click at random through the World Wide Wreckage, completely and utterly naive of the dangers they face. And there are others who just can't be bothered to protect themself from spyware, data loss, scams, identity theft, etc.
Does this sound familiar:
Clueless user: Hrm, that looks like a good idea. Click. Install. Now why is my computer slow and always crashing? Better call my tech boy genius neighbor!
Tech boy genius neighbor: OMFG what did you do!?
I commend the software venders that do their best to protect those who need protecting the most. Even Microsoft is looking into integrating Spyware search and destroy tools into Windows. It pays to get with the times!
Somebody please write an Azureus plugin for Exeem!
To be fair, they kind of screw themselves over asking for donations, given that their users are exactly the people too cheap to pay for music/tv/games/whatever.
How long until the eXeem makers either sue or try to ban lite users from the network?
quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
If only Bram Cohen would had licensed the original bittorrent under the GPL (rather than the MITL), people would not be able to profit so easily from his work.
Granted, the trackerless protocol surely took some work, but the base BT protocol (and its implementation) was the revolutionary thing.
I hate companies providing adware software like Kazaa or Exeem, that promise you heaven on earth, and actually offer subpar programs, that would have much more quality as an opensource project (see eDonkey vs eMule).
If it's because you want to take advantage of the # of users, have you considered that they are primarily the type of users that install spyware-ridden software on their PCs? Is that the type of user community you want to get files from, and share with?
What good reason is there to use eXeem? If you want to use a popular program that a lot of people use, what problem does eXeem solve that Kazaa doesn't?
Is eXeem supposed to be considered the second coming strictly because Suprnova shut down? Anybody who relied strictly on Suprnova for torrents was a fool, anyway, considering the wake of Napster and the obvious fate of any popular centralized source of illicit IP.
If you like the BitTorrent system... keep using it, eXeem offers no real advantages. If you have no integrity or circumspectness whatsoever, then just use Kazaa. I don't see what niche eXeem fills.
To Lepaca:
I don't understand your point, Lepaca. I just used the lite version to dl a nice PDF version of the Kama Sutra. How is eXeem or eXeemLite useless? Why is taking a decent program riddled with spyware (eXeem, KaZaA) and hacking out the spyware (lite versions), therefore improving the base program, not a valid endeavor?
To the anti-p2p crowd:
You people make me sick. You know in your heart-of-hearts that there's plenty of legitimate uses for this technology, and yet you still try to paint p2p users with the broad brush of illegality. Go bust the kids trading Brittney tracks! Leave us the tools to easily distribute legitimate large files (Linux distros, Project Gutenberg archives, etc), you dark-minded fucks.
eXeem lite is spyware free and free of bloat -- and free
This isn't Free (libre) software, so while it is nice that it doesn't cost anything, neither does the official eXeem, so it is not better in that respect.
As for the claim that the official version comes with spyware and that this "lite" version doesn't - several posters have already said they couldn't find any spyware after installing eXeem.
As for eXeem-lite, if I can't see the source, why should I believe the site that claims it is spyware-free? Because the say so?
I learn from all my mistakes, I intend to be a genius at the end of my life.
Sure, it is much HYPED app. But I've yet to hear about how great it actually is. Who even said it will catch and deliver? Why eXeem lite and not X lite, when X can be any ad-sponsored program on ZeroPaid?
And while we on it. Why so many Slashdot articles on this? Promote it when eXeem is worth it.
I'm sympathetic to your point, but this seems to be the wrong discussion to be making it in. Check out clause 7.b. of the eXeem license agreement. Users of the software agree not to redistribute or modify it. What are the people who made eXeem lite doing? Redistributing a modified version. Even if you use the software only to distribute 100% legitimate, public domain or freely redistributable stuff, you're still commiting copyright infringement by using eXeem Lite!
Information doesn't want to be anthropomorphized. -AC
Easy fix, easyer than DLing and maintaining a differant client...
:)
Delete files in c:\windows\system32\AdCache
Set all user permissions on folder c:\windows\system32\AdCache to deny (no access)
block/deny:
*cydoor.com/*
*cms.com/*
It doesn't complain if the ads are not comming in, it just throws them up
Although I appreciate the information, I'd just as soon not have the spyware installed on my computer in the first place. Unless you've sat there with a debugger and stepped through Cydoor one instruction at a time, how do you know it doesn't stick copies of itself somewhere else, or trojan another binary along the way? These spyware programs are notorious for nasty tricks like that.
Also, I remember reading in the previous article that uninstalling Cydoor causes Exeem to stop working, so you're still better off using the Lite client.
Please don't support spyware or authors that include spyware in their products. There are better ways to make money, and decent programmers can simply use Paypal or some other method of donationware to make a buck, while still delivering value (and most importantly goodwill) to their users.
My guess is the real reason why they're funding this using Adware is that the original Suprnova was mostly funded by banner ads, and they still need a revenue stream. Of course, now the editors are no longer screening content, so what they bring to the table (besides the application) is not as much.
"When the president does it, that means it's not illegal." - Richard M. Nixon
Wait... if they have the ability to 'ban (lite) users from the network', then they have the ability to 'ban individuals engaging in the act of distributing copyrighted works without prior permission to do so'.
Which means that they would become a prime target for whichever media copyright maintenance agency applies to them.
Unless I'm missing something.
eXeem is NOT related to Bittorrent in any way. It does not use the Bittorrent protocol nor an extension of it. It is yet another P2P application/network that is trying to captilize on an already popular application/network/protocol. Considering that it is closed source, Windows only, spyware stricken, and leeching off of Bittorrent's popularity, it would be wise to boycott eXeem.
If you want to use a P2P application that combines the swarming of Bittorrent with distributed indexing, searching, and tracking, try one of the eDonkey apps such as aMule, eMule, eDonkey2000, etc. Many of them are open source, spyware free, and run on multiple platforms. Since the eDonkey network has been around for a long time, it is filled with a variety of content. However, Bittorrent is still the fastest P2P protocol for raw data transfer, so don't drop it, just find a few good torrent sites.
..until I can recompile it myself.