What is Kazaa?

[homeyg]

I hear people talk about it all the time (and pronounce it in all sorts of funny ways), but what is it? What ever it is, is it free? Someone fill me in.

 

[Turner]

Kazaa is P2P software - Peer to Peer. basically what it does is allow you to search for files on other peoples computers and download them. Not just any computer, tho. The target computer must have Kazaa running, and have directories set to share. Most people use Kazaa for MP3 sharing, although there could be legitimate uses for it...

 

[bobgote]

Peer to peer is a different kind of network where each user has both client and server functions (rather than having a centralised server). Kazaa is free (actually i think new versions of either it, or kazaa lite cost money). And there is legitimate uses, as copyrighted material is not the only thing to be shared. virtually any type of file can be shared. however it is notorious for use as music file sharing, which is illegal in many places (especially the US).

 

[homeyg]

Alright, thanks! I just could never figure out what it was before.

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

I'll give you a warning though if you do decide to get it. Keep in mind that the files you are getting are coming from other users and a LOT of the time are either virus or spyware ridden. If you have an updated antivirus program and look for unreasonable file sizes in what you download you should be fine. For example, a 200MB song is probably a bad idea.

 

[Dell19]

Or a 5kb song is a bad idea as well...

 

[DreadCthulhu]

Also, Kazaa itself is laden with spy & adware. I reccomend using Kazaa Lite, which has the spyware removed, or WinMX, another P2P with no spyware.