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March 16, 2007
Dear CNET members,
This week's topic--regarding Brandy's curiosity of LimeWire and whether it is legal and safe to use--generated a lot of buzz from our members. Not only did we get many helpful submissions that speak to the legality of LimeWire software and the safety of using such peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing programs, it also sparked a lot of discussion and debate over the legality of downloading music and copyrighted materials. All in all, I think Brandy's question is an important one, because many people are curious about these P2P programs, and this community gathering of member posts will help demystify it nicely.
While LimeWire and other P2P applications are legal to own and use, and have legitimate uses--such as the exchange of open-source software, hardware drivers, or music artists who freely share their noncopyrighted music with others--I'd like to throw in my two cents about the exchange of copyrighted materials through these P2P programs. My personal opinion is, don't do it! It's illegal, and what is not rightfully yours shouldn't be in your possession, unless you paid for it. Many people will argue over this and that, the loopholes and legalities of these acts, but personally that's not important to me. Morally, I've been brought up to be honest, but for a moment let's forget honesty. Place yourself in this situation. How would you feel if you just worked three years to create your own artwork, only to find it being distributed freely to the public without your permission? I'm sure you would agree with me that you wouldn't like it, so why do it to others? Anyway, I'm not going to go over my two cents worth, but if you read through this week's discussion and submissions, you'll see a few people will tell you the same. For all of you who'd like to chime in on this topic, please post your advice and opinion in this week's discussion. And don't forget to vote for the member's submission you find most helpful in answering Brandy's question.
Every vote counts! Thanks everyone and have a great weekend!
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Member Question of the Week
Here's my questions to you guys and gals. Someone at work
recommended to me to use LimeWire to download music from,
however I have heard through other people to avoid it, as
such programs are illegal to use and possibly unsafe. I would
like to try LimeWire to get music, but I'm afraid to use it
because of what I'm hearing from others. So is it legal or
not? When they mention being unsafe, is it the music that is
unsafe or are we talking about something else. Sorry I sound
so naive, but this is all new to me and I'm very
curious. Thanks for any advice.
Submitted by:
Brandy R.
Vote for the most helpful answer
 Which answer below would you consider the most helpful? Click on the title to see the answer by the member. To vote, click on the button next to the answer to weigh in on the decision.
Here are the selected submissions grouped in one post.
 Answer by Wolfie2k5
Answer by Archus
Answer by Kid A
Answer by zepper
Answer by LyteWing
Answer by ucphenom82
Answer by David Eaton Productions
Answer by dkokelley
For the member whose answer was voted the
most helpful by our community, we will send
this member his or her choice of any
CNET Learning CD.
 Previous week's Q&AThe votes are in! Below is the answer voted most helpful by our community to last week's question.
My digital tape camcorder broke months ago, and I'm so
confused about replacing it. Is it a mistake to buy HD tapes
when they are so expensive now? Will minitapes disappear in
the next few years? I understand the quality and ability to
edit is best using tapes, or am I wrong? I'm not interested in
a hard drive camcorder. Would you recommend a DVD or tape
camcorder? What are the pros and cons of both? Please help me.
Thank you!
--Submitted by:
Carol L.
Carole, I ran into the same question you have about seven months ago. I am no professional but I take a lot of video that I take home and edit with some fun editing programs, which I then save or burn into DVDs to share with friends and family. My camcorder broke down as well so I did a lot of research but could not get the definite answer I was looking for until I ran into a professional who was hired to film my daughter's game. I quickly...
(read more)
--Submitted by:
RM (CNET member: ACM10)
Congratulations to the winner!
Community Buzz
 Each week we take a look at topics discussed in the forums.
Have fun and enjoy!
More from the forums
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Check out next week's question:
My wife and I took our "trip of a lifetime" to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji--and brought home hundreds of digital photos. We want to make a top-quality slide show of these, featuring music, captions, dissolves, and fades. Can this be done by PowerPoint or should we buy special software? I have an OEM of Nero but haven't learned how to use it. Would this be useable for our purposes? Please guide us into what is needed for making DVDs of these treasured photos.
--Submitted by:
Chuck C. of Tallahassee, Florida
We feature a new question every Friday, and if you have the answer for our member, you can submit it above. If your submission is picked by our members as the most helpful answer, you'll receive a free CNET Learning CD of your choice.
Have a question?
• Multimedia
• Internet Security
• Digital Cameras
• Home Audio & Video
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• PC Upgrading
• PC Troubleshooting
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Have you ever received a virus, Trojan, or spyware from using file-sharing programs?
(Please click on button to vote) |
Yes (Tell us about it.)
No (What's your secret?)
I don't know (You might want to scan your PC.)
I don't use file-sharing programs
Simple question, simple answer
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