Im miffed at the multi-BILLION dollar movie and record companies that complain about movie/song sharing. I recently download star wars episode 1 and i love it! Now im hyped for when it comes out on DVD because the quality will be much better and i will enjoy it that much more! The movie companies should thank the Gnutella network for that

So true. That's why most commercial software is also shareware, just about 100% functioning.

Nobody every managed to stop or fine any private person recording songs of the radio, all those years now.
We still bought records, cassettes, and now disks.

Software is privately used, then if it is good, is promoted at one's company, or place of work. Most business pay for their computer software, for many reasons (tax concession as a start).

The internet is the 'information super highway' and we exchange information, knowledge and software, on it, just as it was thought of initially.
Notice however, that suddenly commerce and governments take 'responsibility' on? Now that they have come to use the internet more and more, now they regulate it.
Sad, isn't it.

Fortunately the structure of the internet is too diverse, too open, to really stuff it into one controlled pipeline.
It also goes completely against the 'freedom of expression' etc.

JD

Just wanted to add to this.

The programs you download from the Gnutella network, is almost always ripped to get the filesize down, so you don't get the FULL version of the program. For instance, they always take away the helpfiles or tutor function, which can be very useful if you're new to the program.

If I had to rely on a piece of software in my proffesional work, I would never use one that I had downloaded off Gnotella.

And I will never use downloaded versions of operating systems or anti virus porgams either. I just don't trust them enough.

And the mp3's you download are fine to play on your portable, or if you're not very picky about the sound quality, but I have a very expensive sound system, and the mp3 sound quality just don't cut it. So I end up buying the CD at some point anyway(if I think it's an good).

Overall - the quality you get when you buy a program/music is much higher than the downloaded version, and you get support.

But I still download stuff to check it out. I won't pay $1000 for a prog I won't be using anyway after I've tried it out.
Maybe I'll buy it, or the next version of it, if I find it useful.