LimeWire has released the beta version of LimeWire 1.9, available at:

http://www.limewire.com/index.jsp/download_beta

This is one of the most important LimeWire releases to date, with features including:

<ul>
<li>"Swarm Downloads," or the ability to download a single file from multiple sources so you get the file more quickly. LimeWire will automatically select the best hosts to simultaneously download from when you select a download group.
<li>"UltraPeers," or more powerful computers on the network that many "client" peers can connect to. Over time, this change will dramatically increase the number of files that you can find while also reducing the bandwidth used for messaging, leaving more bandwidth for file transfers. This is a particularly useful feature for modem users, as you will see a significant increase in download speeds.
<li>LimeWire now offers the option to only close the program after all of you current uploads and downloads are complete, meaning that you should be able to successfully download more files.
<li>Hosts that you can chat with are now displayed with a chat icon in the search and download windows. There is also now a button that you can use to begin a chat session with the selected host.
<li>File and browser launching now work on Mac OS 10.1.
<li>The dreaded "Type 2" error when using the Mac menu on Mac OS 9.2.1 has been fixed.
<li>Many minor bug fixes.
</ul>

We've been working very hard over here on the LimeWire team to get this version out, so we really hope you like it! We understand everyone's frustration with the ads and the bundled software, but please be patient with us as we try to make this a network where we can make money in more sensible and useful ways.

Thanks.