Well, I'm making a few assumptions on the way limewire works, but I'm bored and have just been sitting here thinking.
I'm assuming that if limewire isn't started no one can search/download the contents of your shared folder, as there's no program to manage the port etc.
Well, what an option so when the computer starts up, it opens a mini version of limewire (background) that will just accept searches and allow downloads of a client chosen bandwidth?
A lot of people probably disable limewire from startup because they don't want the whole program running all the time (I do), so maybe somthing like this would create a whole lot more results?

Maybe this is flawed, but a few beers down it seems like a good idea to me..

Ed

Not a bad idea Ed, I'm in the same boat as you as for disabling it on startup, but if this were possible, I might go for it...

I like cold beer too guys and, at this moment, I am stone cold sober so I don't like the idea.

Why? Well, because I want to consciously give permission for someone to use my shared files.

And anyway, isn't this how spyware and viruses behave, i.e. opening ports, sending and receiving info without you knowing about it.

So I guess, what I am really saying is that I do not want LW to behave like, or have the characteristics of, viruses or spyware.



UK Bob

This is why I said have the option, so people can choose if they would want it enabled or not. It hardly becomes any more spyware than any automatic update software about, and you could choose to enable/disable it.
Do you know what information limewire sends when you actually have it open? I would think if you trust it enough to use it at any point it wouldn't be much different to use it on startup without the load of the whole program being opened if you chose to have it enabled..

I very recently remember seeing something on the LW.org forums about a mini program. It's already been developed. It has been developed for magnet link handling. I'm not sure if or when it will be incorporated into the public release version.

Ed & LOTR

On all but one of my apps, and that is my AV, I have auto update disabled and, as I have said before, I want to consciously give consent to the comings and goings from my PC.

Now, if this new (mini) facility allows me to enable or disable it then I am all anything that enables greater sharing but if it auto opens ports without permission then I would either stop using LW or get my firewall to block it.

As for the info LW sends when it is open, apart from my IP Address and an index of the files I am sharing I would expect it to send nothing else (apart from selected uploads)

However, if someone of more experience tells me differently, i.e. LW is sending out non-LW specific info, then I will have to think again. Because, as I have said many times before, LW and P2P-ing is not and has never been the most important activity my PC performs for me.



UK Bob