by Anthony Miele

Created on: March 02, 2009   Last Updated: March 05, 2009

It seems like the world of music sharing will continue to ever change as long as there are people willing to contribute to it. We all know that it started with Napster, but how is this peer-2-peer distribution changing in to something more different nowadays? The different approaches and techniques used to ration this music amongst people are becoming more available and easier to use. Will the corporate systems of record labels ever be able to stop this illegal act... or will it prevail? Let's take a closer look at the fast developing systems: Client-server P2P and Web-based P2P and their dynamic advances.

*Given that you've read the article: How P2P Networks Work, we should all know what P2P sharing entails and how it works.*

Changes in Client-Server P2P

Since the classic music sharing program, Napster has came about and failed, many changes have taken place. One of the largest alterations has been the progression of more programs and the diverse selection of them. On average, there are around 10 stable P2P softwares which are client-server protocol (same as Napster was) and the most popular for the amateur music client. This method seems to be the most popular because it is the simplest in getting the music you want. But for every up, there is a down, considering that this means of seeking your music may adversely be the slowest.

The client-server protocol programs themselves have taken on quite a few impressive developments. Most of these P2P softwares have dramatically increased their volume of clients, thus making music/files more abundant and a little faster in download compared to a year or two ago. Besides the customizable features and easy-to-use interfaces in which these applications have now made more available, they also provide better details on the specific music that you're downloading, as well. An upgraded search box on most of these programs may also induce a better search result which adds to the "advantageous list." Although the change of the client-server P2P has been beneficial to the clients who use it, it still hasn't advanced to extremely fast download speeds.

Changes in Web-Based P2P

Torrent sharing has made improvements across the board and is becoming a more enticing way for people to not only download music, but larger files, as well. Typically since, there have been thousands of websites that may produce millions of music/files to be shared and downloaded. Although this method of P2P is becoming more and more popular, it is still considered

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