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FTP stands for "File Transfer Protocol". The majority
of download sites on the web, such as mp3.com etc, will use FTP
behind the scenes for transferring files from their server to a
personal computer of a user. At the beginning of the mp3 download
craze, there were only a few major download portals. Such as http://www.mp3board.com.
As the age of digital downloads advanced and expanded, the amount
of sites offering the services expanded beyond all imagination.
Sites such as mtv.com and yahao.music.com soon took a major share
of web site downloading.
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Common requirements for most file sharing programs ....
Operating System: Windows XP Home or Professional.
CPU: 233 MHz minimum required
Memory: 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended.
Hard Drive: Approximately 13 MB for file sharing program. Around
18 MB for Windows Media Player.
Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0 and above.
Windows Media Player 9.0 or higher.
Internet Connection: Active Internet connection.
Some file programs like LimeWire do support more operating system
such as,
Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, ME, 2000, XP.
Solaris/Sparc 2.6, 2.7, 2.8
Linux Redhat 6.2, 7, 7.1
Linux Caldera
Solaris/Intel 2.6, 2.7, 2.8
Compaq Tru64
FreeBSD
Mac OS X 10.2.6 or later
IRIX
HP-UX 10.20, 11
AIX 4.3.x
TurboLinux
Mac OS Classic 8.1, 9.X
Mac OS X Server
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Security risks with file sharing program?
Unless you share your entire hard drive, then you should not encounter
any major security risks. Of course this is true of popular programs
like Gnutella, but security does vary from program to program. It
is very important you make sure you are only sharing files you want
to share. So before you start check which directories and files
the file sharing program has access to. It's also a good idea not
to run any executable programs that you obtain from a file sharing
network.
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Can you download a virus using file sharing programs?
It's a very real possibility, so it's a wise move to scan every
file downloaded with an anti-virus program like Norton. Most file
sharing networks does not keep any record of files being shared,
and only a few offer the feature to scan any files being downloaded
for viruses. Therefore once you have download a virus-infected file
you will be vulnerable to any viruses contained in that file. Most
file types will be safe such as mp3 and text files, you file types
you should be very wary of are files with a .exe or .vbs suffix.
History indicates these types of files are more likely to contain
a virus. You will very rarely found a virus on CD's sold by retailers,
there are lots of offers and sales for music CD's online. Due to
the mp3 download revolution the shops have had to lower the price
of CD's considerable in order to compete.
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