EDonkey

File sharing is a very popular, yet very controversial, application for the internet. The entertainment industry in general, and the music industry in particular are very nervous about the possibilities that file sharing networks offer to trade copyright protected files with ease. The music industry even blames file sharing networks for their decrease in sales and has gone so far as to sue people who use the software. The flip side of that argument, however, is the millions of people who use file sharing networks every day. People love to trade files online with people all over the world, and the file sharing network software programmers say that their software is merely the middle man – that they can’t be held responsible for how it is used. As proof of the popularity of these file sharing systems, you can find hundreds of different file sharing networks online. eDonkey is one popular network many have used to trade files.

About eDonkey
eDonkey, also known as eDK2 or eDonkey 2000, is a P2P (peer to peer) file sharing network. Like most other file sharing software programs, eDonkey is a network via which people can share files online. That means, like most file sharing programs, eDonkey is decentralized. There is no central database of files for users to download – instead users trade their own files with other individual users using the eDonkye network. eDonkey differs from other peer to peer networks in the that it is ONLY a software program. It does not host a network of users. eDonkey software can instead be used with a number of popular peer to peer file sharing networks; for instance, you can use Kazaa with an eDonkey downloading system. You can use eDonkey’s search system to search for your desired files across the entire eDonkey peer to peer compaitible networks, or you can search your favorite network and use eDonkey as your downloading tool. Because the eDonkey server is constantly changing, you can check the eDonkey server list to make sure you are running the right program.

Trouble For eDonkey
While eDonkey software can be used to trade any kind of file, the most common use for eDonkey is trading copyright controlled files. In 2007, eDonkey had to pay a $30 million judgment to the music industry for copyright violations. The eDonkey software interface is still available online, however.

Download eDonkey
To try eDonkey on your computer, you can download eDonkey free from the eDonkey home page. eDonkey software works on Windows, Linux, and Unix operating systems. If you’re looking for an eDonkey client with which to find your favorite tracks, the eDonkey links on their home page will tell you which clients are compatible.