LimeWire is currently one of the most popular file sharing applications available on the Internet and the reason behind LimeWire’s success is no doubt its free availability and versatility. Although LimeWire Pro – which offers extra features and guarantees faster downloads and beefed up security – requires a subscription, a free version of the software is available from several sites, including LimeWire’s (www.LimeWire.com).
This open source software is the result of extensive collaboration from programmers spread throughout the world; their uniting goal: provide an interface which allows users to quickly and easily share information through a virtual network of peers (p2p). Essentially, this application allows you to access files on other individuals’ computers – and vice versa, allow others to access your computer – by specifying which folders and which types of files a user is willing to share with others. You can also browse a specific user’s collection of shared files or chat with them directly.

Of course this all sounds wonderful (without delving into copyright laws), but, as with everything else in real life, there is a negative side to all this; downloading certain files can make you vulnerable to attacks and/or information theft and users need to be careful! Included in the free version of the software are several filters (including one to filter out adult content) to facilitate the task of differentiating between good and potentially dangerous files, but these are not always reliable as good files are sometimes displayed as junk and vice versa…
Following these steps below will help ensure that you are not downloading a potentially dangerous file:

1. Take the time to peruse through the entire list of files that your search produced and do a quick, global comparison. This will give you a good sense of what’s offered and which files are obvious traps. Some of these include results that just tag-on a sexual reference to your search title as bait.
2. Does the size of the file displayed correspond with the type of file you wish to download? Don’t expect to be downloading a movie if you opted to download a movie file that’s 34.7 megs; they usually run around 700 megs. Ditto if you’re trying to download a 7 min. mp3 song that’s 300kb – there’s something wrong! If the file size isn’t visible in the main window, right click on the header bar for options…
3. If you are performing a search that focuses on specific words or for obscure, less well known material, be wary of the files your search may have produced – depending on your “junk” setting, your searches will always produce one or two results. Example: you are searching for a movie and the search words used are ‘Jim Jarmush Film Down by Law’, chances are you’ll get one result with those exact words in that exact order… Don’t waste your time!
4. General rule for music files: try to avoid files with the .wma extension (Windows Media Audio). They are not always bad, but problems encountered with audio files are usually with these.
5. Be careful which files are in your “share” folder. Do not save personal files you do not wish to share (especially if they contain sensitive information) in your share folder.
6. If you can, avoid downloading software unless you know the source.
7. And at all costs, avoid files that display these sizes: For mp3s: 5611, 3462 or 2313 kilobytes; for movie files (.mov): 11.5 megabytes. But keep in mind, someone will certainly wise up and change these…

I honestly believe that the good folks responsible for LimeWire are doing their best to avoid any participation in the “dark side of the Net,” but we must keep in mind that, beyond their collaborative effort to keep the Net open, we must all collaborate towards keeping it “clean.”
If all this leaves you confused then investing in LimeWire Pro may be a smart choice; not only will you have access to great and immediate technical help (along with the other perks mentioned above), you’ll also be encouraging the team to further any LimeWire developments.