Well, what's new this issue. So far, apart from the latest virus
scares, not a lot. I've been consolidating and using all the
software I spoke about in previous articles. One new piece of software I downloaded is Audio Galaxy. As you all
probably know from the media coverage, Napster is having a hard time
of it. The courts have upheld most of the Recording Industry's
gripes about Napster and have forced it to block all songs that they
have been informed about. This, of course, has put an extremely
heavy burden on them and they have blacked entire swathes of mp3
files. Entering a name like Robert Plant for instance will give an
immediate 'no files found' reply. Entering simply Plant will get you
some files... but not a lot. Surprisingly enough, users have left
Napster in droves. Others have hung on and are using CatNap which
allows users of CatNap to encrypt their mp3 filenames and only other
CatNap users to be able to decipher them. CatNap has been banned by
Napster and another common practise of using 'pig Latin' has also led
to folk being banned from Napster. So back to that repository of
many a piece of software, CNet!! Looking for Napster on it, will not only lead you to a Napster
download but as it tells you, another 77 files. Some of these are
Napster associated programs but you can get the idea. There are more
ways than Napster to get a hold of rare songs that aren't available
on disk any more. So, after that long-winded piece, onto Audio Galaxy. This is a type of Napster program. It only allows mp3 sharing and
isn't for any other types of file like Navigator etc. that also do
exe's, avi's and many other types. The interface is Web based as
seen in the pic, and uses what it calls a satellite. The satellite
displays what is actually happening, the web-based part logs your
details and files and allows you to set up a list of requested files.
Downloading and installing the program is, as usual, very easy.
However, it is important to note the following! This program also
downloads and installs webHancer!!! webHancer is a spy program, in
that it sends a file report back to its Headquarters of your web
usage and the sites that you visit. You can NOT avoid installing
this if you want Audio Galaxy!!! At installation, you can also
decide if you want Gator as well. This manages your passwords for
sites online and some people might find this useful. I didn't, and
decided against installing it. I did have to put up with webHancer
though. If, like me, you are wary of any information that is sent
about you, you can always block webHancer by not allowing it past
your Firewall (remember ZoneAlarm?). Once you have set up your account in Galaxy, you tell it the
directories you want to share and where to put your downloads, much
in the same manner as Napster. Now you can start it and a small box
appears with the message that it is checking the proxy and you can
then press the 'Go' button. This will take you to the browser where it logs into your account
and displays the files you have and a search. It's now a simple matter of looking for the songs that you want and
choosing a version of them. Once you have done this, Galaxy sets up
connections to the file(s) requested and starts downloading them. A
very nice point if you have ever used Napster and had a transfer
error, is how Galaxy deals with it. If the user you are downloading
from goes offline, it moves to the next available version of the song
and RESUMES where it left off in other words, no more transfer
errors!! If the song is only available from a small number of people
and none are online, it moves to your next request and will resume
the song the next time it finds it online, incredible. This is like a dream come true for some of us and I heartily
recommend this program. As I say, if you re afraid of the likes of
webHancer, simply block it! I wouldn't just delete it as people have
reported problems when they don't un-install it properly. If you
feel you must get rid of it, go the webHancer site and read how to do
it. Galaxy isn't as fast as Napster, but its benefits far outweigh
this and by adjusting the bandwidth throttle in the preferences
(options), you can make sure you can do other things while it is
online. If you want to continue looking and downloading mp3 files
from the Internet, this as good as it gets. Besides, as it's so
good, I'm afraid that this will quickly follow Napster in getting
tied up in Court. Better be quick!!