Description:

Neighbors with hand-labeled DVD collections. Teenagers with 5000-song iPods. Entire countries sharing the same copy of Windows. Who are these people? They're file sharers and they account for a third of worldwide internet traffic. Their swag is anything that can be digitized and copied.

But file-sharing networks aren't only for pirates. Musicians and writers use them to gauge their popularity. Artists and filmmakers use them to boost recognition. Government employees use them to secretly download WikiLeaks archives. TV producers use them to confirm audience measurements. Politicians and judges use them to make policy and rulings. Traders and marketers use them to spot trends.- Learn how BitTorrent and peer-to-peer networks work.- Set up a BitTorrent client and find files to download.- Open, play, read, or run what you download.- Know the risks of file sharing and avoid fakes, scams, and viruses.

Reviews"A remarkably calm look at the technical, social, economic and cultural issues arising from file-sharing, and it's also a damned practical guide to navigating the strange world of file-sharing technology.

"- Cory Doctorow, boingboing.net"Chris Fehily won't exactly call [middle-class consumers] suckers, but he will show them -- as well as college students, crackers, digital anarchists and others -- the Pirate Way.

"- J.D. Lasica, socialmedia.biz"An essential primer on file sharing for those not in the know.

"- Leo M, Brain ScratchContents1. The Terrain2. Understanding BitTorrent3. File Types4. Malware5. Archives6. Installing a BitTorrent Client7. BitTorrent Search Engines8. Finding Torrents9. Customizing Your Client10. Downloading Torrents11. Movies and TV Shows12. Pictures13. Music and Spoken Word14. Books, Documents, and Fonts15. Applications and Games