Download Kazaa Lite 2.0

There's lots o' interesting news to tell you in this issue of the Gazette.

Recall that October 16th's issue of the Gazette proposed the question of whether or not Kazaa (Sharman Networks) implemented some sort of cap on bandwidth (downloads). I received a few suggestions from our readers, and without further adieu, let me attempt coordinate some of their thoughts.

Kooby writes:

" I updated to Kazaa v2 to find this new thing called a kazaa participation level. Because I have a cable modem (high speed internet) with only mediocre upload speed, I don't share any files with other Kazaa members. I searched through the Windows Registry looking for a way around this feature, but no luck. I was wondering if any one has come up with a 'hack' (crack) or a quick fix which will save me from every person wanting to download all my stuff? "

Side note: The participation level changes depending on whether or not you choose to share files with other Kazaa users. When Kazaa v2.0 is first installed, a user is given a default "medium participation" rating. If you choose not to share files, your participation level will decrease over time.

Users with a high participation level are able to download files from other Kazaa members faster, because they will have a "higher priority" when compared to other Kazaa members with a lower priority who are attempting to obtain the same file (from the same source).

When I first received Kooby's email, I was not able to provide a solution for him because I have not had a chance to play with the new version of Kazaa (v2.0). Fortunately, Mordechai A. sent me an email today with a direct link to download Kazaa Lite v2.0. He writes:

" I am using Kazaa Lite v2.0 under WinXP for about 3 weeks now. Bandwith problems: none -- at least not more than they were before with Kazaa Lite v.1.72 and so on. I am using a rather slow ADSL. I got there from kazaalite.nl "

Getting back to Kooby's dilemma: As always, I use Google to sniff for clues whenever I have a problem. Google pointed me to the Slyck web site and from there, I found a web page which talks about a program called Kazaa Lite Cheater v1.20. It appears that the Cheater program manipulates Kazaa to increase a users' participation level. The result: anyone who uses the program is "put ahead" of other users (in a queue) that are attempting to download the same file (from the same source).

Imagine if everyone used the Kazaa Lite Cheater program

Originally, the Participation Ratio was meant to reward Kazaa members who share the most files by placing these members ahead (in a queue) of those who do not share. As the Kazaa web site states:

" In order to support the philosophy and principles upon which peer-to-peer technology is based, Kazaa Media Desktop now includes a Participation Level. This is a title or index assigned to each user based on the way in which they use the software. Basically, the more integrity rated files you share, the better your downloading performance will be. "

So, what would happen if everyone but you decided to use the Kazaa Lite Cheater program? Theoretically, your download speed would be capped. Why? Because everyone else is being placed "ahead" of you in a queue. This translates to an increased (overall) transfer time, as it will take longer for the file to download to your computer. This theory might also explain why I saw such poor results under the "bandwidth" column last week, but I can't seem to find any hardcore evidence stating that Kazaa's bandwidth *has* been capped as a result of the implementation of the Performance Level Ratio.

Other interesting mentionables with Kazaa Lite v2.0

Kazaa Lite v2.0 comes with some other third-party goodies that help to block out the Kazaa popup ads. The setup program also mentions an alternative to using their "ad blocker" file (it's actually a Windows Host file and is completely harmless):

" It is highly recommended to use our Supertrick (the host file). It will not only block the Kazaa startup page, but also Altnet content from your search results. It will also block a great number of ads on websites. It is even better to completely disallow Kazaa access to webpages with a firewall. Block outgoing connections for Kazaa.exe on ports 80, 8080 and 8000. If you want to use the BullGuard Anti-virus plugin of Kazaa, you should allow Kazaa web access to IP address 209.15.204.129 This is used by BullGuard to update its virus definitions. "