ASsman
02-22-2005, 11:21 AM
By Ashlee Vance in Chicago
Published Tuesday 22nd February 2005 07:15 GMT
Book review When the drugs begin to wear off, and the sun starts to rise, an unnamed music executive shudders at the thought of its existence. In that painful moment of desperation, he wonders, "How could it happen?" "How could that rat write this book?"
Steal This File Sharing Book by Wallace Wang must be the worst nightmare of deluded music big boys everywhere. It's a guidebook to trading music, movies, photos, software and just about any other type of file. More than that, it's a guidebook for trading as anonymously as possible and via methods the big media companies would prefer the average person not know about. It's this rich content - not the writing or lack of a clear audience - that makes the book a treat. Why not give the mogul a heart attack before the coke gets a chance?
"The bottom line is that the corporations, who currently hold all the power and make most of the money, are going to have to change, and that's something they aren't willing to do," Wang writes. "Unfortunately for them, their fate is already sealed and out of their hands in the same way that buggy whip manufacturers, slide rule makers, and whale-oil lamp companies found themselves wiped out by technological change.
"The question isn't whether file sharing technology will put today's corporate powerhouses out of business. The question is when, and that future is closer than they think."
This lucid declaration appears on p. 258 of the book. That's the last page, and the above is the last paragraph. This, however, isn't they type of book you read for the surprise ending. Nor is it the type of book you read to discern the author's position on the pigopolist scum/media geniuses - take your pick - trying to crush the file trading industry.
Wang deals with the central debate surrounding file trading hardly at all. That last paragraph is one of just a handful providing much point of view on who might be wrong or right - mankind, or the music/movie industry - about file trading.
Instead, the book delivers a roadmap for finding and trading files - just as its title promises. In fact, it provides such a thorough list of file trading techniques that Wang only needs that final conclusion on p. 258 to make his point. There's no way the media companies can fight the technophiles and win this battle. After all, it's not even clear that shutting down music and movie swapping sites is really in Hollywood's best long-term interests.
The first half of the book will appeal more to the computer-curious than savvy geeks. It covers all the forums where files are traded and does so in the most basic, straightforward language possible. "A computer file can be anything from a single song to a photograph, a full-length motion picture, the complete text from a book, or a computer program that sells for thousands of dollars." "Email lets you send a message to a particular address on the Internet." "File sharing networks have soared in popularity because they make it really easy to find tons of files and download multiple files at one time." See? You get the idea.
If you know what a newsgroup, FTP, instant messaging and eDonkey are, then you're going to want to skip to Part II of the book and do so fast. Definitions of email can ruin any self-respecting geek's day. If you have no idea what any of the above terms stand for, then Part I is a blessing. It's kind of like Computing 101, telling you all the main file types, the main ways to send files via the internet, where to find content and where to find general computing information. Wang does an excellent job of filling the book with useful links, and Part I ends up as a top-notch resource for making your way around the internet.
Given that most Register readers are Part II types, that's where we're going to spend the majority of our time.
http://www.theregister.com/2005/02/22/file_sharing_review/
Pros
The pigopolists will hate it. You'll find it to be a great resource for doing all kinds of naughty and not so naughty things. Porn.
Cons
Too geeky at times not geeky enough at others. So clear it's bland. As Homer said, "Be more funny."
Published Tuesday 22nd February 2005 07:15 GMT
Book review When the drugs begin to wear off, and the sun starts to rise, an unnamed music executive shudders at the thought of its existence. In that painful moment of desperation, he wonders, "How could it happen?" "How could that rat write this book?"
Steal This File Sharing Book by Wallace Wang must be the worst nightmare of deluded music big boys everywhere. It's a guidebook to trading music, movies, photos, software and just about any other type of file. More than that, it's a guidebook for trading as anonymously as possible and via methods the big media companies would prefer the average person not know about. It's this rich content - not the writing or lack of a clear audience - that makes the book a treat. Why not give the mogul a heart attack before the coke gets a chance?
"The bottom line is that the corporations, who currently hold all the power and make most of the money, are going to have to change, and that's something they aren't willing to do," Wang writes. "Unfortunately for them, their fate is already sealed and out of their hands in the same way that buggy whip manufacturers, slide rule makers, and whale-oil lamp companies found themselves wiped out by technological change.
"The question isn't whether file sharing technology will put today's corporate powerhouses out of business. The question is when, and that future is closer than they think."
This lucid declaration appears on p. 258 of the book. That's the last page, and the above is the last paragraph. This, however, isn't they type of book you read for the surprise ending. Nor is it the type of book you read to discern the author's position on the pigopolist scum/media geniuses - take your pick - trying to crush the file trading industry.
Wang deals with the central debate surrounding file trading hardly at all. That last paragraph is one of just a handful providing much point of view on who might be wrong or right - mankind, or the music/movie industry - about file trading.
Instead, the book delivers a roadmap for finding and trading files - just as its title promises. In fact, it provides such a thorough list of file trading techniques that Wang only needs that final conclusion on p. 258 to make his point. There's no way the media companies can fight the technophiles and win this battle. After all, it's not even clear that shutting down music and movie swapping sites is really in Hollywood's best long-term interests.
The first half of the book will appeal more to the computer-curious than savvy geeks. It covers all the forums where files are traded and does so in the most basic, straightforward language possible. "A computer file can be anything from a single song to a photograph, a full-length motion picture, the complete text from a book, or a computer program that sells for thousands of dollars." "Email lets you send a message to a particular address on the Internet." "File sharing networks have soared in popularity because they make it really easy to find tons of files and download multiple files at one time." See? You get the idea.
If you know what a newsgroup, FTP, instant messaging and eDonkey are, then you're going to want to skip to Part II of the book and do so fast. Definitions of email can ruin any self-respecting geek's day. If you have no idea what any of the above terms stand for, then Part I is a blessing. It's kind of like Computing 101, telling you all the main file types, the main ways to send files via the internet, where to find content and where to find general computing information. Wang does an excellent job of filling the book with useful links, and Part I ends up as a top-notch resource for making your way around the internet.
Given that most Register readers are Part II types, that's where we're going to spend the majority of our time.
http://www.theregister.com/2005/02/22/file_sharing_review/
Pros
The pigopolists will hate it. You'll find it to be a great resource for doing all kinds of naughty and not so naughty things. Porn.
Cons
Too geeky at times not geeky enough at others. So clear it's bland. As Homer said, "Be more funny."