I am enjoying this book. Author Wallace Wang talks about many types of file sharing -- not just music and movies (all over the media the past few years), but documents of many types and stripes. The book talks about the illegal ways all this is being done, as well as the LEGAL alternatives. It tackles file sharing networks such as Kazaa, Morpheus, and Usenet, and explains how these networks work and how to use them. It exposes the dangers of using file sharing networks - including viruses, spyware, and lawsuits - and tells how to avoid them.
In addition to covering how people use file sharing networks to share everything from music and video files to books and pornography, "Steal This File Sharing Book" also reveals how people use them to share secrets and censored information banned by their governments. Also covered: the ongoing battle between the software, video, and music pirates and the industries that are trying to stop them.
I especially enjoyed the book's little touches; for example, you can read the letter Bill Gates wrote back in the 70's imploring fellow computer hobbyists to stop stealing his software (I guess some things never change!).
Sure, Abbie Hoffman may have written the original "Steal This Book", but Mr. Wang has turned that title into a profitable franchise (ironic, perhaps) -- with his "Steal This Computer Book", its sequels, and now this new tome. If you want to "steal" a chapter, click
here (but, shhhh, don't tell anyone....).
"
Steal This File Sharing Book: What They Won't Tell You About File Sharing", by Wallace Wang. Publisher: No Starch Press, November 2004, 296 pp. $19.95 ; ISBN 1-59327-050-X
# posted by Don @ 1:47 PM
