Lime Wire is an awesome client for the file sharing crowd. Also known as LimeWire, this music file sharing application runs off the Gnutella p2p network. If you are really into music and technology, then the free LimeWire downloads are right down your alley. If you want a few extra bells and whistles, you can upgrade of LimeWire Pro. Technically, there is no free LimeWire Pro downloads. You pay a nominal fee for increased peer connections, faster speeds and greater search results for your queries.
It is important to note that this free LimeWire is not a p2p network; it is just a client that uses another p2p network. Whether you pay for the pro version or the free LimeWire version, you will get great network support including transfers from firewall to firewall, java support and even something called ultrapeer support. With the free Lime Wire downloads as well as the Pro versions, ultrapeers are those users with high end computers that are more capable of handling some of the network load.
The reason why LimeWire offers java support is that the application was created using the technology of Java software. Java was used because it can run on different operating systems such as Mac, Linux and Windows, whereas other p2p clients can only run on Windows based programs. This is great news for Apple users. They can easily find LimeWire free downloads for Mac computers.
Firewall support is also a plus to LimeWire that other p2p clients don’t always offer. If one peer has a firewall but the other doesn’t, then the file sharing responsibility is shifted to the one without the firewall. However, if two peers have firewalls, it takes some technical expertise to get through the problem. LimeWire offers that expertise.
Just like other p2p application clients, LimeWire have had its share of legal actions because of its popularity of downloads of free LimeWire. Just recently, there was a lawsuit against LimeWire that will probably linger in the courts a while. The RIAA filed it just like they have against other now-defunct p2p clients like WinMX and BearShare. It is important to note that to download LimeWire is not illegal by any means. It is what you do with it that can get you into trouble. You should not file swap copyrighted material. That is the crux of the matter with the lawsuit in regards to LimeWire downloads through this client protocol.
So for now, you can still easily download LimeWire. Be sure to do it from the company’s official website however. You do not want to be caught with spy ware or malicious programs because you downloading LimeWire from a disreputable source.