Limewire an open door to hard drive?

[zelmo]

My daughter uses Limewire on our iMac. I don't know jack about Limewire, so I asked her if she was sharing the songs she had on our drive and she said she no. Is there a prefernece in this software which permits the user to block their drive contents from access to other users? If so, is this easily bypassed?

 

[liketom]

if you install limewire's share folder to to macintosh HD then it will index all the Hard drive i tend to put it under docs

 

[jsw]

I apologize if this is obvious to you, but hopefully your daughter has her own account on the Mac, isn't an administrator, and doesn't have access to any sensitive information. Otherwise, if she accidentally or intentionally alters the share folder, outsiders could see more than you'd want them to. Just out of curiosity, why is she using Limewire? Legitimate reasons? Limewire has valid uses, but it's insanely easy to download illegal files, malware, etc.

 

[superfunkomatic]

limewire creates it's own shared folder and incomplete folders by default - the shared folder is the user's shared folder. you can add other folders to share in the preferences area (under the applications name - preferences). as long as there is nothing in the shared folders that you wouldn't want to - well- share, you should be okay. it's not a writable folder by anyone other than users on your machine, but others can search and download files from the folder through limewire.

hope that helps.

 

[pyrrhusmj]

WATCH YOUR DAUGHTER LIKE A HAWK!!!

My daughter uses Limewire on our iMac. I don't know jack about Limewire, so I asked her if she was sharing the songs she had on our drive and she said she no. Is there a prefernece in this software which permits the user to block their drive contents from access to other users? If so, is this easily bypassed?

Being an attorney that has to deal with p2p issues every day, make sure your daughter is not doing anything illegal. You don't know how many p****d off parents call me wanting to know why they are being sued (I work for an ISP, not the RIAA or other agent), their precious child would never download or upload illegal files. Well a month or two later they are roughly $3000 poorer.

Michael

 

[varmit]

Limewire or any P2P file sharing program has no use to normal people, or your child in this instance, other than to distribute and download files illigelly. I know that Linux ISO's and other free software can be downloaded this way using bittorrent which is a great thing, but only geeks do this, not normal people. I would set your daughter up with a account on iTunes, and give her an allowence of 20 bucks to spend every month. That simple, and no need to get a lawyer to keep your daughter out of jail.

 

[combatcolin]

Limewire only shares whats in the shared folder, um, right??

 

[mnstr_trd_sd]

Limewire only shares what is in the shared folder. Also, under preferences you can set it up where upload are completely null.

Honestly though, you never really know with these types of programs.

 

[superfunkomatic]

Being an attorney that has to deal with p2p issues every day, make sure your daughter is not doing anything illegal. You don't know how many p****d off parents call me wanting to know why they are being sued (I work for an ISP, not the RIAA or other agent), their precious child would never download or upload illegal files. Well a month or two later they are roughly $3000 poorer.

Michael

i think i'd be more concerned about some of the content on limewire than the possibility of a lawsuit. the other comments are correct - not much on limewire or any peer-to-peer network that is child-friendly (porn, stolen software, illegally shared music, etc.).

maybe setting up an account with limited privileges is a better way of preventing someone from mucking about where they shouldn't be.

 

[mnstr_trd_sd]

i agree.

what would she need limewire for? at here age anything she needs for school (research) could be found on the web.

 

[MrMacMan]

i agree.

what would she need limewire for? at here age anything she needs for school (research) could be found on the web.

Don't badger the guy.


He asked a question, it was answered. Stop jumping to conclusions and flat out accusations.



In limewire's preferences you can set it up to share nothing.




Thus underminding the whole purpose of P2P as a whole.

 

[mnstr_trd_sd]

Don't badger the guy.


He asked a question, it was answered. Stop jumping to conclusions and flat out accusations.



In limewire's preferences you can set it up to share nothing.




Thus underminding the whole purpose of P2P as a whole.

I not trying to badger anyone. I merely stating that she would have no use for limewire unless it's being used to download music or illegal software. As far as assumptions go, I think you're the only one assuming things around here.

What would a girl her age or your age in fact, be using limewire for, it's common sense.

 

[MrMacMan]

I not trying to badger anyone. I merely stating that she would have no use for limewire unless it's being used to download music or illegal software. As far as assumptions go, I think you're the only one assuming things around here.

What would a girl her age or your age in fact, be using limewire for, it's common sense.

You are speculating.

Not only that, but its such a generalization. Unless stated, don't speculate.


Is she probably using limewire to share music, ect?
Yes.

Do we need to speculate on this?
noooo.

 

[jsw]

Let's see. powermac666 says he doesn't know jack about Limewire and says his daughter said she isn't sharing music. I don't think it's at all out of place to let him know that (a) his daughter might be lying to him because (b) there's no other reason for her to use Limewire. Since he knows nothing about it, perhaps he thought that there was a legitimate excuse for it to be installed. Unless she's downloading Linux distros, she's probably engaged in illegal activity. Not idle speculation. The most likely possibility.

 

[mnstr_trd_sd]

You are speculating.

Not only that, but its such a generalization. Unless stated, don't speculate.


Is she probably using limewire to share music, ect?
Yes.

Do we need to speculate on this?
noooo.

this is not mere speculation nor a generalization but the most obvious reason why people use limewire. An if you haven't noticed, "sharing music" through limewire, isn't legal at all.

a concerned father wants to know, so why not inform him.

 

[combatcolin]

20 paces and we can settle this like gentlemen?

 

[jsw]

20 paces and we can settle this like gentlemen?

Sure, fine, first one to finish their pint wins - but why must we exercise first?

 

[wheelshanna]

This reminds me....

This reminds me of the old saying.."I have this friend and, um, he is using Limewire, and um. No it's not me. It is my friend. "

Sounds like this guys is trying to come up with a reason to ask for himself.

Kind of funny.

 

[MacDawg]

Let's see. powermac666 says he doesn't know jack about Limewire and says his daughter said she isn't sharing music. I don't think it's at all out of place to let him know that (a) his daughter might be lying to him because (b) there's no other reason for her to use Limewire. Since he knows nothing about it, perhaps he thought that there was a legitimate excuse for it to be installed. Unless she's downloading Linux distros, she's probably engaged in illegal activity. Not idle speculation. The most likely possibility.

Agreed, I would say that it is as jsw says or as wheelshanna says... either he doesn't really know what his daughter is doing or he is asking for himself. Either way, the response is the same... this is how you do it, and this is what it does in case you don't know.

I doubt he would be happy with his daughter for downloading as long as she is not sharing... (is that anything like not inhaling?) And I doubt that she is into Linux too (though we have been cautioned not to speculate).

Anyway, he hasn't returned to comment... either with a thanks, or an explanation. Not that he needs to, just observing.

 

[tristan]

Yeah, you can configure these P2P programs to share what you want, or share nothing. Most people who were nailed by the RIAA didn't configure their software correctly - they had it set up to download something and then share it immediately. If they had set up their software not to share, they'd be fine. Your daughter may or may not know this.

Moralities aside, it's kind of a tax on the computer illiterate in my opinion - uninformed people thinking they can get something for free and then getting fined all because they didn't click the right settings in LimeWire.

 

[zelmo]

Agreed, I would say that it is as jsw says or as wheelshanna says... either he doesn't really know what his daughter is doing or he is asking for himself. Either way, the response is the same... this is how you do it, and this is what it does in case you don't know.

I doubt he would be happy with his daughter for downloading as long as she is not sharing... (is that anything like not inhaling?) And I doubt that she is into Linux too (though we have been cautioned not to speculate).

Anyway, he hasn't returned to comment... either with a thanks, or an explanation. Not that he needs to, just observing.

Returning to comment.
I asked my daughter point blank why she uses Limewire, and she admitted she uses it to download songs. Of course, she swore that she doesn't do it hardly at all anymore...

At any rate, Limewire has now been uninstalled, and the admin p/word has been changed on the family Mac, preventing her from installing anything else without my consent. At the moment, we only have a single account on the Mac, because I really didn't think there was a need to have separate users on the home computer. When I get some time for it, I'll set up user accounts for all of us. Maybe.
We had a nice chat about why I pulled the plug. She started out saying that she thought that it was okay because all of her friends do it, although when pressed, she acknowledged that she knew it was "probably" illegal to do. I explained the risk to both herself and to us as parents. I'm sure she figured that the odds of getting caught were so small that it was really no risk at all.

Thanks to all who chimed in with help and opinions.

Are there any other such programs I should look out for? I searched for other .dmg files (because she never throws anything away) but didn't see anything else suspicious.

Here's another one (this one relates to me). When I got my own iPod, I ripped my very own CD collection, and stored the files on an external firewire drive. I have four copies of those songs now (CD, iPod, iTunes, ext.drive). If I decide to trade in the CD's down the road, am I legally required to delete the electronic files?

 

[jsw]

Returning to comment.
I asked my daughter point blank why she uses Limewire, and she admitted she uses it to download songs. Of course, she swore that she doesn't do it hardly at all anymore...

At any rate, Limewire has now been uninstalled, and the admin p/word has been changed on the family Mac, preventing her from installing anything else without my consent. At the moment, we only have a single account on the Mac, because I really didn't think there was a need to have separate users on the home computer. When I get some time for it, I'll set up user accounts for all of us. Maybe.
We had a nice chat about why I pulled the plug. She started out saying that she thought that it was okay because all of her friends do it, although when pressed, she acknowledged that she knew it was "probably" illegal to do. I explained the risk to both herself and to us as parents. I'm sure she figured that the odds of getting caught were so small that it was really no risk at all.

Thanks to all who chimed in with help and opinions.

Are there any other such programs I should look out for? I searched for other .dmg files (because she never throws anything away) but didn't see anything else suspicious.

Here's another one (this one relates to me). When I got my own iPod, I ripped my very own CD collection, and stored the files on an external firewire drive. I have four copies of those songs now (CD, iPod, iTunes, ext.drive). If I decide to trade in the CD's down the road, am I legally required to delete the electronic files?

I'm glad you decided to get rid of Limewire. There are legitimate uses for it, but it's rarely used for those purposes. Same with BitTorrent - there are quite a few honest, legitimate users of BT who see it as a great way to (legally) exchange large files. But most torrents are for pirated items.

Until you add individual family member accounts to your Mac (which, BTW, is trivially easy to do in System Preferences...->Accounts), you might seriously want to consider creating an admin account and making the 'standard' account non-admin. It'll take three minutes, and it will add some security.

As far as changing the admin password on the current account: unfortunately, one of the advantages to Mac use is that many apps don't get 'installed', and so there isn't a need for an admin password to install/use them. Therefore, it's hard to ensure that your daughter doesn't download/use other apps. Setting up a separate, limited account will help, but it's hard to be sure without being a complete ogre about it. If you set up a separate account for her, and lock down most of the public folders, you could search every few days for newly created files above a certain size and see if any are apps.

Good luck with it.

As far as your question about the e-versions of your CDs: technically, maybe you should dump the copied versions if you sell the CDs. However, no one will ever prosecute you for keeping them. If you sell the equipment with the copies still intact, then, maybe, you might possibly have something to be worried about. Very, very, very unlikely, but maybe. Keeping the copies at home on your equipment after you rip and then sell/trade the CDs isn't going to get you into any trouble, and I'm not even sure that it's technically illegal.

 

[zelmo]

I'm glad you decided to get rid of Limewire. There are legitimate uses for it, but it's rarely used for those purposes. Same with BitTorrent - there are quite a few honest, legitimate users of BT who see it as a great way to (legally) exchange large files. But most torrents are for pirated items.

Until you add individual family member accounts to your Mac (which, BTW, is trivially easy to do in System Preferences...->Accounts), you might seriously want to consider creating an admin account and making the 'standard' account non-admin. It'll take three minutes, and it will add some security.

As far as changing the admin password on the current account: unfortunately, one of the advantages to Mac use is that many apps don't get 'installed', and so there isn't a need for an admin password to install/use them. Therefore, it's hard to ensure that your daughter doesn't download/use other apps. Setting up a separate, limited account will help, but it's hard to be sure without being a complete ogre about it. If you set up a separate account for her, and lock down most of the public folders, you could search every few days for newly created files above a certain size and see if any are apps.

Good luck with it.

As far as your question about the e-versions of your CDs: technically, maybe you should dump the copied versions if you sell the CDs. However, no one will ever prosecute you for keeping them. If you sell the equipment with the copies still intact, then, maybe, you might possibly have something to be worried about. Very, very, very unlikely, but maybe. Keeping the copies at home on your equipment after you rip and then sell/trade the CDs isn't going to get you into any trouble, and I'm not even sure that it's technically illegal.

Thanks. I know adding accounts in easy. I did it on my PB when I got it, mostly so my wife would be able to keep her jjunky desktop clutter and I wouldn't need to look at it . I'll set up the iMac either this week or this weekend. Thanks for the advice.

CD's: For some reason I'm thinking that physical possession of the purchased CD/cassette/LP gives you the license to convert/play the music in whatever format you choose, and that giving up possession of same means you also give up the right to convert/play that music in any other form. While I doubt that the RIAA will ever get to the point of pursuing this avenue (it's been an avenue to pursue since the introduction of home copying equipment, which easily predates MP3 and current piracy issues), my guess is that doesn't make it legal to do.

In reference to your 'tar: Are you planning on watching the lunar eclipse tonight?

 

[jsw]

In reference to your 'tar: Are you planning on watching the lunar eclipse tonight?

Absolutely - if the cloud cover goes away in time....

 

[MacDawg]

Returning to comment.
I asked my daughter point blank why she uses Limewire, and she admitted she uses it to download songs. Of course, she swore that she doesn't do it hardly at all anymore...

At any rate, Limewire has now been uninstalled, and the admin p/word has been changed on the family Mac, preventing her from installing anything else without my consent. At the moment, we only have a single account on the Mac, because I really didn't think there was a need to have separate users on the home computer. When I get some time for it, I'll set up user accounts for all of us. Maybe.
We had a nice chat about why I pulled the plug. She started out saying that she thought that it was okay because all of her friends do it, although when pressed, she acknowledged that she knew it was "probably" illegal to do. I explained the risk to both herself and to us as parents. I'm sure she figured that the odds of getting caught were so small that it was really no risk at all.

Thanks to all who chimed in with help and opinions.

Are there any other such programs I should look out for? I searched for other .dmg files (because she never throws anything away) but didn't see anything else suspicious.

Here's another one (this one relates to me). When I got my own iPod, I ripped my very own CD collection, and stored the files on an external firewire drive. I have four copies of those songs now (CD, iPod, iTunes, ext.drive). If I decide to trade in the CD's down the road, am I legally required to delete the electronic files?

Hope you didn't take offense to me saying you had not returned to comment... I was just observing. Sounds like you made some good decisions with your daughter... a learning lesson for the whole family. Good luck in the future.