EXeem - Definition and Overview

The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. The correct title is eXeem.

eXeem is a new client for peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, which built upon the BitTorrent protocol. It is designed to replace the need for centralized trackers - servers which co-ordinate the transfer of metadata across the Bittorrent network. eXeem has taken on new significance for the filesharing community since several prominent trackers were forced to close in December 2004 as a result of legal action, mostly from the Motion Picture Association of America.

Overview

eXeem was created by Swarm Systems Inc. which is located in Saint Kitts and Nevis - a Carribean island. They have employed Sloncek (aka Andrej Preston) the founder of Suprnova.org as their spokesperson and face of eXeem. Five thousand Suprnova.org users were selected to take part in a private beta test of eXeem before the public beta was released on 21 January 2005.

Among the features expected (although not confirmed) to be supported in eXeem are:

• On-the-fly encryption and decryption
• Searching by file hash
• Quality of Service features
• Proper UPnP-support

Confirmed (non-standard) features are:

• User comments & ratings, but only when the file has been downloaded (to stop fake ratings)

Criticisms of eXeem

There have been some criticisms of eXeem from Internet users only a short time after it was revealed to the public (and after sloncek's 'unveiling'). Primarily, these complaints have been against the seemingly oxymoronic source and advertising conditions of the product (given that the original BitTorrent specification was devised as an open standard to allow everyone the ability to share with one another and to understand the specification of the protocol).

Primarily, these criticisms are:

• Advertising supported (much akin to Kazaa) and the public beta includes the the adware program Cydoor. An alternative version, eXeem Lite, has been released that is spyware free.

• It is closed source which contrasts significantly with the openness of the original BitTorrent specification upon which eXeem relies.

• Initially there will not be a Linux or Mac version (which cuts out a large number of users of BitTorrent from being able to use eXeem). It will be impossible for third parties to edit the source of eXeem to allow this, as it is a closed source program.

• There are suggestions that the makers are in the pocket of the RIAA, and that the IP addresses of every user will be automatically handed over for legal action.

See also

• Shareaza, another decentralized P2P client with BitTorrent support under the GNU GPL license

External links

• eXeem's homepage (http://www.exeem.com/)
• exlite.net (http://www.exlite.net) and exlite.pl (http://www.exlite.pl) (versions of eXeem with spyware removed)
• Boing Boing posting and screenshots on eXeem (http://www.boingboing.net/2004/12/31/more_on_exeem.html)
• Interview with Sloncek (http://83.149.90.123/interview_with_slon.mp3) (mp3 format)
• News article on Slyck (http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=632) - includes partial transcript of Sloncek interview