Kazaa Lite
Encyclopedia
Kazaa Lite can refer to one of many third-party modifications of Kazaa, a peer-to-peer
file-sharing computer program
. These clients are unauthorized modifications of the Kazaa Media Desktop
(KMD) application, which typically exclude malware
and may provide additional features.
The final version is v2.4.3.
This has many versions, KLT K++ and nsane versions include:
considers Kazaa Lite to be a copyright violation. On August 11, 2003, they sent a letter to Google
requesting that all links to the Kazaa Lite application be removed from their database. During December 2003 Sharman emailed the owners of all sites hosting a copy of Kazaa Lite, threatening legal action if it was not removed. Because of this, the program was for a while difficult to find on the web, and development of it stopped. As of early 2007, the program is again widely available. It also remains available on the FastTrack network itself, where it can be downloaded with Kazaa or any other FastTrack client. There are rumours that new versions of KMD will prevent Kazaa Lite from connecting to the FastTrack network. In March 2005 Sharman Networks again sent a letter to Google requesting that all links to the Kazaa Lite application be removed from their database.
As owner of the Kazaa Intellectual property
and copyright
, Sharman eventually sued Kazaa Lite's developers and forced the shutdown of any mirror website
containing the file.
attempts.
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
file-sharing computer program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
. These clients are unauthorized modifications of the Kazaa Media Desktop
Kazaa
Kazaa Media Desktop started as a peer-to-peer file sharing application using the FastTrack protocol licensed by Joltid Ltd. and operated as Kazaa by Sharman Networks...
(KMD) application, which typically exclude malware
Malware
Malware, short for malicious software, consists of programming that is designed to disrupt or deny operation, gather information that leads to loss of privacy or exploitation, or gain unauthorized access to system resources, or that otherwise exhibits abusive behavior...
and may provide additional features.
Background
The first unofficial modification of Kazaa became available in April 2002 and was downloadable free of charge. It was created by third party programmers by modifying the binary of the original Kazaa application. Third-party modifications of Kazaa became wildly popular, as they connected to the same FastTrack network as Kazaa Media Desktop, but didn't include bundled spyware or adware.Kazaa Lite
Kazaa Lite was originally created by random nut, Rocko, and Paul. It was shut down by Sharman Networks on December 7, 2003.The final version is v2.4.3.
- Based on Kazaa Media Desktop 2.0.2
- No bundled spyware or adware.
Kazaa Lite K++
K++ was a memory patch / extension manager that was a part of the original Kazaa Lite made by random nut as evident here (you can see the date of the post is Jan of 2003, way before anybody's official version)This has many versions, KLT K++ and nsane versions include:
- Based on Kazaa Media Desktop 2.0.2
- No bundled spyware or adware.
- No search limit restrictions or multisource limits.
- Participation level locked to 1000 (maximum).
- Better multi-source downloading.
- Unreachable sources are no longer stored in the .dat files
K-Lite
K-Lite was based on the newest modified core of KMD, v2.7.2. Latest version is K-Lite v2.7.2a- Based on Kazaa Media Desktop 2.7.2
- No bundled spyware or adware.
- Unlimited "search more" and automatic "search more".
- Participation level locked to 1000 (maximum).
- Utilizes intelligent download accelerator.
- Anti-spam search features.
Reaction from Sharman Networks
Sharman NetworksSharman Networks
Sharman Networks is a company headquartered in Australia and incorporated in Vanuatu. It owns the rights to the KaZaA file sharing software...
considers Kazaa Lite to be a copyright violation. On August 11, 2003, they sent a letter to Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
requesting that all links to the Kazaa Lite application be removed from their database. During December 2003 Sharman emailed the owners of all sites hosting a copy of Kazaa Lite, threatening legal action if it was not removed. Because of this, the program was for a while difficult to find on the web, and development of it stopped. As of early 2007, the program is again widely available. It also remains available on the FastTrack network itself, where it can be downloaded with Kazaa or any other FastTrack client. There are rumours that new versions of KMD will prevent Kazaa Lite from connecting to the FastTrack network. In March 2005 Sharman Networks again sent a letter to Google requesting that all links to the Kazaa Lite application be removed from their database.
As owner of the Kazaa Intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
and copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
, Sharman eventually sued Kazaa Lite's developers and forced the shutdown of any mirror website
Mirror (computing)
In computing, a mirror is an exact copy of a data set. On the Internet, a mirror site is an exact copy of another Internet site.Mirror sites are most commonly used to provide multiple sources of the same information, and are of particular value as a way of providing reliable access to large downloads...
containing the file.
Network Status
Kazaa Lite still remains widely available, but with a very limited userbase and the inability to run on modern Windows operating systems, the network is effectively end-of-life.Confusion
The confusion over the status of Kazaa Lite was exploited by some to sell subscriptions to a music download service unrelated to the Kazaa Lite application. Many other websites have also attempted to scam people into paying for something that sounds like Kazaa Lite but this is actually some other service which is already free. Others have used the confusion in phishingPhishing
Phishing is a way of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT...
attempts.
Software
- Kazaa Lite (KazaaLite.tk @ archive.org) - Original Home of Kazaa Lite
- K-Lite (my-k-lite.com) - Official Home of K-Lite 2.7.2 (Mirror)
- KLT K++ (Kazza Lite Tools K++) - Official Home of Kazaa Lite Tools K++ 2.7.1
- Kazaa Lite K++ (nsanedown.com) - Official Home of Kazaa Lite K++ 2.4.5.9
Media
- Old Versions - Old Versions of Kazaa Lite
- Wired review
- German Kazaa Lite FAQ