“LimeWire won’t work for me anymore. Are there any good LimeWire alternatives for downloading music and movies?”
The reason LimeWire doesn’t work anymore is the company that created LimeWire, Lime Company, was ordered by a U.S. court to block access to searching and downloading from the Gnutella network as of 26 October 2010. The reason for the court order is pretty simple, there’s almost no legal music exchange happening through software like LimeWire. So what can you do now that LimeWire is no longer available?
There are a number of other software apps available for connecting to the Gnutella and BitTorrent networks. BearShare and FrostWire are probably the two most popular LimeWire alternatives. I personally don’t recommend downloading anything from anyone you don’t trust, because there are too many potential opportunities for the download to screw up your computer with malware.
My best suggestion would be to replace your LimeWire software with a combination of more legitimate software alternatives. While this will be more expensive than when you were using LimeWire, it will also put you on the right side of the laws of most countries. Here are a few easy choices:
Netflix streaming of movies and TV shows works exceptionally well on broadband connections. Their library may not include every movie and television show on the planet, but the selection is huge. Netflix works on PS3, Xbox 360, iPad, and many other hardware platforms, in addition to on your computer.
Zune Pass gives you a massive library of music to choose from. If you can’t find it on Zune Pass, there is a good chance it isn’t available in a digital format. Same goes for Rhapsody, which also has a large library of music. These also require a monthly subscription fee, but you won’t run the risk of infecting your computer by using them. As a free option, you might consider simply streaming Pandora instead.
Hulu provides a third piece of the puzzle, offering currently running television shows on demand. Netflix is said to have this feature coming soon, but in the meantime, you can get a fairly large selection of current shows via Hulu. If you are willing to put up with very limited advertising, Hulu is free.
