Developers this week released a spy-ware free version of popular P2P app eXeem. The official version of eXeem (http://www.exeem.com), which entered into public beta this week, is contaminated with an adware app called Cydoor (http://www.pestpatrol.com/PestInfo/c/cydoor.asp).

eXeem Lite (http://www.exlite.pl) 0.19 is smaller - 1.9MB compared to 2.5MB - and promises file trading without search hijacking and pop-up ad bombardment. Unlike eXeem, eXeem Lite is also available to Linux users (who need to run the app using WINE).

Enjoy it while you can. History suggests it's a matter of time before the developers of eXeem sue the developers of eXeem Lite - or try to exclude users from the P2P network. That's what happened with a Kazaa Lite, remember?

eXeem is based on the BitTorrent idea, but with nodes in the program taking the role of BitTorrent trackers. As the eXeem Lite FAQ (http://www.thefreehost.org/exlite/FAQ.htm) explains, connecting to the network can be a little hit and miss. Our attempts to connect to the network using eXeem Lite proved fruitless until we applied a registry patch for eXeem Lite, available on MyeXeem (http://www.myexeem.com). This updates the app with a list of valid nodes needed to establish a connection. The patch can be applied automatically on XP. But changes must be done manually using regedit on Win 2000 and Windows 98 machines. ®

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Kazaa shuts down Kazaa Lite (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/12/08/kazaa_shuts_down_kazaa_lite/)
The BitTorrent P2P file-sharing system (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/18/bittorrent_measurements_analysis/)
P2P hub operators plead guilty (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/20/p2p_guilty_plea/)
BitTorrent hub ready to rumble with Hollywood (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/31/lokitorrent_fights_mpaa/)