KaZaA share deal

By CHRIS DANIELS

Although attempts to make a buck out of distributed computing have not been a roaring success, companies have not been put off.

Developers of popular file-sharing software KaZaA are behind the latest attempt, which involves their "tacking on" a feature to their software.

It allows head office to flick a switch and then sell off computing space on the PCs of all the people who use KaZaA for other purposes - mainly downloading video and music files.

Altnet, which has a deal with KaZaA, will act as a diskspace wholesaler - flogging off customers' idle computing power.

Promises have been made that KaZaA users will be told when their PCs are being used by Altnet, and will have their privacy protected.

Predictably, clients are outraged, and KaZaA users have demanded to know exactly what their computers will be used for.

It is still not clear whether the plan will ever go into full operation, or, for that matter, if it will be successful in attracting paying clients.

About Altnet - An explanation from KaZaA and Altnet about how their new system will operate.

For some news stories exploring the implications of the KaZaA plans, described by some as "sneakware" that poses a real security risk to the home computer user, check out Stealth P2P network hides inside Kazaa; KaZaA download offers unexpected feature; KaZaA users brace for hijack