There are two kinds of people who like to browse:

A) Those who share a few files and think everyone else has as little as they do. They think unless everyone shares, the network will collapse. News for you: There will always be leeches, and they will download whatever piffling files you have from someone who realizes that sharing does not mean trading.

B) Leeches who browse and download everything you have while still sharing nothing.

Now, there are also two kinds of people who want to disable browse:

A) People who share TONS of stuff and don't want to possibly face legal repercussions from sharing. These people are the lifeblood of the network, and they are also the place those new episodes you love so much come from, alawson. These people know what the word "sharing" means, and don't give a damn what's in your shared folder. This is also why emule has many many times the releasers that Limewire does.

B) Leeches who don't want you to know they're not sharing anything. These are greatly outnumbered by the leeches who LOVE browse though, since disabling browse and not sharing look pretty much the same on the other end, so the leeches don't care.

Basically, making browse host optional in LimeWire would CONTRIBUTE to the health of the network, since it would attract people who would otherwise not run LimeWire, and these people are legion. Even Edonkey, a network with FORCED SHARING, allows you to disable browse.

Eventually, someone will make a fork of LimeWire that has the option. I encourage the LimeWire devs to nip this in the bud before that happens.

One last thing for all you subgeniuses out there:

"I'll share with you if you give me something" - this is not sharing.

"Here, try this. No obligation." - this is sharing.

I've always thought the same way as you.

But there's always the argument that even if you disabled browse host, they could run a search on your machine for every letter and number of the alphabet and quasi browse host you... this is true, but how many of the big bulk of users will be able to code something like this...

+1 to making "Disable Browse Hosting" an option on the Tools Dialog.

-1 to restricting browse host.

I like the "Open Information Sharing" idea--keep it open.

Anyway, I browse AND share, so didn't find NodeNomad's arguments relevant.

Since I search and share files auto-named by digital cameras (mostly), browse host is really the only way to find more of a set and share too.

Try searching for "DSCF jpg" and figure out which one of a series comes from which host--virtually impossible without "browse host"

Those very few people who are curious about mine are in the same boat. I allow 10 uploads at a time, so it's really only the browse hosters that get to look at my photos.

C'mon gub: if we had a html way to share our photos (flickr-less), then maybe browse host would be redundant. Until then, keep it open.

Because you're too lazy to rename files from your digital camera, NO ONE should be allowed to disable browse host?

Good thinking, chief.

Edit: Perhaps instead of dictating features in Limewire based on specious reasoning, you could instead Google for one of the thousands of freeware file renaming utilities?

Thanks--glad you liked it maddy.

I'm lazy, or else I would spend the time only looking at professionally prepared photos, not surfing p2p nets.

btw named photos are usually spam, so unnamed photos are usually one of the best ways to find authentic raw amateur images.

Unnamed photos are a good way of not knowing what the hell you're getting until you get it, I've found.

Furthermore:

1) Nothing is stopping spammers from copying the file names that are used as defaults by digital cameras. In fact, I've seen this several times.

2) Your problems with finding quality porn are offtopic in this thread, I believe.

sigh.

Glad you know me better than I do, and wish you luck with your moderating duties.

Yes, some spammers have done what you say, but they are rare (excepting the autonaming of the ipod ads), but easily ignored.

If you want a controlled network, where access is restricted, filtered and controlled, you have many options elsewhere.

I like the "open" idea of browse host, unlike commercial interests who want to control what I see.

I call strictly regimented. Which is why it makes sense to make Browse Host an option.

If you want to enable browse host, fine. If not, then don't.

Spammers occasionally do it? Try finding an alt.binaries.pictures newsgroup that's not flooded with this technique in practice. Hopefully you realize that Usenet is the source of both new files and cutting edge spammer techniques. I predict it will hit gnutella sooner, rather than later.

My apologies for assuming you meant pr0n. I see now that the word "raw" was probably meant another way; my bad. In any event, your difficulties finding raw images could be solved by either sorting by size or messaging the person sharing the file and asking for more. Although, if a person (such as yourself) is sharing files with vague names, they will probably have already enabled browse, or more likely it will be enabled by default.

Also... "restricted, filtered and controlled"?

How about restricting limewire usage to those who don't mind lamers grabbing every file they're sharing simultaneously, while filtering out anyone who desires control over what they share?

if its optional then people wont share anything then becomes slow and evently people will start leaving limewire