Despite intense popularity of the BitTorrent system, Gnutella clients aren't dead yet. LimeWire 5 for Windows, Mac and Linux keeps its hand in the file-sharing pot by borrowing your Google contacts to create a friend network and a snazzy redesign that surfaces the most important information first.
If you're not a fan of the Gnutella file-sharing protocols, we doubt this will be enough to grab your eye. Torrents run faster, depending on the number of seeders and torrent content is rarely faked in the way that plagues the Gnutella networks. If LimeWire lights you up, though, there's probably enough here to excite you and definitely enough to make it worth upgrading to.
A new sharing options window should help new people from accidentally over-sharing.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)
The new interface is very Web 2.0ish, with two search bars on top and two left-side navigation bars. The uppermost search bar is the global search that scans what everybody is sharing over the P2P network, while the secondary one on the right searches your library.
The sidebars are set up in a similar way. Both are on the left, with the outer one offering three options: your library, the global P2P network and your friends. Click on My Library and your inner sidebar shows your collection of music, movies and documents.
The P2P Network option shows what you're uploading and downloading, while the Friends option is a hard tack toward social networking. It lets you share your library specifically with your Google/Jabber and LiveJournal contacts, which you can import. Search results themselves can be presented in both the new Web 2.0-style that surfaces just the most relevant information, with an Information button to dive deeper or the "classic" spreadsheet view.
The redo of the Options window as a whole should make the program safer by not confusing newbies. (Credit: CBS Interactive)
The Advanced Tools feature is also new, letting power users drill down and get highly specific information about who they're connected to. This basically takes the kind of information that torrent clients like uTorrent have been surfacing for years, and applies it to the Gnutella world in a clean layout. This data includes IP addresses, bandwidth, the program being used and its version.
LimeWire 5 makes it easier to see which files you're adding and to configure library-scanning behaviour. From the Tools menu bar, go to Options. Big icons greet the user, making it easier to discern what you're changing. Once you've chosen a directory to add, you can configure LimeWire so it adds only specific file types from that directory, or only adds the files currently in it. This can restrict mixed-use directories from accidental over-sharing, as well as prevent files added to the directory from automatically becoming available to all.
The new features and overall functionality make this by far the most mature version of LimeWire to date. Despite the typical performance flaws found in all file-sharing clients and the need for users to be exceedingly cautious with both sharing and downloading, LimeWire 5 continues to offer solid performance and good looks across the board.
LimeWire still has ads that pop up into the main interface.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Oh this is a good one I have been looking into how to play flac 
lenaxrawr
08/01/2011, 08:27 PM
8/10
good
Pros: ...
Cons: ...
lil-fella
09/01/2010, 03:47 AM
1/10
how to create a torrent file using limewire ?
Pros: can download torrents..
Cons: but can i make a torrent file ??
loren stoker
19/12/2009, 09:21 AM
6/10
i want free music
Pros: i want free music
Cons: gives virrus's
Christa Perez
27/05/2009, 06:41 AM
10/10
I like it very much but is it FREE?
Pros: faster, cleaner.
Cons: going to take time to get used too.
michael bird
14/05/2009, 11:20 PM
1/10
tried it, cannot search for specific songs, too much stuff i dont ever want, went back to excellent 4.18
Spaghetti Del Bolognezy
10/05/2009, 05:16 PM
3/10
I hate Limewire for the fact that it's heavy to run, it has loads of corrupted files and viruses and ontop of it all, it doesn't really do that great a job. I still use it though because it's the best way I know to download songs.. Anyone wanna change that?
Pros: Simple to use, better download bar system, better music player, Better looking, and more specs.
Cons: I hate it's guts for trying to be like Azureus instead of sticking and improving their p2p they started torrents. Limewire tries very hard to have more users so it adds all these dumb features that you now find on Vuze, Limewire and all the big apps, plus it's joining msn in trying to topple myspace and facebook by being more of a networking tool too... Sigh, this world can't get any more annoying.
George Augustin Coker
27/04/2009, 10:25 AM
2/10
I like using pros and cons they are very reliable to use it is important to use because of it facilities it has to deil with it dawnlood.
Pros: interface buttona are everywhere no direct connect that ican find you can not search for specific band names and get them.
Cons: oh sure you may think it looks cute and snazzy.it does not.
a;dfj
05/04/2009, 06:24 AM
7/10
would rather something work well than look good. Don't like the new version. Went back to limewire 4. I only like to download flac music files and I couldn't see filenames or extensions in new version
Tracey Loveday
20/03/2009, 11:48 AM
8/10
This limewire is better
Pros: good to use
Cons: hard to search
Gerd Marschner
19/03/2009, 06:47 PM
9/10
IF YOU TOOK TIME TO LOOK UNDER AUDIO-
ADVANCED SEARCH -YOU WOULD SEE GENRE
SEARCH
Noah Agubang
14/03/2009, 02:13 AM
5/10
Nice to download using this program
Roman
11/03/2009, 03:26 PM
3/10
I’m disappointed; VERY disappointed, I can't find any way to narrow down my search (other than music, movies, pictures). It's Confusing
Pros: Looks cute, has that chat thing, torrent program - like advanced options can be useful if you use torrents, similar files in list view can be a help if they work, reminds me of itunes
Cons: I don't like itunes, facebook and msn mesager are for chat, ribon bar looks cluttered, left side bar is useless, I CAN"T FIND ANYTHING, it is easy to share files accidently, it is impossible to narrow down the search (like for artist, genre), quality is useless (you can check the bitrate). I don't like it, it was cool until it became frustrated, I am downgrading to version 4
francisci medina
11/03/2009, 09:16 AM
10/10
pretty good
Pros: sdfgdfsgh
Cons: gfhgsunvcx
Disappointed
10/03/2009, 06:01 AM
4/10
Had it only 5 minutes, don't really like one search bar to rule them all.. What the heck are all my previous downloads doing at the bottom? That's a bad idea, crams up the interface. Sure it's snazzy, but that about it..
Adali Rivera
07/03/2009, 11:24 AM
10/10
COOL
G.D
07/03/2009, 06:58 AM
1/10
just no improvement i stick to the earlier version!
Janice elizabeth ambeau
07/03/2009, 02:32 AM
10/10
cool and good
e.p.
25/02/2009, 11:01 AM
2/10
are you serious!!
no way ... lime 5 is hardly an improvment
i am reinstalling lime 4
Pros: interface buttona are everywhere, no direct connect that i can find, you can not search for specific band names and get them. ect. ect.
Cons: oh sure you may think it looks cute and snazzy. it does not.