eXeem is the next wave in file sharing. They just released their first beta today. Don’t download it. The official version is filled with spyware. Not a good omen, I know, but KaZaA started the same way, and we eventually got our file-sharing salvation in the form of KaZaA Lite. (You may be able to avoid the spyware by trying these Linux instructions, though I haven’t tried it.

[update] the exlite project has popped up, promising eXeem minus spyware. Not tested.

I see great potential in eXeem as a protocol, if not as a program. It’s a combination of bittorrent and kazaa, which eliminates the major problems in both:

1. KaZaA doesn’t efficiently share bandwidth like bittorrent
2. bittorrent provides no easy method of finding downloadable content
3. torrents are often reproduced because of (2), causing files to be harder to obtain and less efficient
4. Both have centralized servers or trackers, causing some legal hassle

I’d love to see good clients be developed, perhaps like Azureus for bittorrent. It has the potential to be great, but of course potential doesn’t equal a guarantee…