WinMX and Winny are two well-known P2P (peer-to-peer) programs that are widely used in Japan. These two programs are often seemjust to be brothers, because they are regarded simply as software for the illegal acquisition of music files. Indeed, these are the hotbeds for the illegal copying of music files. However, the system structure adopted by Winny is markedly different from that adopted by WinMX. As a result, WinMX and Winny users receive services that are conceptually completely different.
First and formost, we should pay attention to the characteristics of the respective list with which these types of software provides their users. In the list employed by WinMX, metadata for music files accumulated on the server show who owns the target file. It certifies the existence of file owners, but does not guarantee that the users can obtain the music they request. The list employed by Winny, however, gives users direct access to files, making use of a "List of Availability."
Winny users are unconcerned with topos of information. Therefore, in the case of Winny, the traditional possession-based power balance, between the one who possesses something and the one who wants it, does not exist. Thus, the List of Availability utilized by Winny, not only changes our listening experience dramatically, it may also cause the complete collapse of the concept of music possession, which has been hitherto taken for granted.
We should take seriously the fact that one million users have chosen to make use of Winny, despite the illegal implications of its use. This reflects the acceptance of the List of Availability by Japanese users.
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