Students still get free music despite universities' software ban

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS - Four of Ohio's largest universities have banned popular music software from being used on computers connected to their networks because they say it creates traffic jams.

But students aren't bothered by the ban. They say they've found ways to still get what they want off the Internet - their favorite tunes for free.

The popularity of the Napster Internet site and its free software has resulted in traffic jams nationwide on universities' networks, to which many students' computers are tied from dormitory rooms and homes.

Ohio State, Cincinnati, Miami and Ohio universities have banned the computer-clogging software from their networks.

"It was getting in the way of our educational operations," said Miami spokesman Richard Little. "We're an educational institution first and foremost, not a radio station."

Once downloaded, Napster creates a folder on the user's hard drive to store songs converted to MP3 files, which are compressed, digitized audio files of music transmitted over the Internet.

The program allows users to search for music stored on the computers of other people using the software, which basically turns regular, desktop computers into servers.

The universities say Napster consumes too much of the networks' bandwidth, the transmission capacity of an Internet pipeline, and slows down the system.

"What it boils down to is user education. We can't play cat-and-mouse forever. As the number of sites proliferates, I could keep hiring staff and hiring staff," said Chuck Morrow-Jones, director of enterprise networking at Ohio State.

With 55 megabits, Ohio State has the most bandwidth among the state's public universities. Before the Napster ban, Ohio State had 45 megabits and was experiencing speed problems.

A megabit is 1 million bits of information. If Ohio State's Internet connection operated at maximum capacity, it could handle 55 million bits of information per second.

Since the ban, Internet traffic has increased, said Steve Romig, computer network security manager for Ohio State.

Increasing bandwidth and limiting Internet access for some departments and dorms, as well as banning Napster, has functioned "kind of like a speed limit on the Internet," Romig said.

An Ohio State freshman identified only as Sean by The Columbus Dispatch said he uses a proxy server, which allows his computer to connect to another computer, to bypass Ohio State's block on the Napster program.

"When they cut off access, I just went around it," he told the newspaper for a story yesterday.

Other students said they use similar programs that don't clog the system to get free music off the Internet.

Ted Morrhead, an Ohio State freshman from Upper Arlington, said he uses a program called iMesh.

"You can get any song you want in like five seconds," he said, then reconsidered: "Well, maybe not that fast. Maybe like 15 or 20 seconds."

Curtis Sims, a 19-year-old Ohio State student, uses an Internet site called MP3.com to download songs and has amassed a virtual jukebox of his favorite tunes.

"Four hundred and forty three songs, to be exact," he said. "You don't have to buy CDs because you just get it for free from the computer."