That reason would mainly be the networks dependence on eD2K linking sites, which mostly only post eD2K links to large files. Much controversy surrounds these sites as confusion grows about the legality of eD2K links. Earlier this year, eD2K giant Sharereactor was shut down by Swiss authorities for alleged Copyright Infringement Violations. The case still goes on but the owner has setup a new site worth visiting called RespectP2P. Unlike Kazaa, which is a network that can easily be turned into a "leechers" dream, eDonkey download speeds depend on the overall participation of the user. For this reason, many users are turned off the network either because they haven't got a good upload speed or because they are too lazy to build up credit for themselves.
eDonkey depends on multiple servers to support the network, not on a major central server which has actually made it a more powerful network in many ways. Also there are many eD2K based clients, the most famous of which is now eMule. Other P2P networks have been gaining more attention lately too, such as Bit Torrent, which is probably the very easiest of all to download and share files. It relies on Torrent sites and trackers for users to share certain files with each other, but has been recorded at massive download speeds. However, like most other networks, it is lately feeling the pain of mass leeching.
You can read an eMule Tutorial at Afterdawn if you'd like to try the network.
Source:
Slyck.com
Written by: James Delahunty @ 22 Sep 2004 20:04