ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Timeline of file sharing

Okay kiddo, so back in the olden days, people used to share files by physically giving each other things like floppy disks or CDs. But then, technology got better and a new way of sharing files called peer-to-peer (P2P) was invented.

P2P means that people can share files directly between their computers without needing a special server in the middle. The first big P2P program was called Napster and it launched in 1999. Lots of people loved using Napster to share music for free with each other, but this made the music industry very angry.

So, they took Napster to court and shut it down in 2001. But by then, other P2P programs like Limewire and Kazaa had become popular too. Just like Napster, they let people share music, movies, and other types of files for free.

However, the people who made these programs were also sued by the music and movie industries for allowing people to illegally share copyrighted content. This made it hard for P2P programs to stay around for very long.

But don't worry, there are still ways to share files legally and safely today like using file-sharing services that allow you to share files with permission or cloud services that let you store and share files online. Remember, it's important to always follow the rules when sharing files so everyone can enjoy them in a fair and legal way.