"I paid $50 or so for downloadable iTunes tracks, with the understanding that Apple had sold me something that would stream over the Internet."

Not exactly up to speed on your reading skills, huh? Apple said that it was providing software that allowed users to purchase songs for 99 cents each. Users could then transfer those songs to a limited number of iPods and unlimited number of Macs; furthermore, they could be burned onto an unlimited number of CDs, albeit only 10 with the same playlist.

At no time did Apple promise that unlimited sharing of files between Macs could be accomplished with iTunes itself, though perhaps wishful thinkers overlooked that.

It surprises me that the users of the world's most liberal legal means of obtaining and sharing music files on the internet (yes, I mean iTunes 4.01) are complaining because they can't have something that was never in the agreement Apple made with the music industry.

If this is a problem, go back to using gnutella and take your chances with the law.