Spyware is used by advertising companies. When you use sharewear, sometimes in addition to having pop ups and banners all over the place, it can leave spyware in your system. Basically, advertising companies also install tracking software on your system, which reports back to them.
And you're right, WinMX is dead slow, even with a high speed connection. At least with Napster, if you had DSL or cable, and you were dloading from somone with the same connection, it would move pretty fast. Not with WinMX.
No one mentioned Lita Ford. I used to get mistaken for her back in the 80's....her & Ozzy. Don't make me post the pictures....they are not pretty.;^)