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AOL Snuffs Napster-Workalike Gnutella
K2 (and many others -- Thanks!) wrote with news about Gnutella: "Just when open-sourcing was becoming mainstream, they pull the plug on it. I just read this on Wired: Open-Source 'Napster' Shut Down. If anybody got the download yesterday, could you make it available somewhere? (That must be legal based on the licensing it was given away under.) Thanks." According to this article, Gnutella was "an unauthorized freelance project and the Web site that allowed access to the software has been taken down." Note also the media companies linked to AOL (Warner and EMI).Update: 03/16 03:01 by H :Check out our original story about it.
Those links have been superceded by this page, which seems to be a combined news and FAQ page. Note that the newest version of Gnutella, .491, has problems, so using .49 or .48 is a good idea (I'm using .48 at the moment). The page also shows some IP addresses to connect to to get you started, now that the main server is down.
Gnutella also has a very active EFNet channel (#gnutella, surprisingly enough). Come on over :).
-- Help Digitise the Public Domain at DP.
That's an easy enough position to take, but progress can't be halted.
The fact is, electronic communication is making the commoditization of information obsolete. It will become very difficult to make money in the future on the distribution of creative work...as the distribution of information is no longer a value-added process; instead, it is an AUTOMATIC process.
The only way to keep information out of someone's hands will be to keep it a secret, which would negate the point of the creative work.
This can be a boon, and it can be a problem, but it WILL happen; given the direction of computer internetworking, it is inevitible.
New business models for musicians and other artists creating informational work will have to be formed.
Musicians, for instance, will be able to use the self-publishing capabilities of the net to increase their visibility without having to go through the interference of the record companies. Instead of making money from recordings, musicians will make their money from touring and promotions.
The hundreds of companies making money by leeching funds from creative artists for the service of distribution of the artists' work will go out of business, unless they get their heads out of the sand, and change their business model to perform a real service for both consumer and artist.
In short: Non-secret information will be free, and you might as well get used to the idea, because the consequences are vast.
--"You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think."
http://www.allskin.com/gnutella/ ...it simply moved. I think AOL's going to get snippety with Nullsoft pretty soon. Let's get Justin Frankel lined up for a /. interview! We could all gain some insight there.
Synergy is your friend
I've made the program available here: http://zonedefense.dhs.org/gnutuilla_dl. html
No sig is worth reading.