File Sharing: Decentralizing, Open-Source Fasttrack

Eloquence writes: "I've written a comparison of current file sharing software; what's interesting is that the original centralized indexing concepts are losing ground because of filters, and most relevant file sharing systems by now use at least a server-network, or a completely decentralized architecture. Unfortunately, most networks are proprietary, but at least there is now an open-source client to access the most popular network, Fasttrack's Kazaa/Morpheus, which was originally only accessible under Windows (around 500,000 users online at any time)."

Comments

AudioGalaxy

[epsalon]

AudioGalaxy for Linux does not force you to install any spyware (I don't think there is something like that for Linux), and it's a really great MP3 sharing network.
All hail AudioGalaxy!

Wow

[drix]

I have to say I'm impressed. There is a reason that the only previous FastTrack clients were fr Windows: FastTrack is a closed source C++ based protocol stack that only exists for that operating system. FastTrack's livelihood is dependent upon licensing that stack to developers and hence keeping the protocol proprietary. That someone has reverse engineered it quite successfully is highly impressive and also a little worrisome if you're FastTrack. I'm surprised we haven't heard a lot more about this and FastTrack's response.

P2P Is Crucial In Securing the Future of the Net

[Lethyos]

The current model of the Internet is not something that is going to surive the rigors of foolish governments, panicky interest groups, and greedy corporations. As we've seen time after time again, having single points of failure knocked out (regulation, threats, lawsuits, etc), we lose SO much information. Thanks to recent terrorist activities, we're going to find our bastions of freedom online gradually removed by people who honestly don't know any better.

Peer2Peer, I think, is a powerful solution for us to retain the freedoms we currently enjoy on the Net. Certainly P2P helps save us from Napster-like lawsuits regarding copyrighted material. However, can we take it further? Can we deliver web page content in the P2P model, for starters? Could we move all of our Internet services to this model? Consider a world where we start using technologies that prevent any central source of information/data/etc. from being stamped out by the ignorant.

I'm basically describing a model where when a source, be it a group or an individual, publishes something, it is in the network forever. Regardless of what happens to that source, tens of thousands of other machines will always be carrying that forbidden data. It couldn't be stopped. Sure we'd gather up massive amounts of garbage and quickly antiquated material, but every piece of knowledge out there is bound to be of value to at least somebody.

P2P could bring about the global consciousness that the Internet was meant to be. Lucky for us, you can't kill a brain by trashing a few neurons. :)

Re:It should be noted

[jonathan_ingram]

In case you really don't know what the problem with LAME is, take a look at http://www.mp3licensing.com/royalty/software.html. To paraphrase, for the patent only license (i.e. just to get permission to use the patents they have out on MP3), you should pay:

• Decoder: 75 cents per unit or $50 thousand one off
• Encoder: 2 dollars 50 cents per unit

This does not include the right to stream that content, for which you have to pay more. In contrast, to decode, encode, stream, store Vorbis you have to pay $0.

Getting away from licensing issues, a recent listening test concluded that at 128kbps Vorbis RC2 was right up there with LAME encoded MP3, and better than Xing encoded MP3 -- and RC2 still has a couple of minor issues that will be fixed before the release.

(okay, what the FUCK kind of lameness filter reason is 'Junk character post'? I had to get rid of some dollar signs to get it to post)

Re:Don't blam Napster Blame the RIAA

[Rogerborg]

• recent figures prove that file-sharing services actually generate sales and put more money in artists' pockets.

And there's the problem. If you're getting your music through KazaNapTella, and paying for it through FairTunes, where does that leave the corporate weasels at OmniGlobalMegaHyperLabel?

They don't care about the artists, they don't care about you or me. I honestly believe that they will buy as many politicians as it takes to ensure that the law keeps changing so that if you get music through any method other than by paying money to a big label, you will be made a criminal, and you will be threatened, harassed and denied access until you knuckle under.

Until then though, let's keep supporting FairTunes and highlighting that the "all sharing is piracy" argument is bunk.