IEEE Computing Covers Freenet

Rayban writes: "From the Freenet Project homepage: IEEE Internet Computing has an article (pdf) entitled 'Protecting Free Expression Online with Freenet.' It provides an excellent technical introduction to the core ideas behind Freenet."

Comments

Re:Freenet... Why?

[Cryogenes]

Inefficiency is not the problem. The protocol is, as I understand it, not inefficient at all.

The problem is complexity. The Freenet protocol is more complex by orders of magnitude than protocols such as gnutella, FastTrack, edonkey, etc. Complex software is hard to write. Complex software that cannot be tested before release is almost impossible to write.

Do you believe in death after life?

Main problem now- Freenet is slow and in flux

[LM741N]

I've been running a node or two for several years now. There were once a large number of Freenet web sites, but when the protocol changed, most of them dissappeared. Now a lot of them are coming back. But who's to say the protocal won't change again in a few months, and we're back to square one. It seems to be a project with no plan and thus no endpoint. Imagine if Microsoft changed the format for Word files every 6 months, and you get the idea.

Re:Freenet... Why?

[km790816]

The founder guy gave a talk that I had the pleasure of attending this summer.

The coolest thing freenet is used for now: helping free speech in China. There is a version that fits on a floppy and it's used to spread information about things the Communist party doesn't like: basically anything that isn't pro-Communist party.

The funny thing: when pressed on what freenet is used most for, the answer came back: porn. Laughs all around at the talk, but the positive impact in China seems like a good example to me.

"To hold a grudge is to maintain an intense connection with someone you might not want to have a relationship with in the first place."
-Francine Prose

Re:The best is yet to come...

[mikedotd]

Agreed. I run a node with OpenJit and the performance is pretty acceptable even after increasing maxNodeConnections threefold.

Re:Freenet... Why?

[Uberminky]

Your comments on moving it to packet radio are pretty much wildly inaccurate.

No, they aren't. GPRS is a GSM thing (if I understand correctly), which isn't what we were talking about. I was referring to amateur radio based packet radio, using amateur radio frequencies. This is what the freenet guy was talking about that I mentioned. (I thought that was clear, but apparently not.) And it is a (unfortunate?) fact that encryption is not permitted on amateur bands. You need to know all of this stuff to pass the ham radio license exam, which is why I know it. Allow me to quote FCC Amateur Radio regulations, part 97.113 ("Prohibited transmissions"), section A.4 (emphasis mine):

Music using a phone emission except as specifically provided elsewhere in this Section; communications intended to facilitate a criminal act; messages in codes or ciphers intended to obscure the meaning thereof, except as otherwise provided herein; obscene or indecent words or language; or false or deceptive messages, signals or identification

You are right, people could set up commercial radio transmissions similar to GPRS, but that wouldn't have several of the advantages that the guy I mentioned thought could be had by using ham radio.