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Locutus Preview Released
An anonymous reader writes "FreeNet's Ian Clarke has released the preview version of his latest P2P endeavor Locutus. Aimed at the corporate world, Locutus adds encryption to the mix - new for a P2P client - to secure files traded across the network as well as the ability to scan within text files to improve search results. Locutus Lite is the free version for those who are more concerned with trading movies and tunes. Locutus Enterprise is the pay version that Clarke hopes to lure corporations to shell out money for (for secure trading of research and other documents). Those interested in trying the preview can download it here."
it's called e-mail with PGP.
This is Locutus of P2P You will be assimilated, resistance is futile!
"Entropy is the bad-guy, and he is everywhere"
Seriously, why would anyone buy another application when they already have http and ftp sites, e-mail, etc? Most "research" isn't widely in demand enough to warrant the distribution model of p2p.
That's the way to guarantee real-world corporate interest, all right - name it after a lame geeky Star Trek reference.
And not even old series Star Trek that some of the upper management might at least feel nostalgia for.
The application is only 400k in size, but many users will notice that the download is over 20MB. This is because Locutus relies on Microsoft's .NET framework,
and if a user doesn't have .NET they will automatically download a version of the installer that does.
Damm!
Locutus does look nifty though in that the files can be shared encrypted.. I take it that one must pass muster to even look at the filenames though.. otherwise what difference is it from sharing files already encrypted with pgp or similar...
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
Hey, If it's on slashdot, think how many geeks will be using it. And what do geeks have? Yes, they have it all. Warez, Mp3s, and.. yes, that too.
I'm checking it out. Are you?
+No spyware, woohoo! I would like it if it could hack into the kazaa network thought.
(Score:-1, Trekkie/Obscure)
Locutus Enterprise is the pay version that Clarke hopes to lure corporations to shell out money for (for secure trading of research and other documents).
Maybe I'm missing a point somewhere here...what's wrong with centralised file/document servers, or groupware like Notes, GroupWise or Exchange for sharing documents and research within a company? Why P2P? Will we look back at these stories in a couple of years and think the same way about them as we now do with stories about 'Java applications storming the desktop', 'Push applications redefining the way we work on the net', or 'Debian releases new version before 2025'?
For some reason, that paragraph really cracked me up...
--naked
Very popular slashdot journal for adul
The commercial version of Locutus, Locutus Enterprise, will enforce "military grade" encryption over all files shared.
Didn't Locutus try to destroy Enterprise? And Enterprise tried to destroy Locutus too. Hrmmm... Sleep Data, sleep...
"Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
....so in essence the good part is, this is an easy to set up secure WAN with restricted users and groups.
The bad part could be you have to be "microsoft dot netted".
hmmmmm
(Site slashdotted)
.Net application that will allow you to search for files on your hard disk and on other people's shared folders on your LAN, and on the Internet as a whole. .NET framework. Not everyone has a version of Windows which includes .NET, and so if you try to download Locutus and don't have .NET you will automatically download a version of the installer which includes it. The next time you upgrade Locutus, or any other .NET software, you will find that the download is much smaller. You can find out whether you have .NET by visiting the Downloads page.
.Net .Net and why does Locutus need it? .Net is, at its core, an attempt to standardize the way that software applications communicate with the underlying Operating System. .Net was developed by Microsoft, and at the time of writing is only available for Windows, however .Net has been embraced by some in the Linux community who are working on Open Source versions of .Net such as Mono. Once finished, these will allow Locutus to run on non-Microsoft operating systems. .Net can compromise your privacy - is this true? .Net banner - however Passport is not required by Locutus, and is not included in the Locutus installer.
.Net .Net and why does Locutus need it? .Net can compromise your privacy - is this true?
1 General
1.1 What is Locutus?
Locutus is a
1.2 Why is Locutus a 20MB download?
In fact, Locutus itself is only about 400k in size, however it relies on Microsoft's
1.25 Why is slashdot so fucking retarded?
It's because people aren't aware that the editors are facist morons. Read ths signature for this post and find out more.
1.3 I've installed it - now what?
When you run Locutus, you should see a discrete search box at the bottom right of your screen. You can enter search terms into this box, and Locutus will search your computer, along with the shared directories of other Locutus users on your LAN. The more of your co-workers that use Locutus, the more useful it will be, so email them now and direct them to http://locut.us/!
1.4 What is the difference between Locutus and other P2P applications?
There are a number of important differences:
* Detailed file analysis
Most P2P applications just search on the basis of a filename or superficial data about the files being searched. Locutus will scan documents in their entirity, extracting significant keywords - using technology similar to that used by web search engines.
* Scalable and efficient search algorithm
Locutus employs a sophisticated decentralized search algorithm which can rapidly search tens or hundreds of thousands of computers in a very short space of time, and without any reliance on inefficient "broadcast" searches, or fragile "ultrapeers". This effeciency dramatically reduces Locutus' bandwidth requirements relative to more conventional P2P applications.
* Strong security model
With most P2P apps, you are either sharing a file or you are not - and often you can accidentally end up sharing files that you didn't intend to share. Locutus allows finer control over who can search which folders on your computer, and in the upcoming Enterprise release, will enforce this security using military-grade encryption.
1.5 What is the difference between Locutus and a web Search Engine?
Web search engines only search information publicly available on the Internet, and they do so in a totally centralized manner. Locutus can search the hard-disks of desktop PCs (within constraints defined by the PC's user) in a completely decentralized manner. Locutus doesn't require that a server be set up - you just download, install, and you can start using it immediately!
2 Using Locutus
2.1 Does Locutus allow others to see my private files?
No! Locutus will only allow others to search for files in shared directories on your computer, or files that you have deliberately placed in the Locutus shared folder on your desktop.
2.2 Will Locutus slow down my computer?
While the built-in Windows indexing service is well-known for slowing down the user's computer, Locutus is much more careful about its resource usage. Initially Locutus does need to create an index of your hard-disk, however once this is done, Locutus is careful only to reindex files when necessary (ie. when they change, or when a new file is created). In practice, Locutus doesn't have any negative effect on system performance once the initial indexing is complete - you won't even know its there.
3 Microsoft's
3.1 What is
3.2 I heard that
There was some controversy over a Microsoft product called "Passport" which Microsoft marketed under the
We value our privacy, and respect yours. We would never ask you to install anything that we wouldn't install on our own computers.
4 Business Model
4.1 Many P2P applications include Spyware - what about Locutus?
No, Locutus does not include any advertising, nor will it install any third-party advertising or data-collection software.
4.2 If not advertising, what is your business model?
We plan to give Locutus Prototype and Locutus Lite (available late January 2003) for free. Those who require enhanced security or other features will have the opportunity to purchase Locutus Enterprise when it is released in March 2003.
4.3 Who do I contact if I am interested in a business relationship with Cematics LLC?
Cematics is a young and flexible company, and are always on the look-out for new collaboration opportunities. If you are interested in a business relationship with Cematics LLC, please email our business development group at bizdev@locut.us.
4.4 Will Locutus be released as Open Source software?
While we are big fans of Open Source software, we do not feel that there is a viable business model for us that would allow us to release Locutus as Open Source. We will, however, be developing ways that third-party software developers can write software which integrates with Locutus.
Index
1 General
1.1 What is Locutus?
1.2 Why is Locutus a 20MB download?
1.3 I've installed it - now what?
1.4 What is the difference between Locutus and other P2P applications?
1.5 What is the difference between Locutus and a web Search Engine?
2 Using Locutus
2.1 Does Locutus allow others to see my private files?
2.2 Will Locutus slow down my computer?
3 Microsoft's
3.1 What is
3.2 I heard that
4 Business Model
4.1 Many P2P applications include Spyware - what about Locutus?
4.2 If not advertising, what is your business model?
4.3 Who do I contact if I am interested in a business relationship with Cematics LLC?
4.4 Will Locutus be released as Open Source software?
Copyright © 2003 Cematics, LLC
Slashdot 's editors are dickheads
I hope Ian has gotten permission to use the name Locutus, which is, no surprise, a trademark of Paramount. Info below.
(BTW, why does Slashdot not allow <pre> tags but allow text-only postings and the obvious <tt>...<br> thing? What a pain.)
Word Mark LOCUTUS
Goods and Services IC 028. US 022.
G & S: toys; namely, action figures and accessories therefor, poseable figures, dolls.
FIRST USE: 19930600.
FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19930600
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 74462053
Filing Date November 12, 1993
Published for Opposition August 23, 1994
Registration Number 1862622
Registration Date November 15, 1994
Owner (REGISTRANT) PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION
CORPORATION DELAWARE
5555 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles CALIFORNIA 900383197
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Affidavit Text SECT 15. SECT 8 (6-YR).
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
When are they going to release a good P2P program for Linux? Not that gnutella crud, I'm talking about something like KaZaA that even people stuck on 56K can use well. I'm fed up with wine & KaZaA lite dying every 5 seconds.
Running "secure" proprietary software on a windows box. Where have I heard that before. No man. Put the pipe down and walk away.
These people don't seem to learn.
I think the first p2p client with an encryption feature was filetopia.
www.filetopia.com
... for application that supposed to be in background??? I read it as not only Java has memory footprint problems, but .NET based ones too. :(
>Locutus differs from most other P2P networks on several levels, most prominently its focus on security....The application is only 400k in size, but many users will notice that the download is over 20MB. This is because Locutus relies on Microsoft's .NET framework, and if a user doesn't have .NET they will automatically download a version of the installer that does.
.NET? I don't understand....
Hmm... focus on security, yet uses
And if compared to freenet, any benefits?
who shot the cat in the hat to experiment is insane
According to the locutus faq, the developers will not be releasing source to the app. Doesn't look like they're interested in ports.
political_news.c: warning: comparison is always true due to limited range of data type
it's like shared folders on a windows network... but get this... it's *encrypted*!!! Therefore making it suitable for me to use in my Department of Homeland Security office... Cool huh?
Furthermore, it uses *encryption*... meaning it is illegal for export outside the great US of A... thus those bad terrorists can't get it... naaa... naaa... naaa... naaa... naaaaaaaa!
Welley Corporation - SLM Scammers
... dibs, for example, uses it:
http://freshmeat.net/projects/dibs/
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
This is the market Locutus is going after.
What use is it when it doesnt run on anything but windows? Many scientists run linux and other stuff nowadays so its pretty insane doing a client that doesnt run on anything but windows.
.net is an effort at keeping that barrier onto the future. I say good luck to Miguel when MS dicides it has enough desciples to boot on .net.
I detest using anything that isnt cross platform friendly. When the next OS comes i dont want to stand there with my corporate pants down.
Why is it so hard making applications truly cross plattform? Technology?
You already know the answer, the removal of the applications barrier is the biggest threat to Microsoft today.
HTTP/1.1 400
They will bait you to their site, and when you go onto their site to retrieve some file they say they have and attempt to download it, they will log where their server is sending it to.
And a letter from their legal counsel will go out in the next day's mail.
Sorry to rain on parade..but I do not think encryption is going to do much to help mask P2P filesharing itself... but it will help a lot in the sense that if you snared some file from someone's P2P server but did not know how to unlock it, you just get a file of something you can not use at all - it may as well be digitized interstation FM hiss for all you know. Or it might be configured so that if you do not know the access codes, you won't be able to get the remote server to send the file.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
It's not your computer, it's your company's computer, and if your company wants to make use of the computer it bought for your use in order to spread the resource usage across the company and avoid having to buy another huge server (or several servers) to serve files around to all the branches of your company in the world, then it's damn right to do so.
Daniel
Carpe Diem
Joy oh joy..
Under the new "PATRIOT II" legislation, using encryption while comitting a crime will result in a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years. They don't mention if it has to be a 'serious' crime, so I guess copyright violation qualifies.
This could get interesting.
455fe10422ca29c4933f95052b792ab2
150+ posts and no one's mentioned Groove? Do you people live in a frigin' vacuum?
Groove is a company founded by Ray Ozzie, the creator of Lotus Notes. The Groove Workspace is a hyper-secure P2P application made for business and government use. It has several "tools" that you can use within the application like chat, file-sharing, calendaring, custom forms, etc. All communication between the P2P clients is encrypted as well as the files themselves. Once you import a file into Groove to be shared, it's encrypted automatically.
The general theory behind the application is that you can't rely on the wires to be secure, ever. So all the data and communication between peers is encrypted automatically without any user intervention needed.
The reason you should think this app is cool is because it's an easy way to set up super-secure filesharing between peers whether on a local network or across the internet. It's not open file sharing like Gnutella, but it's more like having a virtual secure file server just for you and the peers you invite into your workspace.
The reason you should hate this app is because not only is Groove in bed with Microsoft (M$ has invested millions and only runs on Windows) but this app is also being used by the new Office of Information Awareness, i.e. Big Brother.
-Russ
Me
Has been around for a while now. Ceck out filetopia. Although Locutus does look useful for searching corporate lans and such.