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Harnessing the Power of P2P, Looking Back
brajesh writes "It has been seven years since Napster, the first widely-used peer-to-peer music sharing service, was released, and it made a major impact on how people, used the Internet. NY Times has an article about Napster and how it quickly grew into an Internet phenomenon - not to mention the music industry's bête noire until it was shut down by the courts four years ago. The article also mentions Shawn Fanning, the creator of Napster and his new venture, along with other efforts like new version of Grokster, Apple's iTunes, trying to cope up with growing concerns of Copyright Violations and corresponding backlash against P2P file-sharing."
I'd say that Napster shaped how people use the Internet. It was the greatest advancement in Internet use since the invention of the WWW for browsing. SETI@Home came out about the same time as Napster, and it paved the way for other distributed computing projects which have had some impact on the Internet's usage, but even the popular screensaver has been dwarfed by P2P sharing programs.
I think SETI@Home would have been the biggest thing since sliced bread if they found a way to search for alien music online while looking for alien signals in space. And the Voltrons don't even have obscure earth copyright laws for downloaders to worry about, although their tenors do make your head explode if you crank the volume.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
But P2P is a hassle. As easy as Limewire is, it's not as easy as I'd like it to be. (Although it is easier than going to a store and finding what I'm looking for).
The napster subscription model works for me though. As long as they work out the small problems. I wouldn't have considered something like Napster before P2P. I wouldn't have felt any desire to have it because my musical tastes weren't that large.
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``Also, I take issue of the term "pirate" as applied to people who are not doing anything for profit. For instance, was I a pirate when I made a mix-tape for the girl I liked in 6th grade?''
It depends on the law. In the Netherlands, for example, you are allowed to make a copy for personal use, and you're also allowed to lend your CDs etc. to friends (who are also allowed to make a copy for personal use). You are even allowed to make a copy on behalf of someone you know; this makes your mix tape perfectly legal. Downloading from the 'net also counts as making a personal copy, so it's legal as well.
In the States, I understand, this is all very different.
``I believe that laws should protect the interests of the electorate.''
You would expect so, in a democratic country. I think it's long past time for political reforms; there are many things wrong with the American political system, from a voter's point of view. Of course, that's just one arrogant European's opinion.
Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
Most of the replies seem to be focused on music file sharing. This is a result of the RIAA and MPAA demonizing P2P in order to protect themselves without regard to the legal uses of P2P. I believe that P2P democratizes the Internet, it gives a developer the opportunity to distribute something that he/she has created without incurring the costs of bandwidth. It gives a new band without a recording contract a way to distribute their music. It gives a filmmaker without a studio "deal" an affordable way to distribute a film . In the 90s the mantra of many businesses was that by using the Internet a small business could look like one of the big guys and compete on quality, service and price. The fight to keep P2P alive is about a lot more than stealing. Their are many ways to prevent the illegal use of P2P without destroying it. Let's get on that bandwagon before it is destroyed so that a few very rich companies and individuals can protect their wealth.