The current web infrastructure was morphed into the model that the user is a client and content providers are servers; the client-server architecture. It wasn't that way in the beginning. Most of the connections were done with Modems over the phone connections to other users and, using 800 numbers, to places like CompuServe, which offered email, UseNet and some simple content accessible by browsers. Dialups never got above v.92 modem speed (54Kbps) and local companies began laying cable networks and offering movies and other features which could be displayed on the consumer's TV set. They also offered an Internet connection via their cable system. They became Internet Service Providers, ISPs. Many states had a dozen or more ISPs. Cable TV became popular because it offered soft porn movies which the FCC wouldn't allow to be broadcast over the air. Hosting companies arose and Internet servers arose which featured XXX porn, which by some accounts amounts to 70% of all Internet traffic. People could still set up their own local webpages and serve them to others. As the larger ISPs ate up the smaller ones the Terms of Service began restricting what people could do with their Internet connections, primarily to cut off possible competition and to reduce their personal liability. Now, a few nationwide ISPs control the Internet and a few content vendors control who can use their services and how.
While reading about Freenet I started wondering if there was anything in my ISP's ToS that specifically excluded setting up a P2P node. P2P nodes are usually personal computers, not dedicated servers, and tend to be turned off as much as they are on. My computer is rarely on more than 12 hours out of 24.
I am currently using Spectrum. Part of its Terms of Service include:
A P2P node can be set up as a multi-user forum.
No tunnel? I am running a Hurricane IPv6 tunnel to a server hosted by Hurricane Electric, "another host".
Spectrum does NOT supply IPv6 to residents in our area and repeated requests over the last couple of years as to when they will are met with "real soon" responses. My IPv6 tunnel often runs faster than my IPv4 connection, believe it or not! It gives me connectivity that Spectrum, in my area, is unwilling to provide. My 60Mbps Internet only connection costs $65/mo. Vinney told me his Spectrum 60Mbps +TV+IPv6 costs him $40/mo, IIRC. Were I to add TV to my service my cost would exceed Vinny's by almost $100/mo.
I plan to move to fiber optic from Allo.com. Its ToS states:
P2P nodes store content from others, as many as 600 peers or more, in my experiments. Others using these P2P programs can access content in my instances of those 600+ peers on my HDs. By any definition of the word, I am hosting those peers pages on my machine when I use one of those P2P programs. On ZeroNet is ZeroBoard, a multi-user forum. By activating that feature I can begin hosting a ZeroBoard node, which is a multi-user message board, a lot like UseNet.
Similary, for Freenet:
http://ntrg.cs.tcd.ie/undergrad/4ba2.02-03/p7.html
I noticed another potential problem while using IPFS connected to 603 peers. Over a period of 3 hours there was a total of 36Gb of data leaving my laptop. That is bandwidth consumption which no ISP would ignore if my machine were on 12 or 24 hours per day. 144 to 288 Gb/day! Maybe it would be ignored on a 1Gbps Allo connection?
Freenet has one interesting feature: the ability to connect P2P only with your friends, making you nearly invisible on the Internet. That is what Freenet means by the term "Darknet".
I suspect that it has been/is a favorite tool of the malevolent types.
[#]P2P[/#]
While reading about Freenet I started wondering if there was anything in my ISP's ToS that specifically excluded setting up a P2P node. P2P nodes are usually personal computers, not dedicated servers, and tend to be turned off as much as they are on. My computer is rarely on more than 12 hours out of 24.
I am currently using Spectrum. Part of its Terms of Service include:
- Either of the following activities by a Subscriber using dedicated machines (also known as "machines" or "dedicated servers") or virtual dedicated servers (also known as "VDS", "VPS", "virtual machines", and/or "virtual servers"): (i) running a tunnel or proxy to a server at another host or (ii) hosting, storing, proxy, or use of a network testing utility or denial of service (DoS/DDoS) tool in any capacity.
- Because the Service is for residential use only, any use of the service for non-residential purposes is not permitted and may result in reduction in service, suspension, or termination at the sole discretion of Spectrum. Non-residential purposes include, without limitation, the following:
- Running any type of server on the system that is not consistent with personal, residential use. This includes but is not limited to FTP, IRC, SMTP, POP, HTTP, SOCS, SQUID, NTP, DNS or any multi-user forums.
No tunnel? I am running a Hurricane IPv6 tunnel to a server hosted by Hurricane Electric, "another host".
Spectrum does NOT supply IPv6 to residents in our area and repeated requests over the last couple of years as to when they will are met with "real soon" responses. My IPv6 tunnel often runs faster than my IPv4 connection, believe it or not! It gives me connectivity that Spectrum, in my area, is unwilling to provide. My 60Mbps Internet only connection costs $65/mo. Vinney told me his Spectrum 60Mbps +TV+IPv6 costs him $40/mo, IIRC. Were I to add TV to my service my cost would exceed Vinny's by almost $100/mo.
I plan to move to fiber optic from Allo.com. Its ToS states:
xi. to use or run public servers;
Similary, for Freenet:
http://ntrg.cs.tcd.ie/undergrad/4ba2.02-03/p7.html
(Freenet) is designed to give complete anonymity to the authors and publishers of information on it, because of the distributed design it is impossible to trace the origin of any article to one computer and therefore to one person. Subscribers do not know who or what is using their machines.
...
Freenet is implemented as an adaptive peer-to-peer network of nodes that query one another to store and retrieve data files, which are named by location-independent keys.
...
Law Issue
As Freenet can potentially contain illegal information, it provides deniability that the owner of the computer/the node, knows nothing of what is stored on his/her computer, due to the encryption that Freenet provides.
...
Disadvantages
1. It is designed for file distribution and not fixed storage. It is NOT intended to guarantee permanent file storage, although it is hoped that a sufficient number of nodes will join with enough storage capacity that most files will be able to remain indefinitely.
2. Freenet does not yet have a search system, because designing a search system which is sufficiently efficient and anonymous can be difficult.
3. the node operators cannot be held responsible for what is being stored on its hard drive. Freenet is constantly criticized because you have to donate your personal hard drive space to a bunch of strangers that may be very well use it to host content that you disapprove of.
4. Freenet is designed so that if the file is in the network, the path to the file is usually short. Consequently, Freenet is not optimised for long paths. Long paths can therefore be very slow.
5. Self-organising file sharing systems like Freenet are affected by the popularity of files, and hence may be susceptible to the tyranny of the majority.
...
Freenet is implemented as an adaptive peer-to-peer network of nodes that query one another to store and retrieve data files, which are named by location-independent keys.
...
Law Issue
As Freenet can potentially contain illegal information, it provides deniability that the owner of the computer/the node, knows nothing of what is stored on his/her computer, due to the encryption that Freenet provides.
...
Disadvantages
1. It is designed for file distribution and not fixed storage. It is NOT intended to guarantee permanent file storage, although it is hoped that a sufficient number of nodes will join with enough storage capacity that most files will be able to remain indefinitely.
2. Freenet does not yet have a search system, because designing a search system which is sufficiently efficient and anonymous can be difficult.
3. the node operators cannot be held responsible for what is being stored on its hard drive. Freenet is constantly criticized because you have to donate your personal hard drive space to a bunch of strangers that may be very well use it to host content that you disapprove of.
4. Freenet is designed so that if the file is in the network, the path to the file is usually short. Consequently, Freenet is not optimised for long paths. Long paths can therefore be very slow.
5. Self-organising file sharing systems like Freenet are affected by the popularity of files, and hence may be susceptible to the tyranny of the majority.
Freenet has one interesting feature: the ability to connect P2P only with your friends, making you nearly invisible on the Internet. That is what Freenet means by the term "Darknet".
I suspect that it has been/is a favorite tool of the malevolent types.
[#]P2P[/#]
,,,,it is my only hobby after all .
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