From: Dave Winer (dave@userland.com)
Date: Mon Sep 11 2000 - 11:27:46 PDT
Interesting. I've been working on the feature list for Radio UserLand.
http://radiodiscuss.userland.com/stories/storyReader$1730
This is my take, circa 9/00 on what goes into a nice P2P product.
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lucas Gonze" <lucas@worldos.com>
To: "Rohit Khare" <rohit@KnowNow.com>; <fork@xent.com>
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2000 2:30 PM
Subject: RE: The P in P2P
> > Why, exactly, isn't Apache "the Apache of P2P"?
>
> Apache is a single protocol - HTTP. P2P is a bunch of protocols (HTTP,
napster,
> gnutella, freenet, and many more). HTTP is bi-directional, P2P is one-way
and
> event oriented; it often needs much higher message volume (and speed) than
HTTP
> can do; it needs more robust long-lived connections than HTTP can do. You
can
> use Apache as an interface to P2P networks by writing CGI scripts, but
there
> still needs to be a general server for other protocols. You have to build
that
> other server as a separate module on a separate port, but then you are not
> Apache.
>
> To be a general purpose P2P tool, as opposed to being a Napster clone or a
> Gnutella clone, then you have to be multi-protocol. This is why we morph
> messages into a generic format (function name, function arguments, binary
> attachments) on their way in, run a cgi-type script on them, and morph
them back
> to the original protocol on the way out. Multiple protocol streams can
> intersect and flow through the same toolset, which allows us to be
> protocol-agnostic.
>
> I have no beef with the fractional-horsepower http faction, as long as I
am not
> agreeing that HTTP is a good protocol for P2P. It is a legacy tool for
> interfacing with browsers and busting through firewalls.
>
> > Sounds like a matter for InstallShield... there's no reason for it to
> > be such an imposing mass of files; it's easy enough to profile down to
> > a few libraries. Even mod_perl, potentially.
>
> The mess of files is a byproduct of licensing issues, because our code is
a
> combination of GPL and Apache license modules. GPL prohibits you from
bundling
> them in a single package. To fix this we'll have to find GPL equivalents
of all
> the Apache-license stuff we are using - it's a todo item that will take
about a
> week.
>
> _but_ this is valuable feedback, so thanks.
>
> > ObPlug: WorldOS + Cybiko is the closest I've seen yet to realizing the
> > munchkins-vision...!
>
> Except that there is a philosophical difference. Our goal to be flexible
enough
> to survive in any environment, based on the axiom that a decentralized
internet
> is hopelessly chaotic.
>
> - Lucas
>
>
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