Suns' Peer To Peer Engine

Some Jxta news for interested parties.

- js

[TankGirl]

Thanks for the link, Jack.

I have been following the Jxta discussion groups more or less regularly since Jxta came public. I am still not quite sure how well Jxta will fly. Sun's support to the project has been beneficial but not without problems. Should they have a neat c++ based Windows-compatible engine available Jxta would probably have found much more popularity among p2p programmers at this stage. But they chose to put their own resources to the Java implementation for understandable corporate reasons (read: Microsoft).

The work on Jxta has been conceptually thorough, at times smelling perhaps even a bit too theoretical. It was curious to see how little many of the active Jxta people knew about the popular filesharing programs. When somebody mentioned Morpheus in their discussion group, it turned out that many hadn't even heard about it, not to talk about using it. After trying it they were mostly impressed and wanted Jxta to have similar practical functionality and effectiveness. This goes just to show that p2p is a wide field where the other end does not necessarily know what the other end is doing.

- tg

[nanook]

Originally posted by TankGirl

"When somebody mentioned Morpheus in their discussion group, it turned out that many hadn't even heard about it, not to talk about using it. After trying it they were mostly impressed and wanted Jxta to have similar practical functionality and effectiveness. This goes just to show that p2p is a wide field where the other end does not necessarily know what the other end is doing."

- tg

wow..........that is a pretty wide field.
but then........i never heard of the app u guys r talking about

there u go, eh?

[zombywoof]

Interesting article Jack. Kind of makes me wonder that future p2p applications if there will be some kind of universal protocol standard, basically like the internet itself where the whole basis of moving information and communicating seamlessly from the different types of computers, operating systems, and transmission media via the 7 layer OSI model, where as any type of p2p app can interact thru any other type of app. For example that limewire, bearshare and xolox use the same networks but what I am getting at is say would a gnutella app be able to communicate with someone using a morpheus client. What it seems is that you have developers from all over the world developing many p2p apps but they may conform to their own type of network and protocols hence having people dispersed all over the internet using different apps and different networks. I wonder if it would be possible to develop a protocol standard in which any type of p2p app can interact with any other p2p app and communicate with each other.

[nanook]

Originally posted by oscar
Interesting article Jack. Kind of makes me wonder that future p2p applications if there will be some kind of universal protocol standard, basically like the internet itself where the whole basis of moving information and communicating seamlessly from the different types of computers, operating systems, and transmission media via the 7 layer OSI model, where as any type of p2p app can interact thru any other type of app. For example that limewire, bearshare and xolox use the same networks but what I am getting at is say would a gnutella app be able to communicate with someone using a morpheus client. What it seems is that you have developers from all over the world developing many p2p apps but they may conform to their own type of network and protocols hence having people dispersed all over the internet using different apps and different networks. I wonder if it would be possible to develop a protocol standard in which any type of p2p app can interact with any other p2p app and communicate with each other.

sounds very interesting, oscar.........would luv to hear jack and tg's views on your post.

*edit* sorry.....was gonna ask if this would make it easier for the big bad wolves, though?

[TankGirl]

Hi Oscar and Nanook!

Originally posted by oscar
I wonder if it would be possible to develop a protocol standard in which any type of p2p app can interact with any other p2p app and communicate with each other.

Jxta is basically trying to be just that - a broad enough low-level protocol which would allow peers of all kinds to find each other and form further subgroups to do whatever p2p tasks they wished to do. If Jxta gains popularity it is not too difficult to build a Jxta interface to existing p2p applications and use suitable Jxta services to establish all sorts of bridges and shared services between the proprietary p2p networks. A global presence/chat service might be a good candidate. The needs and the possibilities are there but whether it happens through Jxta is an open question.

- tg

as everyone knows by now, musiccity shut down its' server based network in april '01 and essentailly grabbed a p2p engine off a shelf (fasttracks') changed its' name and a few registry entrys and put it up as morpheus in an attempt to stay "on the air" without servers, to try to keep what happened to napster from happening to them. for all the good it did...

however, they'd planned all along to release a "real" inhouse engine, mostly their own, as time and finances allowed. that client was to be released in oct. '01 and was to have the ability to do many new things including, oscar and nanook, interfacing with the gnutella network.

we may never see that engine as two thing have happened. 1, the fasttrack protocol took off like a rocket (who could've predicted?) and 2, bingo, mc, fastrack and grokster, the 3 groups running the client, got hit w/the riaa suit (no surprise). there is also the matter of the sssca bill in the us senate (please sign the petition!) and of course, hanging over everything, sept 11th.

things change and it's hard to watch sometimes but there you go. everytime one of these struggling apps gets smothered i feel like i've lost a pal.

- js.

[nanook]

Originally posted by JackSpratts

things change and it's hard to watch sometimes but there you go. everytime one of these struggling apps gets smothered i feel like i've lost a pal.

- js.

it's funny u say that, because, long before u joined napsterites, i noticed your postings over at the big "M".

i enjoyed them as i do here.
hopefully, all parties concerned will find each other, and a brand new way to enjoy and share music.

we will carry on................................

nanook, you're the sweetyest!

- js.