The ultimate P2P feature specification!

[PhlemLoagie]

No, I don't have it.

But I'd like to contribute to it, especially in the area of anti-freeloader/leacher features. Is there a forum where one can contribute to discussions about the development of the ultimate P2P applications. After struggling with the freeloader problem for a while i've developed, what I think, are good and easy-to-implement ideas to control it. (I've been a systems analyst/programmer for years).

Examples: (some of these features would be easy to implement. Some are likely to be controversial)

-Allow operator to quickly get a view of what a current uploader is sharing (most P2P apps do this already)
-Allow operator to block access by specific ip addresses and/or class C ranges of ip addresses. Blocking can be specified as temporary (1 hour, 1 day), or permanent. This could be part of a 'Cancel upload' action.
-Allow operator to allow access by only specified ip, ip ranges ( a private list.) For instance the 24.*.*.* range is mostly broadband users.
-Allow operator to allow uploads only by those who he/she is currently downloading from.
-Profile option: 'Automatically add owner of successful download to your private access list?' Yes/No? This will serve to quickly expand the operator's private access list.

Here are some other notes I had jotted down a couple weeks ago.
-Configuration: Ability to set minimum bandwidth threshold required for user downloads.
-Indicate bandwidth of requesting user -Modem, DSL, Cable, T1, etc... If bandwidth less than threshold then refuse download.
-Indicate nbr of files user has shared. If less than 'x', then automatically refuse download.
-Ability to search on users files (like current Fastrack)
-When cancelling a user upload offer a choice:
o Cancel this upload only
o Cancel this upload and ban user ip address for 24 hours
o Cancel this upload and permanently ban user ip address
-Ability to disable sharing of my files (like current Fastrack) with choices:
o Disable sharing for all users
o Disable sharing for all users except those from whom I am uploading at the time of upload request.
o Disable sharing except for private share list

What think?

[MusicMan]

I like a lot of the ideas, but I don't think sharing should be able to be blocked so easily. This might promote people to keep their files to themselves and not share with anyone. This would diminish the overall selection of files in the network. What you could do instead is only let people download files from other people if they are sharing files themselves. Let's say people could only download as many files at once as many files they let other people download at once. What do you guys think?

[mrgone4662]

How are the newbies supposed to get started? I leeched for quite a while when I first started (was on a terrible dial-up connection anyway), until I built up a collection to share (~2,300 files; ~13gig) and got a better connection.

Now I share all this on a hefty broadband connection. If I hadn't been happy with gnutella when I first started, I wouldn't be sharing now.

[Roamerick]

Sharing openly is the key. I dont even mind if people leech off me so long as I know I'm sharing some excellent files with the community. I'm putting films on XoloX that are only ever available through the donkey, and vice versa. If mopre people started doing that, we'd be much better off.

Software should not allow the users to easily discriminate. Freeloader control or preferential treatment for non-leeches is ok, but not if taken to the extreme whereby a newbie can't get "into the game" because he or she doesn't have the media.

What should be done is focus on ways of rewarding high-sharers with more bandwidth/more connections etc, or higher priority on servers. But again, within limits.

[MusicMan]

Newbies i about the easiest subject to deal with, and should not be a real concern. The program could just provide a text file for them to share until they built up a library. Anyhthing to promote sharing would help, anything.

[Roamerick]

I don't think a text file would pass even the most lenient of freeloader barriers, Musicman.

[mrgone4662]

I think the best way to promote sharing is by education. It feels good to contribute to the community, but being forced to would diminish that. Donating to a charity feels alot better than paying taxes.

Besides, this network is very much about freedoms. Simply because someone does not, or cannot, share files doesn't mean they should be disadvantaged in any way. That would be imposing serious restrictions on the freedom they have in this network.

After all, they still contribute in routing pushes and query traffic. And many just can't share files. Either due to threats from their ISP or school or employer. Or simply because they don't know how.

So have a heart and provide education about sharing. I rarely, if ever, download anymore but I upload like crazy. I'm happy do donate my ~13gig shared so that everyone is welcome on the network.

[MusicMan]

No no no, I was saying that in response to mrgone's post

How are the newbies supposed to get started? I leeched for quite a while when I first started (was on a terrible dial-up connection anyway), until I built up a collection to share (~2,300 files; ~13gig) and got a better connection.

A text file would just be there so they could connect to the network (previously I suggested a function that wouldn't allow people to connect if they weren't sharing files).

Again, anything to promote file-sharing would be beneficial.

[tahoejames]

Id just like to say that we all should share..... some cant open up there library because of slow connections ..... wait before i get hammered on...... i do share.... its not that i can do it all the time.... if anyone needs something that i have there welcome to it !!! as a mater of fact i still use napigator and napster and alot of the servers let you know to share a certain amount of files so i do..... just venting again !!! SHARE ON !!!

[Foreverboard]

even if peope olny share 5 or 6 files its better than none. I share over 10,300 files on Kazaa_lite and XoloX. and I find people who dont share uploading from me all the time. If their connection is uploading at a decent speed where I dont feel they will abort(which is what hppens 60% of the time) the download I leave it alone. But cutting someone off when they are downloading something...come on..... would you like that to happen to U? Ok I'm done......share on.

[MusicMan]

Leechers will always be around, you can always find a leech by searching for files from them and if nothing turns up you've found your leech (or someone with no upload slots availiable)

[PhlemLoagie]

If I have a great file there is going to be queue of uploaders to get it. I'd much rather give it to sharers then freeloaders. And, visa versa, since I share many files, i expect to be prioritized in the queue over those who share less. Currently in the popular p2p apps, such as fastrack, freeloader activity is out of control. I check uploader file inventories often and i'd say 80% have no files or just a couple 'for show'. Obviously there are a lot of opinions about what to do about freeloading. My opinion remains this: let it be a personal choice. Give the p2p app operator the tools to deal with freeloaders as he/she sees fit. The tool we dont have yet is the ability to activate and maintain a 'banned ip' list. Once we get this tool i believe freeloaders will find fewer and fewer places they can leech. This will 'encourage' them to share.
Right now on fastrack if I cancel an upload it comes back on in a few seconds. I have to keep cancelling the same upload until someone else in the queue cuts in. When i cancel a download i want to add the culprit to my list of banned ip addresses, either on a temporary basis, or permanent. Simply put. People that dont' want to use this feature dont have to.

[MusicMan]

Couldn't agree more, those were the same ideas I was trying to get at earlier.