Windows Vista P2P Compatibility Tests

[dubstylee]

As a professional computer programmer I get access to certain resources before most others. In this case it would be Microsoft™ Windows™ Vista™ aka “Longhorn”. Vista™ Beta 1 was released yesterday to MSDN subscribers in the form of a 2.42 GB iso image. I started downloading around 2PM EST, started installing by 6PM, poked around and got comfortable with it till about 8PM then started a series of tests that lasted a total of 4 hours, until 12:00PM EST. What were these tests I was going to perform? Well I wanted to see; as a computer programmer, how various P2P applications held up on this new operating system. I picked by network as well as the programming language they were written in. In my 7 tests I have covered the following P2P networks:Gnutella, OpenFT, Ares, Edonkey2k/Overnet, eXeem, BitTorrent, and FastTrack(well not really, see results) and the following programming languages/runtimes: Java, C, C++, Delphi, Python, QT/C++, Visual Basic, Boost libraries and MFC/C++. In the end I am exhausted but this experiment was well worth the knowledge of what Vista™ has to offer. The following are the results in no particular order. I have listed the programming language, installation notes, top speed seen in KB/s, any runtime issues experienced and the pros and cons of the entire test for that client.
LimeWire:
• Programming Language: Java
• Installation Notes: Installer had to download and install the java runtime.
• Top speed seen: 478 KB/s

• Runtime Issues: 2/4 Downloads were corrupt.
• Pros: Network speeds were blazing.
• Cons: 1/2 of all files ended up corrupt.
KCEASY:
• Programming Language: Daemon - C, GUI - C++
• Installation Notes: Configuration Wizard was not graphically sound, missing elements.

• Top speed seen:: 232 KB/s (OpenFT)
• Runtime Issues: Contextual menus not graphically sound. General GUI flakiness.
• Pros: Network performance was good.
• Cons: Major GUI prblems in certain areas, mainly menus
BitTorrent (Official/Mainline):
• Programming Language: Python

• Installation Notes: Almost Transparent
• Top speed seen: 121 KB/s (while in END GAME mode)
• Runtime Issues: Network performance was very poor. Crashed on exit.
• Pros: GUI Performance was good.
• Cons: Network performance was fair at best.
Ares:

• Programming Language: Delphi
• Installation Notes: Smooth
• Top speed seen: 103 KB/s
• Runtime Issues: Contextual menus were flaky. Network would drop and reconnect. Searches stopped responding.
• Pros: Worked well for first few minutes.
• Cons: As time passed performance degraded to nothing. Application was useless after 15 mins as the network stack stopped responding.

EDonkey:
• Programming Language: Cross Platform - QT/C++
• Installation Notes: Smooth
• Top speed seen: 11 KB/s
• Runtime Issues: Out of 83 connections, 80 never reported a queue place. Overnet never bootstrapped.
• Pros: GUI performance was excellent.

• Cons: The network implementation didn’t like Vista™ at all.
eXeem:
• Programming Language: Core - Cross Platform C++(Boost), GUI Visual Basic
• Installation Notes: Smooth
• Top speed seen: 190 KB/s
• Runtime Issues: Substantial amount of GUI problems. Values in columns were never correct, size columns reported Terabytes and Petabytes for small files, Downloaders columns reported more(5x) users than the online users. Statistics stated: Users - 5,722 Files - 177,371 Shared -1.46PB.

• Pros: Transfer speed was decent when the transfers finally warmed up.
• Cons: GUI information was a mess, no logical data to go by as far as number of sources, or file sizes. Statistics were obviously being parsed wrong. Actually there seems to be a problem with the parser used in the entire application for math to string operations.
KaZaA (Official):
• Programming Language: MFC/C++
• Installation Notes: “The Kazaa application is not supported on Unknown Operating System. The installer will now quit.”
• Top speed seen: N/A

• Runtime Issues: N/A
• Pros: N/A
• Cons: N/A
*Note: These tests were all performed with the Windows™ firewall turned off and under a normal wireless NATed 10Mbit internet connection via Cable. Each software was uninstalled before moving on to the next tests.

Read the complete article (http://www.zeropaid.com/news/5586/Windows+Vista+P2P+Compatibility+Tests/)

[crash4419]

whoa well i guess the Programmers have ALOT of work ahead of them if they are going to get the Most out of Vista

i guess this is just like the jump from 9x to NT

[moneoa]

Cudos to Julian for the good write up :icon_salu

[DigitalJunkie]

I won't be upgrading from Windows XP Pro with SP1 anytime soon, I'll wait untill I have to or until new OS security problems are found with patches that works well. Take It Slow!

[ducttapeBigSexy]

Honestly, it doesn't surprise me too much - jumping from one platform to another (or, in this case, a heavily upgraded kernel) usually results in some problems. Not to mention that Vista isn't done yet, either.

In the case of LimeWire, it really doesn't surpise me, either - as long as the JVM runs in the OS, LimeWire will work and look pretty much the same.

[mcovey]

i am planning on installing vista this weekend.

[awehr]

I wouldn't do that if I were you... Copyfight has the lowdown on the tremendous amount of DRM they crammed into this thing.

It's more locked down than even mr Fritz wanted with his "fritz chips" boxes.

They DRM the audio and video buses, they DRM the drives, they DRM the video cards, they DRM the video output, they make you buy an HDCP compatible monitor, they make CGMS-A (the HBO blocker) a requirement for windows logo testing. They are designing the system to be completely compliant with AACS DRM... this includes the ability to REVOKE ANY HARDWARE ON YOUR SYSTEM! with vista these people are selling you down the river to hollywood on a silver platter.

http://www.corante.com/copyfight/archives/2005/07/27/how_microsoft_is_selling_out_the_public_to_please_ hollywood.php

Don't want to believe me... well when your computer starts screwing you left and right.. I can only say I told you so.

[bobhss]

I agree with ducttapeBigSexy, since the programs haven't been written for and tested with Vista yet I would expect some GUI issues or general flakyness. I do like the initiative of testing though.

[Julian]

During my tests my Sound Blaster Live! didn't work at all, however my logitec USB headset worked fine, perhaps because it has no digital outs. :-0 I am truly glad to be a Mac user. :icon_thum

[Gamer8585]

I'm not going to get Vista untill they decied to drop all of the DRM shit. I want full control of my computer and all of the files on it legal or otherwise.

[Julian]

I'm not going to get Vista untill they decied to drop all of the DRM shit. I want full control of my computer and all of the files on it legal or otherwise.
Then i suggest you get a Linux or Mac OS machine, cause the days of Windows™ are over with Vista™, there's no dropping the DRM from this OS.

[MP3Pr0]

I really don't see any need to go from XP to "Vista". It does everything I could do in 9x/ME without the crashing. 9x to XP was a worhwhile upgrade; XP to Vista remains to be seen...

As for DRM, I thought Linux was going that route also?
With the prospect of a market for DRM-protected content, I don't see why any OS wouldn't implement it.

[maartendc]

Nice stuff this test!

About the DRM: I am worried. Does that mean they can stop p2p progs from working properly? Or does it just implement support for drm apps?

[cpugeniusmv]

Nice stuff this test!

About the DRM: I am worried. Does that mean they can stop p2p progs from working properly? Or does it just implement support for drm apps?
Just support for DRM in DRM-enabled applications.

Much like the protection in the WMA format today.

[shawners]

On another note.. A few months ago. LONGhorn came in on a nice p2p client with no corruption, no loss in speed transfer, and the GUI didnt mess up..

[ASUmusicMAN]

nice write-up...thanks for running the tests and sharing the info. It's going to be very interesting seeing how vista progresses. Especially now with everyone being (rightfully) skeptical of anything microsoft puts out.

[Abyss00]

whoa well i guess the Programmers have ALOT of work ahead of them if they are going to get the Most out of Vista

i guess this is just like the jump from 9x to NT
So true, Windows programers really have a lot of work to do before Vista is worth using.

[the great one]

I'll be putting it on one of my computers.

[whitenoise22]

WHy would you install vista honestly. ITs not even fucking out yet have fun with all the problems and the programs u cant run. Seriously why install it?

[Julian]

WHy would you install vista honestly. ITs not even fucking out yet have fun with all the problems and the programs u cant run. Seriously why install it?
if no one uses it now, then MS gets no feedback thus has no direction in changing their ways. :icon_thum

[Auggie2k]

nice write-up...thanks for running the tests and sharing the info. It's going to be very interesting seeing how vista progresses. Especially now with everyone being (rightfully) skeptical of anything microsoft puts out.
Very true but I'd be rightly skeptical of any new software being put out.

[Afn]

Just support for DRM in DRM-enabled applications.

Much like the protection in the WMA format today.


At some point they will turn off non signed or approved applications and datafiles, and this is just a start to that type of migration to a secure platform.

[phalkon30]

It would be nice to see a comparison on the same connection/setup under XP. Some of those bugs may just be in the program or how he feels about it.

[Ne007]

WHy would you install vista honestly. ITs not even fucking out yet have fun with all the problems and the programs u cant run. Seriously why install it?


Some people like to test the waters man.....you should thank them if you're not one of them.

[Julian]

It would be nice to see a comparison on the same connection/setup under XP. Some of those bugs may just be in the program or how he feels about it.
This box was an running XP beforehand, with all of the same p2p apps, so the bugs encountered are therefore accurate.

[phalkon30]

Ok, thank you. Out of curiosity, were speeds similar? I wouldn't think a new kernal would really change that.

To be honest I did not follow the link, so I don't know if you posted that in your blog or not, I appreciate you following it up though.

[cpugeniusmv]

A transfer speed comparison of p2p applications in XP and Vista (or even any two systems) can not be accurate and would most likely not be very useful.

Network conditions on p2p networks are always changing.

[Julian]

Ok, thank you. Out of curiosity, were speeds similar? I wouldn't think a new kernal would really change that.

To be honest I did not follow the link, so I don't know if you posted that in your blog or not, I appreciate you following it up though.
Overall I think the experience is more related to the programming language of each app, thus why I chose them. The kernel has a major impact on the language runtime, more so for python, QT and delphi.

[Class316]

I'm sure non-DRM hardware will work on Vista. MS doesn't want to lose its grip on the OS market.