Are there any general principles that govern how good a P2P file sharing network is?
What should developers consider?
I thought about it and read a few university papers on the subject and have come up with the following three simple rules.
1st Law of P2P File Sharing:
Every bit of data downloaded must have been uploaded.
So overall no network is faster than any other as uploads must equal downloads on any network. Multi-source / swarming by itself does not increase download speed.
Networks that have high download speed have a greater number of users that upload more than they download.
For example, the majority of Bit Torrent users feel that they should at the very least maintain an upload/download ratio of above one for every file they download even if they can download faster than they can upload. This leads to faster downloads for everyone.
2nd Law of P2P File Sharing:
The size of a network’s user base is indirectly and inversely related to download speed.
Networks with large user bases have slower downloads than small ones.
The majority of files on a P2P network are provided a small minority of enthusiastic users who often join networks early on.
As the network becomes more popular it attracts a greater proportion of users who want to download files but who don’t have the technical skill or motivation to provide files to the network.
Law one states that uploads have to equal downloads, therefore downloads slow as there are more users demanding files without a corresponding increase in the number of users providing files.
For example, the ed2k network, a very large network, is often slower than say a DC hub which has a smaller user base of enthusiasts.
3rd Law of P2P File Sharing:
The more upload bandwidth donated by users of a network then the faster that network.
It is often social pressure or a technical feature of the p2p file sharing application that ensures that users donates a high proportion of their available upload bandwidth to the network and that they don’t leach.
For example, leachers on Winmx often receive messages telling them to mend their ways. Many DC hubs have rules to discourage leachers from joining. To download on Bit Torrent you have to upload.
Obvious?
Common sense?
Right or wrong?
Do you have anymore?
mmm..
i dont know....
what makes good a p2p net??
Users/speed/files/security
Im not totally agreed with the 3rd rule...
the speed of a network, includes upload and download speeds...
not you
i smell a ban cookin', and ooh it smells sweet
Good comments metale.
Are there any p2p networks where users download more than they upload in total?
Kind of you to say so notbob but what about the laws of p2p - I got most of them from you :heartOriginally Posted by notbob
Hornet
I am also a happy guy :blah
Lets just keep this on the topic of development and everyone will be happy folks.
Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.
Hmm, what makes a good P2P network.......Man, its bloddy obvious there.
No crapware
Large user base
No fake files
So unless you have loads of time and cash + find a way to keep the RIAA/MPAA out + develop something different from the hundreds of P2P networks out there, It wont make a good network.
Look at the fall of Kazaa and the rise of BT and Edonkey for examples. If you can make something like that with new features, then you will have a successful network.
Anonimity would be nice, but most of all is speed. For me no speed, and it wont be used. Right now, Im getting great speed, and good file hashing, with a minimum of fakes.
Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.
a large user base is meaningless if none of them share, or all of them share garbage
(take a look at winmx and kazaa)
good p2p=good users, and that's it-if you don't have good users with good files, you have nothing, and it doesn't matter how fancy your gui is or what features you cram in, you can't make up for bad users
The gui means shit to me, as long as its basic, and does the job. I hate fakes, and users that dont share. Skip any of the glitz, just give me my files. Also a bandwidth throttle for me is nice, a good thought is one that has the uploads, and downloads porportianally (spelling) connected. IE you throttle back your uploads, the downloads are automatically throttled back also. that would encourage sharing.
Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.
I thought I would never see the day but I agree with you 100% notbob goodp2p=good users that was my law 3:
But you've put it better. :)
What about the other two "laws":
ease of use, content, swarming for optimal downloading
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In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird.
Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
Very good, yes and add ratings. Ratings and comments offer a good indication if a file is worth the time to dl.
Is it not a feat sublime? Intellect hath conquered time.
I don't care about the # of users, enough/reasonable amt. of music - only the genre which i like. Ok download speed, movies would be good because i only get em off bt nowadays. Real files, i never really run into fakes but that' s because i dont download all that newage stuff.
"Where knowledge ends, religion begins." - Benjamin Disraeli
A distributed website embeded into the app.Then the **AA's have to take down the whole network instead of just one IP.Searchable hash databases and forums could be set up within the network.
If its a open source app everting like CVS ,Sourcecode bug reports ect should be hosted on the network and not on one central server.
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