Gnutella scanning instead of service providers.
My fellow Cypherpunks, It has been stated that Gnutella is completely decentralized. This is not so. In order to get started with a Gnutella search, you need to use a Gnutella search provider to find Gnutella groups. Would it be possible to write some kind of scanner that would look at an ISP, say for example, htc.net and display all the Gnutella users there? We seem to be over the "fax effect" (a Snelling point?) magnitude where automated hunting for Gnutella users would be practical. Also, maybe the scanner could search thru various ISP's as well as particular ones. If it did close ISPs 1st, then it could help with the efficency of file searches. Also, note that Gnutella deals in files - ANY kind of files. I suppose that most? Cypherpunks know that - but just to be sure. If a scanner were written and widely deployed, then I think that the problem of crushing Gnutella would be at least a magnitude harder. Maybe the Gnutella support sites would promote and distribute such a scanner? Yours Truly, Gary Jeffers _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
On Wed, 22 Aug 2001, Gary Jeffers wrote:
If a scanner were written and widely deployed, then I think that the problem of crushing Gnutella would be at least a magnitude harder. Maybe the Gnutella support sites would promote and distribute such a scanner?
It is important to note that knowing where the doors are is as important to those who want to lock them as to those who want to open them. Bear
----- Original Message ----- From: "Gary Jeffers" <jeffersgary@hotmail.com> To: <Cypherpunks@einstein.ssz.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2001 1:43 PM Subject: CDR: Gnutella scanning instead of service providers.
My fellow Cypherpunks,
It has been stated that Gnutella is completely decentralized. This is not so. In order to get started with a Gnutella search, you need to use a Gnutella search provider to find Gnutella groups.
Would it be possible to write some kind of scanner that would look at an ISP, say for example, htc.net and display all the Gnutella users there? We seem to be over the "fax effect" (a Snelling point?) magnitude where automated hunting for Gnutella users would be practical. Also, maybe the scanner could search thru various ISP's as well as particular ones. If it did close ISPs 1st, then it could help with the efficency of file searches.
Also, note that Gnutella deals in files - ANY kind of files. I suppose that most? Cypherpunks know that - but just to be sure.
If a scanner were written and widely deployed, then I think that the problem of crushing Gnutella would be at least a magnitude harder. Maybe the Gnutella support sites would promote and distribute such a scanner?
Yours Truly, Gary Jeffers
on this very coarse analysis I think it would be in our own interest to keep the usage of such scanning tools to a minimum, perhaps having just a few central servers that serve up lists of Gnutella hosts.
*A few* central servers always lead to the same result: control and strangulation - it doesn't really matter if DNS is centralised (which is the mechanism for "web" censorship) or any other addressing method. ===== end (of original message) Y-a*h*o-o (yes, they scan for this) spam follows: Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/
participants (4)
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Gary Jeffers -
Joseph Ashwood -
Morlock Elloi -
Ray Dillinger