Gouper?

[Dyyryath]

Saw this on Slashdot (http://slashdot.org/articles/04/11/19/2055253.shtml?tid=95&tid=141&tid=185) post about 'Grouper' (http://grouper.com/about/what.htm) and thought it looked interesting. Too bad it's only got a Windows client or I'd probably waste some time playing with it.

Has anybody tried it? Have any thoughts about it?

[Bok]

Does look pretty good, pity I'll never use it unless there is a linux port though :)

Maybe MAg can do a php-gtk port :jester:

Bok

[PY 222]

Wow... looks like a very interesting concept.

However I am not sure if I would want something like that to be installed on my Windows machine. I just feel uncomfortable having shares like this on the Internet.

[CaptainMooseInc]

I'd never use it...better things out there. Like one response said, it should've been put out on the market 5-6yrs ago.

-Jeff

[PCZ]

Looks like a good way for the company behind grouper to collect email addresses and personal information.

Did someone say SPAM
I expect the client is also full of spyware.

[jasong]

This looks like a good program for legal file-sharing over broadband connections.

One thing I've always wanted on p2p networks is organized sharing. Basically, you'd pay a little each month to a core group of workers who would distribute files based on anticipated need, bandwidth, and popularity. You would pay a certain amount per gigabyte for leech access, but could offset this by assigned sponsorship of files that you could store on your hard drive. Pledging more bandwidth or hard drive space to "the cause"(with user-defined limits) would accrue credit which could be put towards more downloads. It would basically be a more organized version of BitTorrent.

Actually, now that I think about it, BitTorrent is already all we need. I've never sponsored files with BitTorrent, but if bandwidth can be controlled, then an organized sponsorship system is all that's needed.

What I'm driving at, admittedly vaguely, is that it's possible to make p2p better through organized distribution. We could save time on downloads and searches if people were assigned files to sponsor based on bandwidth and disk drive space.

Maybe I'll get flamed, but downloading Star Trek episodes while having to keep a tally, as an example, can get on people's nerves.

Btw, if you get programs off of cable or the networks, you're covered by the vcr laws of the 80s. If you can prove satisfactorily that the exchange method is what makes the money, as opposed to the individual programs themselves, you're legally in the right. "Legally in the right" doesn't matter anymore of course because of high-priced lawyers and their case-law research. Contrary to popular belief, judges don't make law, but they can be dictators under the proper conditions.:swear: