P2P Pages

Wired’s Guide to Global File-Sharing This list of 240-plus downloads, services, and information resources – most of them free – is designed for experienced P2Pers and novices alike. (Beginners: Look under Applications – Clients and Services – Tutorials to get started.) For software developers who really want to let their guerrilla flag fly, we point […]

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Wired's Guide to Global File-Sharing

This list of 240-plus downloads, services, and information resources - most of them free - is designed for experienced P2Pers and novices alike. (Beginners: Look under Applications - Clients and Services - Tutorials to get started.) For software developers who really want to let their guerrilla flag fly, we point the way toward technical specs used to build many of these services. This guide is a stand-alone tearout. Reference it on the run.

Applications
Developer Resources
Hacks
Networks
Services
Merchandise
Legal Assistance
Religion
News
Help Wanted

APPLICATIONS

Napster is the name of both a file-sharing network and the Windows client app that lets you connect to it. But the Napster client isn't the only one available for the Napster protocol - more than two dozen alternatives exist. Some are just a programming student's folly, but others add features or open the network to platforms other than Windows. Alternative clients are also available for other file-sharing systems (see Networks), including Gnutella, MyNapster, OpenNap, and Scour Exchange.

Gnutella

MyNapster

Napster

OpenNap

Scour Exchange

APPLICATIONS

Functionally, one freeware disc burner is pretty much like another: They all write files to a CD-R or DVD-R disc. Still, each one has its quirks. Download several and test-drive them until you find one that works with your system. The freeware programs listed below all run on Windows.

APPLICATIONS

Making MP3 files from a CDrequires ripping tracks from a disc and then encoding them in MP3 format at the desired bitrate. The following programs will perform one or both functions on Windows.

Audio

  • AudioCatalyst
    www.xingtech.com/mp3/audiocatalyst
    Rips, normalizes, and encodes CD audio to MP3 format.
  • Audiograbber
    www.audiograbber.com-us.net
    An early leader, Audiograbber is still said to produce some of the highest-quality MP3s.
  • Easy CD-DA Extractor
    www.poikosoft.com/cdda
    Popular ripper for Windows. Supports BladeEnc (see Applications - Plug-ins) for file-format conversion.
  • MusicMatch Jukebox
    www.musicmatch.com
    All-in-one program for Windows and Mac that rips, burns, and encodes CDs and also includes a song-file organizer.
  • RealJukebox
    www.real.com/realjukebox
    This descendant of RealPlayer, the original low-fi streaming-audio solution, supports MP3 and other audio formats.
  • WinDAC
    www.windac.de
    Windows ripper that supports BladeEnc plug-in (see Applications - Plug-ins).

Video

  • Windows Media Development Center
    msdn.microsoft.com/windowsmedia
    Go here for Microsoft's premier vid-conversion tool, Windows Media Encoder 7. It's free, and comes with instructions that explain how to capture a signal and transform it into a Windows Media file ripe for sharing.

APPLICATIONS

  • Socks
    www.socks.nec.com
    The most widely used proxy server, available on Unix, Windows, and Mac. Allows local networks to reach the Internet securely.

APPLICATIONS

To hear the music you've downloaded from P2P networks, you'll need an MP3 player. Many operating systems and applications come with one bundled inside, but these players offer greater control and are also customizable.

Audio

Video

  • DivX ;-)
    divx.st
    Based on Microsoft's MPEG-4, DivX ;-) makes video sharing as easy as trading audio files. Available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and BeOS.
  • QuickTime
    www.apple.com/quicktime
    See Applications - Players - Audio.
  • Windows Media Player
    www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia
    DivX ;-) programmers found the code libraries they needed here, and DivX ;-) still calls WMP for playback. Did someone say "innovation"?

APPLICATIONS

Plug-ins are tiny downloadable programs that attach to larger applications.

APPLICATIONS

Ideally, P2P networks don't need servers, since each peer functions as both client and server. But Napster and various clones like OpenNap use servers to centralize many functions.

File-Sharing

  • JNerve
    jnerve.sourceforge.net
    OpenNap-compliant file-sharing server, written in Java.
  • OpenNap
    opennap.sourceforge.net
    The original reverse-engineered, open source, Napster-compliant file-sharing server. Tested on Linux (alpha, i386, sparc, ppc), BSDI, Solaris, FreeBSD, IRIX, OS/2, and Windows 95, 98, 2000, and NT. (See Networks.)

Gnutella Host Cache

Streaming

  • Icecast
    www.icecast.org
    Open source Shoutcast clone for serving MP3 streams. Feature set outstrips the original.
  • QuickTime
    www.publicsource.apple.com
    Apple's open source streaming server (aka Darwin) comes precompiled for MacOs X, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, and Windows 2000 and NT. The $29 QuickTime Pro tool is required to configure audio files for streaming.
  • Shoutcast
    www.shoutcast.com
    Itching to set up a pirate radio station? Shoutcast serves MP3 streams on Windows or Unix.

APPLICATIONS

APPLICATIONS

Besides clients and servers, other types of software can help organize your music, improve the quality of your MP3s, and build P2P functionality into other programs.

Audio

Gnutella

  • Pytella
    nova.yi.org/~tomg/pytella
    A model for Python, a scripting language many programmers prefer to Perl. It allows programmers to add Gnutella support easily to other programs written in Python.

MP3

Napster

DEVELOPER RESOURCES

Technical specs that have enabled software developers to build alternate clients or special utilities for P2P networks.

DEVELOPER RESOURCES

A packet analyzer is like a wiretap for network traffic - it captures whatever arrives over the network and reveals important data that are hidden many layers of abstraction below the user's screen. Essential for reverse-engineering network protocols.

  • PacketBoy
    www.ndgsoftware.com
    The analyzer Weekly used to reverse-engineer Napster's protocol last January. The complete network analysis suite costs $1,295, but you can download a 14-day trial version for free.
  • Tracelook
    ita.ee.lbl.gov/html/contrib/tracelook.html
    An open source packet analyzer for Unix, it provides a graphical display for network traffic that's captured with the tcpdump command.
  • WinDump
    netgroup-serv.polito.it/windump
    An open source port of tcpdump from Unix that runs on most Windows platforms.

DEVELOPER RESOURCES

  • BetaNews
    betanews.efront.com
    For obsessive coders who need the newest version of everything, BetaNews offers the latest (and buggiest) releases.

  • Codec Central
    www.terran.com/CodecCentral
    Downloads, news, and articles about compressing and decompressing audio and video data.

  • Gnutella Dev
    www.gnutelladev.com
    Portal offering downloads and news, plus technical details about matters like handling firewalls.

  • Gnutella NG
    gnutellang.wego.com
    Dedicated to improving the Gnutella protocol.

  • GnutellaDev
    gnutelladev.wego.com
    Great starting page for Gnutella development.

  • OpenCodex.com
    www.opencodex.com
    A site that's focused on developing video encoders and players.

  • SourceForge
    www.sourceforge.net
    Portal to open source projects owned by VA Linux Systems. Use their facilities to contribute to an existing project or manage your own.

  • Access

    • DVD
    • Napster

  • Firewall

  • Spoofing

    • IP
    • Metallica

HACKS

Locked out? Whether you've been banned from Napster for uploading Metallica or thwarted in your attempts to watch The Matrix on your Linux box, these pages show you the way back in.

DVD

  • Dave Touretzky's Gallery of CSS Descramblers
    www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/Gallery
    Site that explores First Amendment issues arising from the MPAA campaign to stop DeCSS, a program that cracks the copy-protection scheme built into DVDs.

Napster

HACKS

  • Socks2HTTP
    www.totalrc.net/s2h
    If your sysadmin blocksSocks traffic (see Applications -Firewall), try Socks2HTTP. It disguises Socks traffic as Web traffic, letting your files sneak over the barricade.

HACKS

Spoofing is the act of converting your IP address into a different one so that your Internet activity can't be traced to your computer.

IP

  • Anonymizer
    www.anonymizer.com
    A site that lets you check other sites without revealing your IP address. Use it free of charge and look at ads, or pay a fee and avoid them.
  • Anonymity 4 Proxy
    www.inetprivacy.com/a4proxy/review.htm
    Proxy server for Windows from NetPrivacy Software reroutes network traffic through anonymous proxy servers all over the world.
  • Freedom
    www.freedom.net
    For $49.95, Zero-Knowledge's Windows tool lets you surf anonymously or pseudonymously, monitoring network traffic in and out of the computer.

Metallica

  • Camp Chaos Entertainment
    www.campchaos.com
    Encouraged by the success of the Metallica spoof "Napster Bad!" the Flash wizards at Camp Chaos have been working overtime. Don't miss their take on celeb fundraising, "Sue All the World."
  • "Napster of Puppets"
    www.thickliquid.com/musicmedia/NapsterOfPuppets
    Metallica's hit "Master of Puppets," rewritten as a diatribe against fans who share audio files.
  • Tapster
    www.tapster.com
    Heavy metal has-beens Spinal Tap come out in favor of sharing, since no one was buying their music anyway. Features the band's new single, "Back From the Dead."

The interstate highway system of the P2P world. A network is a group of clients that can find and share each other's files.

  • Audiogalaxy Satellite
    www.audiogalaxy.com/satellite
    Network with Windows and Linux clients that lets users search not only FTP sites but each other's disk drives.

  • Blocks
    www.kripto.org/blocks
    A network with emphasis on user anonymity. Available for Windows and Unix.

  • Carracho
    www.carracho.com
    Pre-Napster file-sharing network for Macs, based in Germany.

  • CuteMX
    www.cutemx.com
    GlobalScape's file-sharing system for Windows supports all file types, but shut itself down the day after Judge Patel's Napster injunction. Has a great interface, so users are hoping it returns.

  • FileSwap
    www.fileswap.com
    Napster-style centralized system with a drag-and-drop user interface, multifile downloads, and the ability to resume interrupted file transfers.

  • FlyCode
    www.flycode.com
    Founded by Napster refugees and funded by Hollywood insiders, the SF firm is approaching studios in hopes of becoming the online movie-distribution system of choice. Client not yet available.

  • Freenet
    freenet.sourceforge.net
    Though this anonymous, decentralized file-sharing network predates Gnutella, so far it has enjoyed more press coverage than actual use. Freenet developer Ian Clarke has moved on to Uprizer, where he hopes to create a music-distribution system that includes mechanisms for compensating artists.

  • Gnutella
    gnutella.wego.com
    Napster's heir apparent, Gnutella offers an open source file-trading network that's decentralized. Unlike the Napster community, Gnutella's favors multiple clients - which means more users and more content, ad infinitum.

  • Gnutmeg
    gnutmeg.sourceforge.net
    An open source, Gnutella-like network.

  • Hotline Connect
    www.bigredh.com
    A pre-Napster network supported with advertising. Favored by devotees of niche-music genres.

  • iMesh
    www.imesh.com
    The iMesh network's skinnable Windows client is more user-friendly than early Gnutella clients.

  • Jungle Monkey
    www.junglemonkey.net
    Distributed file-sharing network developed at the University of Michigan.

  • Konspire
    www.csuglab.cornell.edu/Info/People/jcr13/Hardened Criminal/konspire/konspire.html
    Java-based and open source, the Konspire network supports all file types and lets you resume interrupted transfers. Like Gnutella, its architecture is decentralized, but Konspire is designed to minimize Gnutella's high messaging overhead.

  • Mojo Nation
    www.mojonation.net
    Freeloaders take note: You have to accumulate "Mojo" by uploading files to this decentralized private network before you can download.

  • MyNapster
    www.mynapster.com
    Open source network with open disregard for Napster's trademark. Not as widely used as Gnutella, but surprisingly popular.

  • Napster
    www.napster.com
    The network that made point-and-click song-swapping a household activity. Napster's future is anybody's guess, but the ground it broke has already proven to be fertile indeed.

  • Not-So-Bad Distribution
    sourceforge.net/projects/nsbd
    Open source network that ensures privacy via encryption and authentication.

  • OnShare
    www.onshare.com
    A file-sharing network with a Web browser interface seems like good idea, but this one smacks of the old "Sign up your friends!" portals.

  • Open File Sharing Initiative
    ofsi.net
    Open source network with clients on several platforms. Supports MP3, ZIP, and RPM formats.

  • OpenNap
    opennap.sourceforge.net
    Efforts to reverse-engineer the Napster spec begat this popular alternative, which recognizes a variety of file formats in addition to MP3. Should Napster go up in smoke - or venture capital - OpenNap servers (many of which reside outside the US) are ready to take over. Unlike Gnutella, OpenNap servers are independent, so OpenNap communities like Naphoria are separate entities.

  • RiffShare
    www.riffshare.com
    Like Napster, RiffShare lets users find music files via a central server.

  • Scour Exchange
    www.scour.com
    Scour's network is distinguished by two seemingly incompatible characteristics: It supports video files, and it's partly owned by Hollywood bigwig Michael Ovitz. Last summer the company was hauled into court on copyright-infringement charges by both the RIAA and the MPAA.

  • SongSpy
    www.songspy.com
    Uploading a song to this Windows-only network earns you karma points that can be redeemed for prizes.

  • SpinFrenzy Xchange
    www.spinfrenzy.com
    A network whose Web-only search function must be downloaded and run on Windows.

  • Swapoo! (formerly Romnet)
    www.swapoo.com
    Napster for games. The software compresses files to alleviate long download times.

  • Yo!NK
    www.downloadcommunity.com
    A network for Windows whose XML-based client supports all file types and lets you search by category (music, movies, archives, documents).

  • Artist Compensation

  • Communities

    • Chat
    • Web Sites

  • Gnutella Host Directories

    • Host Caches
    • Host Lists

  • Offshore Web Hosting

  • Online File Storage

  • Research

  • Search Engines & Portals

  • Tutorials

    • Gnutella
    • MP3
    • Napster
    • Ripping

SERVICES

  • Fairtunes
    www.fairtunes.com
    Now you can toss a coin to your favorite artists when downloading their music. Shortly after going live, the tip jar held close to $1,000 and the site's founders began talking to investors.
  • PayLars.com
    www.paylars.com
    Guilt-ridden song swappers can compensate Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and the rest of the band via this tongue-in-cheek site. Major credit cards accepted.

SERVICES

Chat
The Internet Relay Chat channels listed below are related to file-sharing on DALnet and EFnet, the two largest IRC networks. Though their names are fairly self-explanatory, the only way to find out what they're like is to tune in.

  • DALnet
    napster
    #napster*
    #napstercommunity
  • EFnet
    blocks
    #freenet
    #gnullsoft
    #gnutella
    #gnutella-dev
    #gnutella-ng
    #gnutelladev
    #napigator
    #napstermp3
    #napstersupport
    #teknap

Web Sites
These sites bring together knowledgeable people focused on specific technical questions.

  • DivX ;-) forum
    www.divx.st/forum
    Excellent platform-specific message boards for answers to questions about ripping, encoding, and playing video files.
  • EGroups
    www.egroups.com/search?query=napster
    Ongoing discussions about Napster and file-sharing in six languages and counting. Features a help forum for banned and restricted users.
  • Gnapfetch
    entropy.atlantic.net/gnapfetch
    A Perl program that lets Gnapster and TekNap users keep an updated list of OpenNap servers.
  • Gnutelliums
    www.gnutelliums.com
    An often-updated site with links to most (but not all) Gnutella clients, as well as breaking news about Gnutella development.
  • hispamp3
    www.hispamp3.com/gnutella
    A portal site with Spanish-language tutorials, discussions, and technical documentation.
  • Jnutella
    www.jnutella.org
    A Japanese-language community site for Gnutella developers and users.
  • Naphoria
    www.napster.org.uk
    Active chat rooms, many members, endless links, and operations outside the US make this one of the most vital OpenNap communities.

SERVICES

Because Gnutella has no central servers, it needs to be told where to look for its kin. Host caches connect your client to a group of active peers. Host lists identify peers in text, which you must import or copy to your client.

Host Caches
Instead of kicking Gnutella into action with a random IP address, try connecting to a host cache site. These sites exist not for file sharing, but to facilitate access to the network.

  • gnet.ath.cx
    gnet2.ath.cx
    gnet3.ath.cx
    gnet4.ath.cx
    gnet5.ath.cx
    gnutellahosts.com:6346
    nova.yi.org:6346

Host Lists
Host-list pages give you the option to download a list of active peers or simply copy and paste addresses. Here are two of the best.

SERVICES

  • HavenCo
    www.havenco.com
    A high-security, high-redundancy server site located atop an abandoned WWII fortress in the North Sea, HavenCo recognizes no national authority other than its own Principality of Sealand. It pledges to destroy your data rather than let it be captured.
  • Offshore Information Services
    offshore.com.ai
    From the Caribbean tax haven of Anguilla, OIS doles out data beyond the reach of US legal authorities.

SERVICES

  • Driveway
    www.driveway.com
    Where to keep all those music files? Driveway offers 25 Mbytes of free Web-based storage. Registering will up your allotment to 100 Mbytes.
  • FreeDrive
    www.freedrive.com
    50 Mbytes free of charge, more for a fee.
  • i-drive
    www.idrive.com
    Unlimited free storage space for multimedia files. Comes with an MP3 player so you can listen while you upload.
  • myplay
    www.myplay.com
    The original e-tune locker, for uploading your music collection and sharing it with friends.
  • MySpace
    www.freediskspace.com
    25 Mbytes of storage with no strings attached, 300 Mbytes if you're willing to fill out quarterly questionnaires, and unlimited space if you refer friends.
  • Xdrive
    www.xdrive.com
    25 Mbytes of free storage to start. Subjecting your friends to spam can raise your allotment to 100 Mbytes. Go on - you really need the space.

SERVICES

Want the facts and figures you need to make the case that copyright is untenable in a networked world, that the record industry is an illegal cartel, and that your business plan builds an enduring bridge to an uncertain future? Look no further.

SERVICES

These sites let you search file-sharing networks and download using a Web browser. No special client software required.

  • Angry Coffee
    www.angrycoffee.com
    Web-based OpenNap search that promotes independent bands.
  • Audiofind
    www.audiofind.com
    Gnutella search that also lets you browse by filename, artist name, and upload date.
  • DailyPhat
    www.dailyphat.com
    Unabashed Slashdot clone devoted entirely to P2P. Features a Gnutella search as well as daily news, polls, and discussions.
  • Distributed Search Services
    dss.clip2.com
    Gnutella search, host lists (see Services - Gnutella Host Directories - Host Lists), and links to sites.
  • Gnutella for Macintosh
    homepage.mac.com/macgnutella
    Small but extensive vertical site with content and links for Mac-based Gnutella users.
  • GnutellaNet
    www.gnutellanet.com
    Gnutella news, downloads, and developer discussions. Ad banners for fearless online CD stores.
  • GnutellaWorld
    www.gnutellaworld.net
    Nascent multilingual site with pages in more than a dozen languages.
  • iNapNow
    www.inapnow.com
    Searches Napster, Gnutella, and Web and FTP sites for MP3s. Extras include an anonymous surfing tool and a Slashdot-style discussion format for music-related news.
  • MP3Board.com
    www.mp3board.com
    Gnutella, HTTP, and FTP searches included.
  • Surface Layer
    www.surfacelayer.nu
    Served from the Polynesian island nation of Niue, this site offers the latest versions of various Gnutella clients, among other apps.
  • Surfy
    www.surfy.com/page/nut.php3
    One of the first commercial sites to implement a Gnutella search.
  • tellafind.com
    www.tellafind.com
    This search engine has a timer (in seconds) so you can control how long searches take.
  • Zeropaid
    www.zeropaid.com
    News, searching, forums, links, and games, but without the barrage of ad banners - so far.

SERVICES

Gnutella

MP3

Napster

Ripping

Money you're saving for Courtney Love's tip burning a hole in your pocket? Here's a sampling of consumer goods for the cause.

Just in case ...

  • Frankfurt, Garbus, Klein & Selz
    www.fgks.com
    FGKS, which represents 2600 magazine in its fight with the MPAA, specializes in intellectual property, new media, and entertainment.

Every good movement has a philosophy.

  • The Society of Peers
    www.quakester.org
    Updating the Society of Friends (aka Quakers) for P2P, the Society of Peers urges its fellows to "reject the Devil and his temptation to Centralize."
  • Techanism
    www.techanism.com
    An "open source metareligion," Techanism's key tenet is: "Order rises from Chaos."

These sites help you keep on top of the Net's changing topology.

  • 2600
    www.2600.com
    The visible tip of the hacking iceberg, 2600 has been the standard-bearer for data subversion since 1984.
  • Gnutellanews
    www.gnutellanews.com
    Gnews for developers, it covers Gnumm, Gnut, Hagelslag, Toadnode, and other tools.
  • Slashdot
    www.slashdot.org
    While it's not focused exclusively on P2P, Slashdot is the technophile's journal of record. The message boards and newsfeeds are peppered with enlightening rants.

If you need a P2P job, apply within.

  • gonesilent.com
    www.gonesilent.com/jobs.html
    Gnutella hacker Gene Kan is backed by Marc Andreessen and investment firm Angel Investors in his attempt to build out InfraSearch, a Gnutella-powered Internet search tool. Kan's goal: to create a decentralized alternative to portals and commerce sites by connecting corporate systems the way Gnutella links personal computers.

P2P PAGES
P2P Pages
Applications
1. Clients
1. Disc Burners
1. Encoders
1. Firewall
1. Players
1. Plug-ins
1. Servers
1. Skins
1. Utilities
Developer Resources
1. Documentation
1. Packet Analyzers
1. Web Sites
Hacks
1. Access
1. Firewall
1. Spoofing
Networks
Services
1. Artist Compensation
1. Communities
1. Gnutella Host Directories
1. Offshore Web Hosting
1. Online File Storage
1. Research
1. Search Engines & Portals
1. Tutorials
Merchandise
Legal Assistance
Religion
News
Help Wanted