On Tue, Jul 23, 2002 at 10:43:36PM -0400, Michael Wiktowy wrote: > Why do you think that it is important to have multiple specialties > in a small (or immature) network? I ask to seek a better understanding > of network development for myself. I personally think that the network > could be successful either way. However, I think that key specialization > is a primary factor in so many aspects of how Freenet operates so it > should be well understood and perhaps used to mold network traffic > into a more free-flowing stream then it is. *If* it does not matter > if nodes have single specialties or multiple ones, wouldn't it > make sense to chose a simpler, more easily understandable model > to build around?
The current model is very simple - it is this: Nodes are responsible to do their best to answer a request for information as quickly as possible. Given that successfully answering a request for some information increases the liklihood that a node will recieve future requests for that and similar information, a good heuristic is to cache information as it passes through the node following a request, along with taking note of the origin of that information so that future requests for similar information can be directed more effectively. The potential for multiple areas of specialization follows from this simple heuristic. Somehow trying to mandate a single area of specialization would actually be more complex, and in all liklihood, less effective, than this approach - so I am afraid it is for you to justify why we should change the current approach, not for me to justify why we shouldn't. > I am not sure what you mean by "this". I know that Freenet does > little to manipulate key specialization and that nodes exist now with > any number of specializations. What I was getting at was that I > don't see multiple specialties being a requirement for anonymity. They are not, it is simply that it would be more complex to try to prevent multiple areas of specialization than to leave things the way they are, and there is no evidence that there would be any advantage to forcing or encouraging a single area of specialization. Ian. -- Ian Clarke [EMAIL PROTECTED] Founder & Coordinator, The Freenet Project http://freenetproject.org/ Chief Technology Officer, Uprizer Inc. http://www.uprizer.com/ Personal Homepage http://locut.us/
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