Hi folks: I'm new to Freenet and to this development alias, and after reading the posting below, I though it was time to introduce myself. My background is in CHI (computer/human interface) and UI development but I have been hacking Java for more approx. 4 1/2 years (pretty much from the day of the beta release). Again, I usually focus on the front-end side of things, although I had my share of server-side development (mostly servlets, CGI, simple socket implementations, DB access, etc.). My resume is at http://www.copicat.com/resume/
FYI: A few years ago me and a few friends were working on a distributed backup service very similar to Freenet (although the server part would have not been as sophisticated) which we called Copicat. We developed a pretty slick Swing based client (I still have it), which offered an Explorer like interface that allowed the backup of local files to a shared, distributed network. Well, we got the UI done, but never really pulled off the server side. Our life kind of caught up with us... A year ago we were considering an intelligent streaming media webcasting network that was ISP based and would allow re-distribution of high-bandwidth media to the edges of the network. Basically, similar to Freenet, one would not put media libraries onto one server, but basically post it to 'the network.' However, after we saw the advances of Akamai, Digital Island, etc.. we decided that we didn't want to compete with companies that already had Billions of dollars in valuation and went back to our day jobs. Being therefore predisposed to the rationale I have been pondering about contributing to the Freenet dev group for quite a while for I really don't like what the Internet is turning into lately. I guess, I don't have to regurgitate my reasoning, you guys probably share my sentiments. My only reservation would be that I need to put my job on top of any volunteer engagement, which means that I only have a few hours a week to contribute. With that said, I would be interested to learn more about the existing GUI client. What are the group's specifications for the UI in terms of core functionality, features, extensibility? Who is currently in charge of defining/implementing it? The GUI class mentioned, is it just a quick hack to insert and retrieve files? (is it really just one class?) How about locating files on the network? I sense that you guys don't want to commit to Swing - have you considered maybe a Web interface? Questions, questions... My BIG question is this: You guys are probably fully aware that Freenet will have to battle the same problem that new operating systems, such as BeOS or Linux had to face: If there are no applications available, acceptance will be difficult. Now, one of the things that has been clear to me from the very beginning is that Freenet could 'compete' side by side with established 'protocols' such as FTP/HTTP/Gopher, etc.. Which also means that the amount of applications that make use of the Freenet infrastructure could be numerous. I guess, what I am getting at is: does the group have a clear vision of how exactly Freenet is going to be used? Of course some of this might be hard to predict, but there should be some initial ideas defining a few front-end applications that take advantage of Freenet's capabilities. Would a Napster like app be conceivable that focuses merely on MP3s and other audio files? (well, duuh!) How about the concept of distributed backup? An application similar to Copicat might in turn give Freenet the exposure (i.e. the amount of nodes :) that you guys are hoping for. I personally see great potential for Freenet, it's all a matter of being creative. Again, I hope that my suggestions/questions do not violate any of the groups core principles. If so, please accept my sincere apologies. I would like to help, but I want to make sure that my vision is compatible with what you guys are trying to accomplish. Have fun! Michael -----Original Message----- From: Ian Clarke <[email protected]> To: freenet-dev at lists.sourceforge.net <freenet-dev at lists.sourceforge.net> Date: Saturday, May 27, 2000 9:41 AM Subject: Re: [Freenet-dev] More new blood >Oskar Sandberg wrote: >> >> On Sat, 27 May 2000, Ian Clarke wrote: >> > Oskar Sandberg wrote: >> > > >> > > I think you are looking at the wrong GUI client. There is a class >> > > Freenet.client.GUI that Ian wrote over a weekend many months ago, but that was >> > > then discarded half finished (AFAIK). I think Ian took the wrong route by not >> > > integrating this with the existing RequestClient and InsertClient classes used >> > > for the CLI clients (they also need work though). >> > >> > If I recall I don't think RequestClient and InsertClient were written at >> > that time, at least, they certainly weren't suitable to be used by an >> > external process. In fact, it was as a result of my efforts that I >> > wrote the "Client" class which I think prompted some of the client >> > abstraction work that you refer to above. >> >> Noop. I wrote the RequestClient and InsertClient classes a week or so before >> you wrote the GUI class. Their structure has not changed much since, and the >> abstraction used by the GUI clients (contrib.SimpleClient) wraps around them. > >I stand corrected - but anyway work on the Freenet.client.GUI class >really ground to a halt before any significant work was done on the guts >of the comms stuff anyway, the reason work ground to a halt was due to >caution over creating a dependency on Swing and thus losing 1.1 >compatibility. > >I am still of the opinion that client development effort should be >concentrated on Freeloader. > >Ian. > >_______________________________________________ >Freenet-dev mailing list >Freenet-dev at lists.sourceforge.net >http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/freenet-dev > _______________________________________________ Freenet-dev mailing list Freenet-dev at lists.sourceforge.net http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/freenet-dev
