Since we got carried away, I'm starting a new sub-thread from the top. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but basically what danimoth is trying to do is to decentralize what is currently handled by private trackers in the Bittorrent ecosystem, they enforce minimum share ratios.
Private trackers aren't perfect for at least four reasons: - It's harder to find and download the files. - If the tracker falls all the torrents die. - Some users try to get a ratio as high as possible, this hurts the ratios of the other users. - It doesn't solve the inequalities due to the popularity of the content. Popular torrents still have better speeds and better chances of survival. Making the mechanism P2P would only solve the first two. Furthermore, it might worsen the third one: - If the solution is based on a generic currency like Bitcoin, which one can exchange for goods/services or other currencies, the gain from having an excessive ratio is increased. - People who have low ratios because others have high ones won't be able to create another account to start fresh. Maybe a new approach is needed, starting by the exact definition of the problems that need solving. Free-riders were mentioned, but as far as I know nobody has proven that they are actually the cause of problems and what those problems are. In addition, maybe the solutions aren't in the protocol but in the software implementing it. _______________________________________________ p2p-hackers mailing list [email protected] http://lists.zooko.com/mailman/listinfo/p2p-hackers
