Metallicster, een nieuw file-sharing programma

The Rock schrijft dat er een Gnutella kloon in ontwikkeling is geïnspireerd op de Metallica-rechtszaak tegen Napster:

"Het was natuurlijk te verwachten dat er meer programma's als Napster zouden komen. BetaNews meldt dat nu het programma Metallicster ontwikkeld wordt. Het principe hiervan is gelijk aan Gnutella; er is geen centrale server. Hierdoor is het onmogelijk om de uitwisseling van bestanden te stoppen in geval een rechter dit zou beslissen, omdat dan alle Metallicster-programma's van alle PC's verwijderd zouden moeten worden. Dit is natuurlijk onmogelijk, dus wordt dit misschien een goed alternatief voor Napster:"

An interesting project is currently underway to create a new file sharing system that cannot be touched by groups such as the RIAA or Metallica. The project is in the early design stages, and according to the Web site, is inspired by the recent legal actions taken against Napster and its users. The two developers of the program, dubbed "Metallicster," want to show that "information wants to be free, and that there is always a way to distribute information."

The protocol in Metallicster is similar to Gnutella in that no central server is required to share files. This idea of distributed networking makes it impossible to stop distribution of any type of file. In Napsters case, it is possible to block certain files from being traded, as shown by the entire Metallica ordeal. If legal pressures forced Napster to shut down its servers all together, the entire network is dead. With Metallicster, each and every computer running the client would need to be shut down in order to stop the network.

The other major difference between Metallicster and Napster is the method in which files are transferred. Currently two computers, each behind a firewall, cannot communicate. The developers of Metallicster are creating a way around this problem, by sending files across the network and moving through each individual firewall at a time.

Currently the user interface can be downloaded, although no networking is possible, as the team further develops and finalizes the protocol. Visit the Metallicster Web site for more information.