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Peer-to-peer (P2P) networking is widely available on the Internet as Voice over IP (VoIP), instant messaging (IM), video conferencing, open source file sharing, and other services. More services are to come, and proprietary P2P protocols from such companies as BitTorrent, FastTrack, Freenet Project, Gnutella, Gnutella2, NEOnet, and Skype, make up the majority of traffic on the Internet. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi use is increasing in homes, and overlay P2P applications and support software for such devices allow users to share storage, processing, and bandwidth resources. Services are also offered cooperatively among users while network connect is maintained. Hybrid service delivery alternatives (services coops) could also be developed to link one or multiple peers to conventional networks and centralized services. Bonjour permits Macintoshes, Mac Minis, iPods (including Windows PCs and Nike running shoes) to take part in content sharing, and AllPeers extension to the Firefox browser permits secure and private P2P sharing. Topics covered are the need for advanced features, new devices, interesting experiences, unpredictable opportunities, how P2P helps e-commerce, and getting around e-commerce middlemen, and how such services as Skype and Google's GoogleTalk reduce costs.
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Information Sources, Inc.
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