[darcs-users] P2P repository

Thiago Arrais thiago.arrais at gmail.com
Fri Nov 25 18:15:46 UTC 2005


Jamie,

Some comments below. Will come back here later.

2005/11/25, Jamie Webb <j at jmawebb.cjb.net>:
> b) Each client would have to push patches to every other
> client, so the bandwidth available to each client becomes much more
> significant (Darcs over BitTorrent anyone? :-).

I am not quite sure. The P2P network would come in to solve this
badwidth/sharing problem. One developer would just say 'Hey, I have
finished a modification here and would like to make it available to
others', and the system would insert the modification on the network.

Bittorrent (as is) can't be used as I intend. It currently doesn't
support dynamic content. This would be needed to inject the new
patches on the network.

> I can only see a
> benefit if you know all users are on ADSL and there is no possibility
> of a better-connected server. Any other configuration (some modem
> users, a LAN, etc.) seems to favour the centralised setup.

I would agree that on a LAN scenario the centralized architecture
would be much easier to set up, manage and even more efficient. The
main concern here wouldn't be usage over a LAN (although it is
obviously possible to do), but over worse-connected hosts through the
Internet, like the other ones you cited (DSL and the likes).

This is actually a reality at my place. People can pay for a DSL or
cable connection, greater bandwidth connections prices are
prohibitive.

> Incidentally, presumably most projects that can't manage to have a
> well-connected server are open source?

Yeah, they would undoubtly be the majority of users. I think such a
setup would give more freedom to open-source developers, they wouldn't
need to depend on a central (not always accessible or fast) host. With
a reasonable number of developers/users/suporters for the project, the
P2P network would be even more reliable than a central server.

Regards,

Thiago Arrais




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