Localhost

Localhost is a program that lets you access a shared, world-wide file system through your web browser. This file system is maintained in a fully decentralized way by all of the computers running Localhost. The program uses BitTorrent technology, and P2P Distributed Hashtable technology called Kademlia. (Localhost is a modification of Azureus.)

You can think of this program as one big shared network drive, built using BitTorrent so that it scales well and doesn't need a central server. You could also think of this program as a decentralized index for files distributed via BitTorrent; one that naturally evolves to keep the most popular files, and remove the unpopular ones. You could also think of it as a Wikipedia for files.

Here's what goes on: Every user accesses the file system from the same root folder. You can download files from anywhere in the file system. You can change any folder (including the topmost folder) by adding your own files and/or folders to it. When you make changes to a folder, a new version of it is created. So each folder in the file system may have any number of alternate versions. Each user can view any version of each folder. The default version of a folder displayed to users is the most popular version (where the popularity of a version is determined by the number of users that have chosen to view that version). If you make some changes to a folder, which makes a new version, other users will view that version, and if they are good changes, they will continue to view that version, rather than any other version. Your version will become popular, and it may become the default version of that folder for everybody to see. (You can include your name on the description of the version if you want). You need to keep the program running on your computer until at least one other person chooses to view your new version- when no-one online is viewing a particular version, it dissapears.

Every time you enter a folder in the file system to view it, or download a file, you help serve it, so it becomes easier for other users to access it.

Confused? Try it out from your web browser without installing anything right now! There are files on the file system right now for you to take a look at.

Aim: Hopefully people will build up a useful and interesting archive of files for people to download. The files could be Open Source software, Creative Commons licensed works, or any other file that is legal to distribute. This system could be very useful for independent music - to get the music known by people. Unlike regular file sharing networks, the names of the files are presented to the users without them having to do a keyword search. Keyword searching implies that the user knows exactly what they want beforehand. With this system, it is easy for people to browse around the file system structure, discovering new, popular, things. Get your own music up there now!

Download: To use the program you have to download it. I invite you to make a different version of the topmost folder (/), one that suits the type of files that you think this program would be useful for. If it is good, it will be the version seen by everyone else using the system, including users viewing the web-preview.

Azureus compatibility: Technically, Localhost is a modification of Azureus 2.3.0.4. Localhost is completely backwards compatible with Azureus 2.3.0.4, so if you're used to using Azureus, you can use Localhost as you would Azureus, and also have access to the Localhost file system.