Peer 2 Peer technology

Description:

Since Napster appeared in 1999, various Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing applications (e.g., WinMX, KaZaA, Gnutella, Freenet, winny) have jumped from shadow into the spotlight. Although Napster nor ICQ was the first P2P application, they were the first to use the standard of the internet as a backbone in their technology. The secret behind this P2P technology is that it enables electronical bi-directional communication. This is in contrast to client/server systems that require continuous polling of the client on the server, a technique with a very low efficiency, and forces centralization (and control) of knowledge. The number of software platforms that enable P2P communication is increasing heavily, and stimulates people to share information and digitalize our bi- or multi-directional communcation.