Since the inception of BitTorrent, file-sharing took on an element never seen
before in the annals of Internet history. Millions of individuals flocked to
their closest BitTorrent client and tracker, finally handing P2P technology a
decisive victory in the online copyright wars. But that victory was just one
battle in a much larger conflict; and one that still is raging to this
day.

Today, a core of online file-sharers is beginning to question their loyalty
to BitTorrent as the entity that is currently king of the P2P world slowly
transforms into an authorized distribution medium. Increasingly, an old relic of
the Internet has been rapidly developing into a mainstream and streamlined
solution for the needs of millions online file-sharers. This medium is known as
Usenet, or the Newsgroups, and holds the potential to derail the status quo of
the file-sharing community.

Download Speed – Decisive Usenet Advantage

Those who've been part of the P2P community since the beginning will agree
that just about anything is faster than the networks of old. If the end user was
lucky, a 56K modem would top out at almost 6 KB/sec – and that was blazingly
fast. A favorable moment on Napster would yield a 5 megabyte song in perhaps as
many minutes – and life was good.

Then the broadband revolution kicked into high gear – fueled largely by a
combination of falling prices and an insatiable demand for online entertainment.
Suddenly everyone was downloading at speeds of at least 80 KB/sec, while higher
end Cable users were blazing at over 1 MB/sec. Suddenly, entire compilations
were downloaded in a matter of minutes and movies were now a realistic
possibility.

To compensate for the movie demand, P2P networks began to rapidly evolve.
This demand helped fuel the creation of eDonkey2000, Overnet, Kad, and of course
BitTorrent. Within a short period of time, P2P networks had successfully adapted
to the ever-growing demand for bandwidth.

A relatively minor player at the time, Usenet (or the Newsgroups) was still
used by a good portion of the Internet community. The reason for its usage was
the advantage of unmitigated speed. While P2P networks were adapting to the
surge in demand for large files, Usenet already had the capability to
accommodate this need. Unlike P2P technology which depends on peers for download
reliability, Usenet only relies on the speed of the news server and the end
user's bandwidth.

As bandwidth price has decreased and capacity increases, many are finding the
old qualities of Usenet are more relevant today than ever before. When online
movies first started appearing, they were typically the size of a CD – between
600 and 750 megabytes. Although advances in compression technology have yielded
fantastic quality for such small files, the demand for considerably larger DVD
sized files (anywhere up to 9.5 gigabytes) has reinvigorated the importance of
Usenet for large file distribution. BitTorrent may be fast, but it's dependent
on the upload ratio of the end user and the quality of swarm. A defect in any
attribute of this connection could lead to considerable delays, and a download
that takes days to complete.

As stated earlier, Usenet's speed is as fast as the end user's Internet
connection speed. If the individual has a high quality 10 Megabit Cable
connection, there's little in the way to stop this individual from maxing his or
her connection and obtaining a massive file in less than an hour. As news breaks
that HD DVD's encryption has been circumvented, and the anticipation for even
more massive 30 gigabyte files builds, as it stands now Usenet is the only
likely source that will be able to accommodate this imminent demand.

File Availability – Usenet Advantage

While the rest of the world debates whether DRM (Digital Rights Management)
is the grandest solution or the epitome of evil, many file-sharers simply don't
care one way or another. And why should they? The obvious availability of files
online (formerly DRMed or not) clearly indicates for all practical purposes, DRM
might as well not even exist. Thus, the question now becomes which network is
the prime source for files.

This question is much easier to ask than it is to answer. Each network over
time generates its own specialty; eDonkey2000 is well known for TV shows,
Gnutella is favorable for a quick MP3, and BitTorrent is exceedingly well
designed for large files. But where does most of this material come
from?

The first movies and MP3s first appeared on Usenet before Napster ever
existed. To this day, a vast majority of content from top site providers filters
down to Usenet first, then trickles its way to the P2P community. This is the
way online distribution works, and there's no indication that it will change any
time soon.

BitTorrent does have an advantage when it comes to creative commons or public
domain content. BitTorrent, Inc. has been working extensively to create a market
for this type of material, and has dedicated a significant portion of energy to
carve this niche into BitTorrent.com. Many individuals crave this type of
content, and BitTorrent definitely has an advantage over Usenet for distributing
this genre of material.

In terms of overall file availability, Usenet has a clear advantage over
BitTorrent. It should be noted however that Usenet content has a definite
lifespan once it's uploaded. Content on Usenet is limited by the news server's
retention – or the amount of time a files is kept on a news server. Because of
the vast size of Usenet material, most news servers generally have 30 day
retention – so material is limited by time. However this appears to be only a
small inconvenience, as material is reposted after a certain amount of
time.

Additionally, a growing amount of news servers are increasing their retention
time, with some keeping content on their servers for up to 90 days. As hardware
capacities increase and prices fall, retention should become less of a concern
as well.

Conversely, BitTorrent is only limited by the amount of peers that are
seeding a particular file. Theoretically, a file can exist indefinitely on
BitTorrent, providing the seeding parties continue to exist. In this respect,
BitTorrent has an advantage over Usenet.

Another aspect of file availability is the ability to provide a file on
demand. As BitTorrent relies on the availability of peers, many find that a file
will take considerably longer to obtain than Usenet. The exception to this is
generally revolves around more popular files, as the increased number of peers
will lead to a much faster download. However as this aspect of Usenet is only
limited by retention, most desired files can be obtained on demand and with
little delay.

Population – Decisive BitTorrent Advantage

It's rather clear that no one knows the specific population of the
file-sharing community. Such a venture was much easier before the days of
end-to-end encryption, decentralization, and other techniques used to disguise
P2P traffic. Although the official position of BitTorrent, Inc. is against
end-to-end encryption, most relevant BitTorrent clients use this technology with
generally favorable results. Usenet providers such as Giganews also provide
end-to-end encryption as well.

This leads to a quandary when trying to evaluate the file-sharing population.
According to BigChampagne's studies, it's generally agreed that the P2P
population excluding BitTorrent is approximately 9.5 million individuals at any
given moment. By gauging the size of the DHT (Distributed Hash Table) network
overlay that coexists with BitTorrent, it's generally calculated that BitTorrent
has approximately 3-5 million individuals online. It should be noted this is a
conservative measurement, as a measure of the DHT network overlay doesn't
include every client and is not indicative of the entire community.

While gauging BitTorrent presents its own set of problems, Usenet is even
more difficult to calculate. However it's clear that Usenet is a growing aspect
of the file-sharing landscape, as evidenced by the popularity of indexing sites
such as Newzbin and the growing discussion of such distribution within
file-sharing forums. To give some insight into Usenet's population,
UsenetServer.com calculates approximately 40,000 unique individuals are
connected to their servers at any given moment. This number represents just one
server among a sea of many.

Technology - BitTorrent Advantage

There are two categories Slyck is using for this article – “Decisive
Advantage” and simply “Advantage.” If this article was written three years ago,
the subtopic for this portion would probably read “Decisive BitTorrent
Advantage.” However times have changed and Usenet is not longer the sleepy
technological backwater it once was.

This is not to detract from the astounding technological breakthrough that
BitTorrent represents. It is a highly efficient and well-engineered piece of
technology that exceeds in the efficient transfer of large files. Let's examine
this concept a bit further.

In this example, we will assume an individual has created a piece of musical
work and several music videos. The cost of hosting these files on a dedicated
server is rather expensive as the total compilation exceeds 1 gigabyte. The
expense is rather variable, however even text-based website administrators know
that hosting a high traffic site can cost many hundreds of dollars per month for
a quality connection. Couple a high traffic site with the large bandwidth
consumption of music files and videos, and the price may be simply too much for
the amateur musician to cope with.

There is a solution, and BitTorrent provides the answer. Instead of taking on
the bandwidth responsibility by him or herself, the amateur musician can instead
easily set up a tracker – or upload a torrent file to any one of the many
tracking sites available. Initially, the musician will have some bandwidth
responsibility in terms of seeding the file onto the network. However this
responsibility should wane once the file is spread into the wild and others take
on such responsibilities. The musician only has to provide a miniscule torrent
file – which only contains the metadata necessary for the end user to obtain the
desired file.

In this respect, BitTorrent provides a superior technology for the end user
to distribute information online. Usenet could theoretically be used as well,
however this may not be practical as BitTorrent is better known, and as written
below, easier to use.

Simplicity – BitTorrent Advantage

In the last section we discussed how Usenet was no longer the technological
backwater it once was. As the popularity of Usenet has increased, so has its
rate of development.

Back in the day, Usenet was used for the sole purpose of discussion. Much
like community forums, people would gather under different topics and discuss
anything from computers, autos, home improvement, and so on. Usenet was not
designed to distribute large files; however a loophole was soon discovered and
exploited.

This loophole is encoding files as text – thereby defeating the text-only
attribute of Usenet. Most news servers limit the size of file segments as well -
generally anything over 10,000 lines of text cannot be uploaded. This problem
was resolved by breaking a large, say 600 megabyte file, into smaller 20
megabyte files (known as archives.)

However there was the potential for major problems, as file segments would
either sometimes not make it to the news server or were perhaps corrupted.
Either way, the result rendered the entire archive useless. This was resolved by
the creation of PAR files. Par files accompany the uploaded archive, and act to
repair any files damaged or missing. They have been heralded as one of God's
gifts to the Newsgroups and have largely resolved the problem of corrupt or
otherwise compromised files.

Another more recent stride in Usenet technology is the concept of indexing
sites. An idea borrowed from P2P, indexing sites provide a streamlined avenue to
the desired file. With the inception of indexing sites, the end user no longer
had to sift through endless newsgroups trying to find the desired file – a
process that could take hours. Like P2P, it's a simple matter of searching or
browsing for the desired file. This concept is facilitated by the use of NZB
files, a Usenet technological achievement in its own right. Although radically
different, the concept is analogous to torrent files or eDonkey2000 hash links.
The NZB file contains all the pertinent information necessary for the client to
find and download the required file – all without spending considerable time
navigating the network.

While Usenet has made technological strides recently, BitTorrent is still an
easier protocol to navigate. Much like P2P networks of old, all that is required
for the BitTorrent user is to point, click, and watch the desired file trickle
in.

Currently, it's not that easy with Usenet. Although the searching and
downloading portion may be very similar, there's still one more step that needs
to be completed. As news servers limit the size of the file segments, the
downloaded archive can be contain many dozens of files – typically in the RAR
format. Once the archive is downloaded, the end user must then reassemble the
archive. What may seem like a minor inconvenience to Internet veterans is a
surprisingly insurmountable task for a decent portion of netizens, and perhaps
is the last stumbling block to widespread Usenet adoption.

Usenet clients have become almost as simple as P2P clients; however
BitTorrent still has a clear lead in terms of simplicity. It appeals readily to
mainstream users and is more easily embraced by the general public.

Privacy – Decisive Usenet Advantage

A major concern for many file-sharers is security. With the IFPI
(International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) promising to conduct
1,000 copyright enforcement actions per month, and the RIAA (Recording Industry
Association of America) having already sued almost 20,000 individuals, retaining
one's privacy is an understandable concern.

To understand how people become a copyright enforcement statistic is to
understand why Usenet has the undisputed advantage over BitTorrent – or any
other P2P network. Virtually every instance an individual has been sued has been
the result of sharing material online - otherwise known as uploading. BitTorrent
depends on uploading for its very survival, Usenet does not.

Unlike P2P networking, Usenet does not encourage or otherwise recommend that
its userbase upload any material. There are established responsibilities within
the Usenet hierarchy – those who provide and those who download. This is the way
Usenet has functioned since for it's nearly 30 year history, and shows no signs
of deterioration. For now, as no one has been sued for merely downloading
material, Usenet is far and away the most secure way to obtain information
online.

It should also be noted that most Usenet clients and servers support
end-to-end encryption, which adds an additional layer of security.

Price – Decisive BitTorrent Advantage

Usenet access can be a bit pricey for those on a shoe-string budget. News
server access can run anywhere from $15.00 a month to more than $30.00 depending
on the type of service. Additionally, an indexing service such as Newzbin.com
generally runs about $2.00 for about 6 weeks of service. After all is said, the
average Usenet citizen is likely spending around $20.00 per month for
service.

For now, BitTorrent is absolutely free. There is no price tag attached to the
clients, the trackers, the indexers or any other legitimate resource. As a free
service, BitTorrent has a clear advantage over Usenet for those unable or
unwilling to spend money. This typically appeals to teenagers, college students
and recent graduates who have yet to accumulate disposable income.

Conclusion – Decisive Usenet Victory

Throughout the modern history of P2P, many networks have come and gone. Some
networks achieve stunning success, like Napster, FastTrack, WinMX, AudioGalaxy,
eDonkey2000, and BitTorrent. There's an old saying that no empire lasts forever,
and neither does the holder of the P2P crown. As Usenet continues to evolve and
its clear advantages delineate themselves to the mainstream public, it's very
possible that in the near future, file-sharing may end up where it all
began...with Usenet.

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/10964

Sued P2P
users sue Kazaa

It was only a matter of time. The U.S. Supreme Court created a cause against
file sharing developers for "active inducement." That was used for the basis of
the recording industry suing the top developers for abetting copyright
infringement. Now it's being used
by the individuals who have been sued by RIAA.

The lawsuits includes the
following claims.
> Kazaa deceptively marketed its product as allowing
"free" downloads.
> Kazaa designed the software to create a shared files
folder and make that folder available to anyone using Kazaa, while at the same
time failing to make the user aware that it had done so.
> Kazaa installed
spyware on users' computers that made the shared files folder accessible to the
Kazaa network even after the user had removed the Kazaa software

http://www.p2p-weblog.com/50226711/sued_p2p_users_sue_kazaa.php

Escape Media Group Introduces Grooveshark - the First Legal
Peer-to-Peer Online Music Brokerage

New Music Community Compensates Members for Sharing DRM-free
MP3 Files and Pays Royalties to Copyright Holders

Escape Media Group, LLC today announced Grooveshark, a new peer-to-peer (P2P)
music-sharing community that will compensate both copyright holders and members
who participate in the community.

Grooveshark combines the best of P2P file sharing and online music purchase
sites into one service at http://www.grooveshark.com/. Visitors can browse songs uploaded by
other members and pay to download MP3 files with no digital rights management
(DRM) technology. Songs vary in price, but cost no more than 99 cents.
Grooveshark will pay appropriate royalties to copyright holders by taking
commissions from users' transactions and also compensate users with free music
for community participation such as uploading songs, fixing song tags, flagging
unwanted files or reviewing music. Members will be rewarded based on their level
of contribution to the community.

"Our bottom line is value. By bringing the convenience and selection of a
peer-to-peer network together with the recommendation power of a community of
friends -- all the while removing DRM -- we can generate revenue to compensate
both copyright holders and users," said Sam Tarantino, 20-year-old founder and
CEO of Escape Media Group, the parent company of Grooveshark.

Because all Grooveshark files are DRM-free MP3s, they can be played on any
computer or digital music player, so users no longer risk losing the ability to
play songs in their collection if they change their computer or player.

Grooveshark will function much like popular P2P file exchanges. Members can
offer their media library for sale through Grooveshark and discover and share
new music with other members (only MP3 or OGG files without DRM). The
difference: Grooveshark will broker music transactions by charging up to 99
cents for each song downloaded and use those proceeds to pay royalties to the
copyright holders and reward members for community participation.

"Much of the success of P2P networks can be amplified by a community aspect
-- allowing users to find someone with similar musical tastes and sample songs
from their collection to find new artists or rare and unique songs and genres,"
said Tarantino. "By harnessing the power of user-generated content, Grooveshark
can bring together online community elements, compensate artists and users and
provide customers with control over their music by eliminating unfair DRM
schemes," he added.

Grooveshark expects to begin beta testing during the first quarter of 2007.
For more information, or to be notified when the beta version is available,
visit http://www.grooveshark.com/.

About Grooveshark

Grooveshark, a peer-to-peer (P2P) music file-sharing community that brokers
music transactions between members, is a service of Escape Media Group, LLC. By
charging for the songs exchanged between members on their site, Grooveshark will
compensate copyright holders and users while providing the convenience and
selection of P2P file sharing in an online music community. All Grooveshark
files are free of digital rights management (DRM) technology, allowing users to
play the songs they purchase on any type of computer or digital music player.
For more information, visit http://www.escapemg.com/.

http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20070109/LATU03009012007-1.html