Chapter 1. Introduction to Peer to Peer

Achieving “buzz factor” is basically the same process in any field—it’s about saying something that at least appears to be new about any, often old concept. And then with luck, something happens to attract broader attention. A particular subject can become hot and sexy overnight without anyone actually realizing why, and before you know it, all the trendsetters are hyping their version of it.

The bottom line in all the peer-to-peer (p2p) buzz during the past year is that much (most?) of it had relatively little substance or relevance. Under the hype:

• A lot of self-styled “peer-to-peer” technology wasn’t, really, very much about that at all.

• Some implementations would probably have been better if attempted in some other technology.

• Much of the hype was locked into mistaken or incomplete preconceptions about what peer-to-peer can and can’t do.

So, to clear the air, this chapter intends to tell it like it is. In simple terms.

The technologically savvy reader will surely now be tempted to skip an introductory chapter such as this. Yes, the explanations and figures can at first glance seem simplistic and may provoke the usual dismissive response of “Yeah, sure, I know all that!” But do read on. As I worked with the book, I found that the popular buzz had instilled even in me several misconceptions about the technology. It took considerable research and thought to distill out the essentials of p2p. I hope you’ll glean some new insight as well.