Some answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Freenet for
Napster refugees
Note: Freenet developers have diverse opinions, and thus some
of those might not be represented by this document. Please take
this document to be the author's (Ian) closest approximation to the
opinions of the core Freenet development team.
Given that Freenet is frequently described as "The Next Napster",
and given the imminent shut-down or censorship of the Napster
service, we have experienced much interest from Napster users in
Freenet. There are a number of misconceptions about Freenet which
this FAQ will hopefully address.
Is Freenet a Napster replacement?
Not in its pure form. Freenet is a platform, it has the potential
to support software which could behave in a similar manner to
Napster, just as Microsoft Windows doesn't let you create documents,
but it supports software which does. In Freenet, such software is
called a "Freenet client", an example of a music specific client for
Freenet is
Espra, however at the time
of writing (5th March 2001) Espra is incomplete. Freenet ships with
a client called FProxy which allows you to access Freenet through
your web browser, however this is much more like using the WWW than
Napster.
What is the difference between Freenet (with a suitable client)
and Napster?
There are several important differences. These include:
- Freenet and Napster have different intentions
Freenet was designed to permit freedom of communication on the
Internet, Napster was designed to allow people to conveniently
share mp3s.
- Freenet is completely decentralized
Unlike Napster, Freenet does not rely on any company,
individual, or computer system to operate. It is designed
like this to make it more robust.
- In Freenet, the system chooses which files go on your
computer
In Napster (and Gnutella), you choose to share some files on
your computer, and others can access them. In Freenet, the
system decides which files are stored on your computer, in
fact, you don't even know what is being stored that. We
designed it like this to provide deniability to those
participating in the Freenet network.
- Freenet makes extensive use of encryption to increase
security
Freenet encrypts all communications making it more difficult
for your ISP, or your government, to monitor what you are
using Freenet for.
So what do you think about copyright?
We think that copyright will probably be unenforcable on Freenet.
This is because copyright relies on preventing people from
communicating in some circumstances, where Freenet is designed to
permit people to communicate in all circumstances (assuming those
people want to communicate). We don't think this is a flaw in
Freenet, we think this is a flaw in copyright law - people
should have the freedom to communicate, it is what makes us
human. But don't just take our word for it, see what Courtney Love,
Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig, and other notable figures
have to say about it.
So you don't care about artists?
We do care about artists - we enjoy music and are certainly grateful
to those who produce it. However, we simply feel that copyright is an
inappropriate (and largely
ineffective) way to reward artists for their work. While we
personally respect creators and their desires for how they would like
their work to be used, respect ought to be founded on a relationship of
trust between artists and their audience, not enforced by courts.
As Neil Stephenson has said, most people "would no more bootleg a good
novel than they would jump the turnstile at an art museum." We also
believe that the Internet, as a powerful communication technology,
will inevitably spell the demise of copyright anyway - Freenet is
simply a proof-of-concept.
Don't you have a responsibility to ensure that Freenet is only
used for good purposes?
Not any more than the manufacturers of any other products - cars,
payphones, photocopiers, etc. - which also have multiple uses and can
be used in either good or bad ways.
What is your alternative to copyright?
Well, firstly that isn't really our question to answer, any more
than it is musician's concern as to how we make money. We believe
that there are a number of promising alternatives, and more in the
pipeline. Having said that, it is not our responsibility to find an
alternative, or prove that one will work. All of this is somewhat
orthogonal to our focus, but many
others are working on it.
Isn't this Free Speech thing just a flag of convenience?
No. Recall that back in September 1998 when work started on
Freenet, very few people were even thinking about music, the
Internet, and the resulting effect on copyright. Freenet's architect
certainly wasn't one of them.
So I want a Napster alternative, what do I do?
You have two choices. You can explore Freenet now (it is
interesting, but probably not quite what you are looking for), or
you can wait for
Espra.
