In the 1970's and most of the 1980's, the Internet had a very limited audience, but file sharing was being actively partaken in. The participants, however, were not average people looking to make copies of movies and music. Instead, the primary demographic of file sharers were curious children and adults looking to learn more about the world of computers. Type-in-programs like these were often distributed with computer hobbyist magazines in hopes of perforating computer literacy and inspiring users to become programmers.
File sharing quickly graduated to more complex means of distribution, the immediate next step being downloads through bulletin board systems. In the early days of public access to the Internet, bulletin board systems (BBSs) were like a primitive forum/chat room where people could go to talk, play games and of course, share files. However, in times where download speeds were measured in “bauds per second”, file sharing over the Internet wasn't terribly practical yet.
The most recent major innovation in file sharing has of course been peer-to-peer distributed file sharing systems. Napster Is widely credited to be the first peer-to-peer file sharing network. Due to legal issues, Napster was temporarily shut down and then re-opened as a paid service.
Hi Jon, I like how you give a brief overview about the history and background of file sharing a few decades back. This helps readers understand the evolution of file sharing technology. The sources are properly linked and well-explained. You also mention two type of file distributing mechanisms: BBS in the early time and P2P in the modern time. I agree with you that they are the major methods. However, it would be nicer if you could evaluate these methods more. You set up a great entry, only need a little more analysis
ReplyDeleteHey Jon,
ReplyDeleteI’m surprised that you didn’t include a picture. Pictures do help; they can make the post livelier. Like Huy Vu said, the post should be a little longer and more developed. You seem to focus more on the history of file sharing instead of actually saying what they are. You do list examples like Napster, but there needs to be more content. You did seem to jump a bit, going from Napster to present day. Maybe you could say what else happened in between those two times, as I know a lot of things happened.
Good luck next time.
Hi Jon,
ReplyDeleteAs the title said, this blog is really brief. I like the way you introduced about file sharing.You know, few people would focus on the history of file sharing and I think you just got the missing point that we ignore. Besides the charm of technology itself, its history is also exciting and it shows us the creativity thought of our elders.
More, although the blog is brief, its structure is clear and let me know a lot of stuffs.
But I think it would be better if you include a little your point of view.
Hello Jon,
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of your blog post was very interesting with the idea that file sharing has started way before peer-to-peer sharing networks existed. I do feel that you could have added more information to the post or maybe even add more of a personal touch. You did list some examples such as Napster, but I felt like you could have expanded a little bit more on the recent major innovation in file sharing.