Peer-to-Peer: Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies

Peer-to-Peer

Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies

Edited by Andy Oram
ISBN: 0-596-00110-X
448 pages

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/peertopeer/

Review by Jim McKeeth

Last year I spoke at BorCon 2003 on the topic of Peer-to-Peer networks.  This book was invaluable in gaining a greater understanding of the history, culture and technology of Peer-to-Peer.  Just like Open Source, Peer-to-Peer is more then a technology or a network- it is a culture.

This book is a collection of essays by luminaries who are changing the shape of peer-to-peer.  Each essay talks about both the why and how of the network they are familiar with. 

The book is split into three parts.  Part one is Context and Overview and it covers exactly that.  Provides a history of Peer-to-Peer and defines the term.   Then it looks at where Peer-to-Peer is going in the future.  It does an excellent job of putting it all into context and setting the reader up for the other two parts.

Part two is about Projects and covers 8 different and distinct projects, some of you have heard of and some you may not even consider Peer-to-Peer.  Each project is explained and how it fits into the concept.  Projects covered: SETI@home (it is P2P because the excitement is at the edges!), Jabber, Mixmaster Remailers, Gnutella, Freenet, Red Rover, Publius and Free Haven.

Part three is the real meat of Technical Topics.  It is important to understand the context of P2P and current projects before getting into this chapter.  Each chapter deals with an element that is common to most networks and where applicable gives examples from common networks. 

You will find that a lot of what is covered can be used in other projects as well.  Peer-to-Peer is a revolutionary way of thinking about communication and networks.  Applying these new methods and techniques has benefit outside the traditional realm of "file sharing".  Topics covered: Metadata, Performance, Trust, Accountability, Reputation, Security and Interoperability Through Gateways.

While it is technical don't expect code samples.  If you already know how to program then it will provide you with the information you need to adapt those skills for P2P projects.  As a programmer I was expecting more technical details and more of the hard topics to be addressed.  Although that is not what I found I still enjoyed the book immensely. 

Overall this book does a great job of combining the culture and technology of Peer-to-Peer in a book that is accessible to anyone who is interested in the subject - programmer and layman alike.  Andy Oram did an excellent job choosing articles and arranging them in a very compelling manor.