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The main principle of peer - to - peer network was implemented in ARPAnet in its Network Controll Protocol (NCP). This principle is decentralization. Later was inveneted InterNet with its Internet Protocol (IP). It implemented idea completely, but was not enough to build fully decentralized information network. Actually IP has only minimal functionality.
To extend its fuctionaly was implemented several services, at the beggining it was only telnet and ftp. Which provided full decentralized access to resources of machines jointed in network, but it was dependent by actual system routing. In such way in case if routing got out of order system did not work. To fix the problem used additional protocol.
Later was implemented Domain Name Server DNS. Which implemented element of centralization in Internet. Before DNS machines in network addressed with its number also know as IP-address. DNS allowed to address machine with its symbolic (composed of characters) names. But system of distribution of names was centralized. System of IP-addresses distribution also was centralized, but at least not technically. In case of DNS user became dependent of some central DNS server. which has autorisation at least to remove names, change associated IP-address with certain name, and provide technical ground for solving conflicts between pretendents for identic domain names (actually an owner of DNS server had a power to decide who could get this or that domain name). It was examples of the vitual for whole network service kept in one place.
Later was invented several popular services, and first search machines. Next step in history of internet was World Wide Web (WWW) Main problem of WWW its freedom to make a lot of links in documents with other resources in the network. In such way content or functionality of the resource became dependent of content and availibility of other servers, and lay out of the network. To solve the problem was invented several tricks, not popular for the moment.
Some people tried to find backdoor solutions to solve groowing centalization of the internet. First was several message exchangers, which could find a way to pass information via eventual or artificial troubles. Later had been done several file sharring systems. As GNUTELLA, Nepster. And most strange, for the moment, Freenet This services allowed to share files between machines jointed in network, and make users independent of current configuration of the network. Also was removed dependency from domain names, which maked chaos in resource identification and serach.
Freenet also allowed to share files between users of the network, but its remarcable feature allowed to do it in chaoitic order and what it most important, each machine contains some strange volume of data which in general cases has no sence, untill this machine is not jointed to network. Actually user do not know what kind of information stored network server on his / her machine. This is not always good, but it makes legal controll over data conten complecated, and it does not allow each user to choos random names for files. Finally freenet is too slow. How systems of date sharring will be developed later? Where is the border between personal ambitions concurence and peace? Will people someday find a way of distributions their influence? Will the peer-to-peer networks reach full functionality invented by some American guy in 80th, who loved industrial music, and whose name we even don't know.
