WinMX: time for cooperation
p2p news view / p2pnet:- The WinMX Peer Network, one of the oldest and largest file-sharing communities, has recently suffered from a series of disastrous problems.
Frontcode Technologies was threatened with an RIAA lawsuit. To avoid a litigation, they shut down their Peer Cache Servers.
These servers act as a gateway to the WinMX network. The cache servers supply the WinMX client with IP adresses to primary connections (SuperNodes), which then allows the client to enter the network.
When Frontcode closed their operations, they took their peer cache servers with it, making a network connection impossible.
The WinMX users that were connected to the network when this happened found themselves stranded. If they disconnected, they did so permanently.
WinMX was rapidly dieing and written off as dead by observers.
But then, a group of programmers on the Italian forum P2PZone wrote a workaround that uses the /etc/hosts (or with Windows, C:WindowsSystem32driversetchosts file) to redirect all Peer Cache Server requests to alternative servers which they themselves set up. They essentially revived the network.
The workaround was subsequently taken and improved upon by several groups such as WinMXWorld and Vladd44.
These groups continued to develop their own branches of this workaround. Vladd44′s workaround is called the PIE Patch, while WinMXWorld’s version was a DLL patch.
The dynamic link library “ws2_32.dll” is to be placed in the WinMX directory replacing the original one. Both of these patches do the one and same thing.
These two groups recently started conflicting over which patch should be used, whose servers should be used and other important subjects.
It’s clear that these two groups aren’t interested in cooperating and keeping the network running the way it is now, but want control over the network.
Neither wants to give in, or cooperate and WinMX development has stopped entirely. The latest version of the client, 3.54 Beta 4, is the last one ever to be released by Frontcode. The resurrection of WinMX by P2PZone, accompanied by the further improvements on the workaround by Vladd44 and WinMXWorld, are merely temporary solutions.
The network is doomed to die, unless development happens to the client, something that obviously won’t happen on Frontcode Technologies’s side.
This temporary fix has only postponed the inevitable, namely WinMX’s death. This network, and client will surely die very soon, for the following reasons:
*No development in a year, and no development is to come.
*Rivaling cache server owners
*If one cache server group goes down or gives, the other will get a monopoly, and full control over the network. If they go down, so does the network.
*The cache servers can easily be taken down, just like Napster was, by eliminating the caches.
*The fixes can’t last long, because if a server goes down (like a server crash), it’s likely to come back up with a different IP adress, which will make WinMX clients incapable of connecting to it.
*There is no “consortium” to coordinate what needs to be done, how, when and by whom. It’s all a big mess. “We want to do this our way!” “We don’t like that idea, so we won’t let you do it that way.
*With the two server groups fighting, the network could split into two networks, with the users of one patch on one network, and the users of another patch on a different network. This would cause tremendous damage to the network, because it’s size.
From my observer perspective, the only possible solution to this problem is that people settle their differences, and work together on writing an open source WinMX client. That way, no Frontcode copyrights will be broken, and at the same time, the WinMX network will be getting updates and improvements much faster and better than they did with Frontcode.
Open Source software has a tendency never to die (Look at BitTorrent or Linux for instance), and maintain a high software quality (a very low average BPM (Bugs Per Megabyte)).
Release cycles are faster, development would become speedy (especially considering how large and popular the network already is), and it would be an easy job to port it to other platforms, such as GNU/Linux or FreeBSD.
Bottom line:
Stop fighting, and start doing something constructive to save what’s left of this network.
Da Blade – LinuxP2P
=============
Something you think we should know? tips[at]p2pnet.net
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win
- Mohandas Gandhi
Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local political representatives. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance.
October 16th, 2005 at 2:04 pm
Wise reasoning DaBlade
October 16th, 2005 at 4:09 pm
good pic, tells it all
October 16th, 2005 at 5:41 pm
Who cares about winmx (btw the name’s surely infringing on M$ privatization of the word “window”, include anything that starts with “win”…) ? Let it rot, we got bittorrent already !
October 17th, 2005 at 12:48 am
There are many factual inconsistencies in this story.
Please check out the facts before publishing an article that would require at least an hour of my time to put right.
You are welcome to speak to Vladd or winmxgroup on the matter so I suggest you do so, as then a more factual picture will result.
October 17th, 2005 at 1:40 am
“There are many factual inconsistencies in this story.
Please check out the facts before publishing an article that would require at least an hour of my time to put right. ”
If it’s worth putting right, then do so.
Lot’s of folks reading, right here.
Put it “right” then.
We’re reading ….
Well ??
October 17th, 2005 at 2:54 am
First off, where everyone got the idea that p2pzone had the first fix is because they made a public statement to slyck AFTER there were already fixes available. They were not the first fixes and the other fixes did not stem from them. I was there from the beginning and this is the sequence of events: KM had a perfectly working peer cache. The now known as PIE team wanted his help but wouldn’t listen to him. He went on his own, and developed the dll to keep things together. At this time, the PIe team had loosley worked out the hosts file idea, and had found outside help to develop a peer cache server, which is still not fully developed, and is being constantly improved. p2pzone was among some of the help that the pie group asked to come aboard, and then they went public with a statement to slyck’s site claiming credit. Now, as the ideas behind the dll and the hosts file redirect are sinking in, both sides have raised concerns about the risks of each other’s work. You will be happy to note however, this has been a productive scrutinizing despite what the others in the community have been turning it into. Both camps are still working hard, and have taken the concerns as a sign of what to face, so all possible ideas are floating around amongst both sides, and the network is healing at a remarkable rate. If everyone tells you your work is always perfect, then you will never see a need to improve upon it. But as it is, both sides have learned a great deal and it can only lead to a more robust community. Our little neck of the woods is far from dead.
Be Good,
Scyre
October 17th, 2005 at 2:58 am
btw: This is the first post for me. I am not sure who the other individual was, but I wrote my above comment before I read all the rest… Just so you know. But I do agree, many things could be cleared up by visiting Vladd’s or winmxworld. There is a lot of info, including how these patches work and the number of community posts would suprise you, if nothing more than to see how many winmx’ers are still active.
Again, Be Good,
Scyre
October 17th, 2005 at 5:50 am
Okay, sorry for the mistakes. I’m still a beginner as a writer, but I guess that’s not too good of an excuse.
I’ll check my info better next time.
Sorry again.
October 17th, 2005 at 7:16 am
While they are fighting over “mine is bigger than yours” the R**A are laughing their asses off.
Grow up guys, WinMX is bigger than all of you, remember ‘UNITED WE STAND – DIVIDED WE FALL.
October 17th, 2005 at 1:02 pm
Its not your fault, its the fault of the editor for not doing their fact checking prior to publication. But then again, that’s a fault of P2Pnet as a whole anyway.
October 17th, 2005 at 1:44 pm
Open Source is the way, history shows it. It’d be a real shame to let it die now. WinMx shaped my music tastes after Napster was shutdown. Having tried all the methods of restoring WinMx, it has to be said, neither was even close to how winmx was before.
October 17th, 2005 at 10:41 pm
This article reeks of stock bashing,they don’t want Winmx to succede.
October 18th, 2005 at 10:20 am
“Having tried all the methods of restoring WinMx, it has to be said, neither was even close to how winmx was before”.
After the last few days back on WinMX I disagree, it’s once again full of leeches either sharing nothing or 500 jpeg’s, jerk-offs who let you download 90% before disconnecting you, misnamed files, porn, and the queues are just as long as before, if not longer.
However having said that, where else can you consistently (if you have the patience and a fast broadband connection) download good quality, full albums from the 50′s, 60′s and 70′s?
WinMX, with all its faults and outdated technology still is the best P2P program of its type around and I’ll keep supporting it as long as I can.
December 2nd, 2005 at 6:02 am
May 23rd, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Why do you throw in “porn” with all the bad stuff you list? It is one of the best things Winmx has to offer, besides movies and music. Grow up. To each his own.
September 24th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Grow up? C’mon – these are humans we’re talking about here. Don’t you know that people have to maintain their self-righteousness at any given opportunity? These are the same people who’ll cheat on their spouse, rip somebody off with their deceptive business practices, then go to church to be all holy again for another week. Yep – porn is the scourge of P2P – like the mere presence of it in someone’s files forces you to download it and view it.
I love Humanity – People just plain suck.
September 24th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Grow up? C’mon – these are humans we’re talking about here. Don’t you know that people have to maintain their self-righteousness at any given opportunity? These are the same people who’ll cheat on their spouse, rip somebody off with their deceptive business practices, then go to church to be all holy again for another week. Yep – porn is the scourge of P2P – like the mere presence of it in someone’s files forces you to download it and view it.
I love Humanity – People just plain suck.