[Air-l] peer2peer rsearch

[noci]

that's really a very tough question-- i'm also esperimenting with doing
"research"on p2p,
more specifically on the way filesharing communities are connected to the
warez release scene (if they are at all).

one of the problems now is whether it is legitimate to participate in the
actual sharing process- to run a p2p programme, that is.

in my experience, you get quite a clear picture of what's happening in the
specific network just by browsing through the community sites. no need to
run the actual software, and i believe Karim is right there- might get you
into trouble.

on the other hand, it could be helpful to run a client "just for the feel of
it".
yes, it *does* sound a bit odd, but in order to understand the situation
people using p2p networks are in, participating as much as possible could be
a real eye-opener. you suddenly don't feel as detached and cozy anymore.

i wonder how many people would actually like to conduct "illegal" p2p
research but are afraid of the possible consequences.
when i was searching for literature on the above topic, i could hardly find
anything online.

well just a couple of thoughts at 4.30 am there, i'll try to be a bit more
specific tomorrow.

good night,

max doelling