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from any host with a copy. This would save bandwidth |
from any host with a copy. This would save bandwidth |
112 |
and increase availability; pages would stay online as long as |
and increase availability; pages would stay online as long as |
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any user keeps a copy of them on their local harddisk. |
any user keeps a copy of them on their local harddisk. |
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Pages can be |
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linked using permanent URIs |
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based on the files' cryptographic |
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hashes, as in |
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[freenet-ieee-andalso-edonkey2kurl]_. |
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However, in such a scheme, |
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web pages cannot be updated: |
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a new version of a web page would have a different hash, |
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and thus a different URI. [#update]_ |
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.. [#update] When updating a page, it would be clearly |
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infeasible to update all pages linking to it, and thus |
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all pages linking to *them*, and thus... |
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114 |
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.. XXX Mention "Name-based not possible as a suitable system |
.. XXX Mention "Name-based not possible as a suitable system |
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for names doesn't exist?" |
for names doesn't exist?" |
117 |
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118 |
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Such permanence is an important concern, as seen by the following example. |
119 |
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In 1997, NASA launched the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft |
120 |
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on a mission to Saturn. Before the launch, the mission |
121 |
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was widely criticized as a potential threat |
122 |
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to billions of human lives, |
123 |
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for its use of |
124 |
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plutonium |
125 |
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to generate electricity. |
126 |
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To facilitate the debate, |
127 |
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SpaceViews, a publication of the National Space Society, |
128 |
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published a list of links to web pages of both |
129 |
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Cassini opponents and supporters [#rtg-links]_. |
130 |
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In the year 2003, |
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only six years after the launch, |
132 |
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only 29 |
133 |
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of the 83 links provided by SpaceViews continue to work. |
134 |
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Almost two thirds of the debate |
135 |
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has fallen off the Web. "If I have seen further it is by standing |
136 |
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on the shoulders of giants;" but how can we do that today, |
137 |
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if the shoulders keep rotting away? |
138 |
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The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine [waybackmachine]_ |
139 |
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alleviates these concerns somewhat, but it introduces |
140 |
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a single point of failure-- and censorship-- for the *entire* Web! |
141 |
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142 |
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.. (cut) radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), using |
143 |
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144 |
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.. Activists claim that |
145 |
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the launch of such devices poses a threat to |
146 |
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billions of human lives. |
147 |
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148 |
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.. [#rtg-links] ``http://www.seds.org/spaceviews/cassini/ rtgpages.html``. |
149 |
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All links dereferenced on October 27th, 2003. |
150 |
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151 |
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152 |
We hold that to succeed, a P2P Web would need to provide |
We hold that to succeed, a P2P Web would need to provide |
153 |
the following features of filesharing systems for its users: |
the following features of filesharing systems for its users: |
154 |
|
|
189 |
and stops publishing a page, it disappears, even if |
and stops publishing a page, it disappears, even if |
190 |
someone else has kept a copy. |
someone else has kept a copy. |
191 |
|
|
192 |
There are some non-filesharing P2P systems |
In a P2P Web, pages could be |
193 |
that do offer an update mechanism. However, none of these |
linked using permanent URIs |
194 |
provides all the above benefits of a filesharing system: |
based on the files' cryptographic |
195 |
|
hashes, as in |
196 |
... |
[freenet-ieee-andalso-edonkey2kurl]_. |
197 |
|
However, in such a scheme, |
198 |
Permanence is an important concern, as seen by the following example. |
web pages cannot be updated: |
199 |
In 1997, NASA launched the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft |
a new version of a web page would have a different hash, |
200 |
on a mission to Saturn. Before the launch, the mission |
and thus a different URI. [#update]_ |
|
was widely criticized as a potential threat |
|
|
to billions of human lives, |
|
|
for its use of |
|
|
plutonium |
|
|
to generate electricity. |
|
|
To facilitate the debate, |
|
|
SpaceViews, a publication of the National Space Society, |
|
|
published a list of links to web pages of both |
|
|
Cassini opponents and supporters [#rtg-links]_. |
|
|
In the year 2003, |
|
|
only six years after the launch, |
|
|
only 29 |
|
|
of the 83 links provided by SpaceViews continue to work. |
|
|
Almost two thirds of the debate |
|
|
has fallen off the Web. "If I have seen further it is by standing |
|
|
on the shoulders of giants;" but how can we do that today, |
|
|
if the shoulders keep rotting away? |
|
|
The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine [waybackmachine]_ |
|
|
alleviates these concerns somewhat, but it introduces |
|
|
a single point of failure-- and censorship-- for the *entire* Web! |
|
201 |
|
|
202 |
.. (cut) radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), using |
.. [#update] When updating a page, it would be clearly |
203 |
|
infeasible to update all pages linking to it, and thus |
204 |
|
all pages linking to *them*, and thus... |
205 |
|
|
206 |
.. Activists claim that |
.. There are some non-filesharing P2P systems |
207 |
the launch of such devices poses a threat to |
that do offer an update mechanism. However, none of these |
208 |
billions of human lives. |
provides all the above benefits of a filesharing system: |
209 |
|
|
210 |
.. [#rtg-links] ``http://www.seds.org/spaceviews/cassini/ rtgpages.html``. |
... |
|
All links dereferenced on October 27th, 2003. |
|
211 |
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|
212 |
.. <<<We don't propose that every byte of information ever published |
.. <<<We don't propose that every byte of information ever published |
213 |
on the Web has to be kept around forever. However, |
on the Web has to be kept around forever. However, |