[117868] in Cypherpunks
local proxy API / net only cash (Re: Zipping to BlackNet)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Adam Back)
Mon Sep 13 18:01:44 1999
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 22:39:51 +0100
Message-Id: <199909132139.WAA10995@server.cypherspace.org>
To: shamrock@cypherpunks.to
From: Adam Back <adam@cypherspace.org>
Cc: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
In-reply-to: <NDBBIFGOKODBCKDGJDKLAEHBCGAA.shamrock@cypherpunks.to>
Reply-To: Adam Back <adam@cypherspace.org>
Lucky writes:
> > It seem that you are really just using ZipLip as a content server.
>
> Well, of course. A content server that as far as I am concerned is welcome
> to take the heat for the many gigs of warez and other goodies that will be
> distributed from it in short order. Works for me. [Before somebody replies
> "but that can't last". Well, of course it can't. But who cares. There
> are/will be other services like it.
> One could define an API for a shim that interfaces with all the free
> content servers out there. Then all you need to do is add/subtract
> modules as content servers go up and down.
Now you're talking.
USENET Eternity had place holders for other access methods. The shim
API in it's case was the a CGI and HTML re-writer. The document ids
were the hash of a virtual URL. It had place holders for altavista,
and dejanews.com shims.
A simpler interface would be a proxy, and a proxy autoconfig file
using that proxy only for access to a non-existant domain. I am
working on one of these at the moment (in perl). People can provide
gateways (public access proxies), or for better security use local
proxies.
There is a proxy autoconf file at:
http://www.cypherspace.org/proxy.config
The proxy autoconf file looks like this:
<!-- Proxy config file for www.cypherspace.org -->
function FindProxyForURL(url, host)
{
if (dnsDomainIs(host, ".cypherspace"))
return "PROXY www.cypherspace.org:1099";
else
return "DIRECT";
}
And all it means is that if a URL is of the form:
http://X.Y.cypherspace/Z
it will use the cypherspace proxy, and if it is not of that form it
will go get it direct from whereever.
(I know it doesn't work -- this is because I need a MIME type for
autoconfig files to be added to the web server config).
> I can't see those modules being more than one page of perl per
> server. Replicate the data across more than one server at a time and
> chances are the data will remain available to your target audience
> for a long time. Untracable to you and at zero cost to you.
> > What advantages does this have over the many free content servers
> > available on the net today?
>
> As of this very hour, the ZipLip guys offer unlimited https accessible drive
> space to any user. Somebody probably should forward this fact to the
> warez/mp3 lists... Might as well make use of it while it lasts.
The warez/mp3 people could really do with two-way anonymous ecash.
They currently seem to be relying on:
- barter (upload ratios -- 'I need X, Y, Z' upload something for access
password)
- porn referrer commissions (password is first word on
www.hotchicks.com), where they get the few pence commission from
www.hotchicks.com for access.
I am left wondering if the warez/mp3 scene could be the testbed for a
net only money system -- an ecash system would cover most of their
requirements even if it was not redeemable for fiat money. Consider
the desires of the warez/mp3 trader, they want:
- bandwidth
- more warez and mp3s (by trading)
- kudos (for the largest collection of recent releases)
Get people to sell their free ISP bundled web pages, and let economics
sort the rest out.
Adam
