Metallicster - The Net for Napster Users

An interesting project is currently underway to create a new file sharing system that cannot be touched by groups such as the RIAA or Metallica. The project is in the early design stages, and according to the Web site, is inspired by the recent legal actions taken against Napster and its users. The two developers of the program, dubbed "Metallicster," want to show that "information wants to be free, and that there is always a way to distribute information."

The protocol in Metallicster is similar to Gnutella in that no central server is required to share files. This idea of distributed networking makes it impossible to stop distribution of any type of file. In Napsters case, it is possible to block certain files from being traded, as shown by the entire Metallica ordeal. If legal pressures forced Napster to shut down its servers all together, the entire network is dead. With Metallicster, each and every computer running the client would need to be shut down in order to stop the network.

The other major difference between Metallicster and Napster is the method in which files are transferred. Currently two computers, each behind a firewall, cannot communicate. The developers of Metallicster are creating a way around this problem, by sending files across the network and moving through each individual firewall at a time.

Currently the user interface can be downloaded, although no networking is possible, as the team further develops and finalizes the protocol. Visit the Metallicster Web site for more information.