Category: Networking

Freenet – Anonymous File Distribution on the Internet

The Freenet Project – whatis – beginner
From the site:
Freenet is free software which lets you
publish and obtain information on the Internet without fear of
censorship. To achieve this freedom, the network is entirely
decentralized and publishers and consumers of information are anonymous.
Without anonymity there can never be true freedom of speech, and without
decentralization the network will be vulnerable to attack.

Verizon, calling P2P illegal

I am a Verizon DSL customer. Perhaps once a month I receive a newsletter, generally marketing their latest product or offering some tips. In the latest newsletter, they have a little tidbit regarding P2P and filesharing. Here is the paragraph that troubles me:

“Remove file sharing software from your computer. The way many popular file sharing software programs work is by allowing other users to access music or other files on your hard drive. P2P file sharing involves one Internet user requesting files from another unknown source. Aside from being illegal, file sharing can open your PC up to viruses, Trojan horses, and theft of your personal information.”

While P2P file sharing services are often used for illegal purposes, such as sharing copyrighted music, pirated software and movies, it is NOT ILLEGAL itself. Verizon is perpetuating a myth and discounting any legitamite uses for P2P software. For instance, I utilize BitTorrent to distribute videos that I have made or worked on to whomever is interested. This is clearly NOT illegal

FXO, FXS and VoIP, damn the acronyms

For my reference:

FXO: Foreign eXchange Office – This is the plug on your phone. It receives Dial Tone, Current and Ring Voltage. If you have a card that does this, you can plug it into your wall jack and receive calls.

FXS: Foreign eXchange Subscriber – Service from the phone company, provides Dial Tone, Current and Voltage. If you have a card that does this, you can plug your normal phone into it.

In terms of VoIP (asterisk in my case), if you want to receive POTS calls into your system you need an FXO. If you want to plug in a normal phone and make VoIP calls you need an FXS.

Both terms from the POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) world.

When everyone is media, no one is

Scripting News: 2/2/2005
Dave writes:
When everyone is media, no one is 
1. Everything these days is media.
2. All media is technology and vice versa. The convergence everyone was buzzing about in the early 90s has happened. It’s behind us. There is no separation between media and technology.
…

I disagree:
The telephone company isn’t media now and people who call each other aren’t producing media (although an argument can be made). Perhaps he is just arguing an extreme.