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The Bottom Line

Excellent P2P text for academics, corporate managers, and those interested in important computer networking concepts.



Pros

• Thorough overview of P2P's historical development
• Covers both technical and business model angles
• Quality hardcover binding

Cons

• Lacking systems implementation details

Description

• Part 1 offers a social and technological context for peer-to-peer networking.
• Part 2 examines some of the top P2P projects underway in the research and development community.

• Part 3 discusses various technical topics that pertain to P2P including security and accountability.

Guide Review - "Peer to Peer - Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies"

Academically inclined yet accessible to the networking community at large, this text thoroughly reviews the concepts and key technologies behind P2P, the history of these systems, and the notable successes achieved to date. Readers will gain an essential understanding of peer-to-peer systems and the present context for ongoing P2P research and development.

P2P systems such as Usenet and DNS have existed for many years but may represent just the beginning of what peer-to-peer has to offer. P2P proponents often cite music- and other file-sharing systems like Napster and Morpheus, or distributed applications like SETI@home, as evidence that this "cool" technology will someday lead to popular and profitable business models.