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Thread ID: 43335 2004-03-11 07:51:00 P2P & ISP's Poppa John (284) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
221713 2004-03-11 07:51:00 Forgive me for this rather basic question. What is P2P? Why would Xtra want to limit usage? Thanks PJ Poppa John (284)
221714 2004-03-11 08:45:00 P2P networks are uncentralised, unstoppable and allow direct swapping of any type of file from one person to another. You can search and download anything imaginable, illegal or not, copyrighted or not. Thats the beauty of it. PoWa (203)
221715 2004-03-11 09:13:00 Sorry. Still don't get it. Why would an ISP care?? PJ Poppa John (284)
221716 2004-03-11 09:32:00 Perhaps because by their very nature (unregulated - with no identification of where files are coming from) , they're particularly prone to carring viruses & other nasties.

The majority are music-swapping files ..and I guess P2P stands for Person to Person.

(There's also the question of which are/aren't illegal. And that's a can of worms some ISPs may not want to open)
Laura (43)
221717 2004-03-11 09:38:00 I could be wrong but I thought the ISPs aren't keen on P2P because they hog all the bandwidth. People leave their PCs on all day and all night sharing their files and others who just want to browse or download "legitimate" stuff get the big slowdown and start complaining. If everyone on the net was using P2P at once no one would be able to get online or do anything. Fire-and-Ice (3910)
221718 2004-03-11 09:42:00 Good point, Fire-and-Ice

and probably the main reason?

Poppa John: Ask Xtra & let us all know
Laura (43)
221719 2004-03-11 09:52:00 main thing with isp's is cost. most of nz useage is international. most customers pay a set amount for the hours used, the isp pays via actual data transfered. for very heavy users it cost more for the isp than what the customers pay for. one way to throttle back heavy users is to limit the amount of p2p traffic. its also why data caps have been used. tweak'e (174)
221720 2004-03-11 09:53:00 Fire & Ice is correct, it would drag the speed of everyone down, or if they simply increased bandwidth, then the cost to all of us would be high in order to fund the bandwidth.

Given that the large majority of the P2P use is unlikely to be legitimate, its a reasonable moral stand to limit the speed.

P2P = Peer to Peer (as in Computer to Computer, not through a traceable server like most other downloads). Having said that P2P is quite traceable if enough resource and pressure is applied.
godfather (25)
221721 2004-03-11 09:56:00 Aha - Peer to Peer

Had the Person to Person toll calls in my subconscious, I guess
Laura (43)
221722 2004-03-11 20:56:00 Ok I think I unerstand now. How is this different to makink a phone call thro the computer, maybe on voice cam or ICQ or such like? Isn't this "computer to computer" ?? PJ Poppa John (284)
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