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Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem

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Geoff wrote:

> It's only a middleman for establishing the connection between two
> clients. Once the clients have negotiated a session they operate
> peer-to-peer and the server never sees the streams. 

It doesn't appear to be that way.  Although Skype's P2P nature has been 
widely publicized and supported, Skype still relies on a centralized client-
server model to handle communication.[1]  It is said that Skype only uses 
the company's servers as middlemen if it isn't possible to handle that 
communication directly between peers. Yet, unless someone actively monitors 
his network connection very closely, there is no way to know that.  

Adding to this, to be able to register an account with Skype, Skype requires 
that the user authorizes them to collect and use information regarding the 
user.[2]  This includes "traffic data", which includes "data processed for 
the purpose of the conveyance of communications".  It also includes "content 
of instant messaging communications".


> This is also true
> for Windows Live Messenger, ICQ, AIM, and other messaging clients.

Not quite.  I haven't checked ICQ, AIM or any other service, but MSN 
messenger's original protocol[3] also employes on what it defines as 
"switchboard servers" to "establish lightweight communication sessions 
without requiring a direct network connection between clients".  

Granted, this protocol may be old and possibly deprecated, and a number of 
revisions and major rewrites may already be released, but as no definition 
of those protocols has been made public, it isn't possible to simply assume 
that Windows Live Messenger does and does not.


Rui Maciel

[1] http://blog.makezine.com/2007/06/01/udp-hole-punching-how-skype-ge/
[2] http://www.skype.com/intl/en/legal/privacy/general/
[3] http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-movva-msn-messenger-protocol-00

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Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-15 17:17 +0000
  Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de> - 2012-01-15 18:35 +0100
    Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-15 18:07 +0000
      Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de> - 2012-01-15 20:19 +0100
        Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-15 19:42 +0000
  Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Willem <willem@toad.stack.nl> - 2012-01-15 19:15 +0000
    Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-15 20:10 +0000
  Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-01-18 09:16 -0600
    Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-19 16:26 +0000
      Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 14:59 -0600
        Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-19 21:22 +0000
          Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 15:54 -0600
            Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem root <NoEMail@home.org> - 2012-01-19 22:20 +0000
              Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 17:43 -0600
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 04:22 +0000
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 23:43 -0600
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 12:59 +0000
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-20 02:41 -0800
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 12:45 +0000
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-20 15:41 -0800
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem root <NoEMail@home.org> - 2012-01-21 00:18 +0000
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-20 16:41 -0800
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-20 18:44 -0600
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-20 15:43 -0800
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-20 18:34 -0600
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem "Chris Uppal" <chris.uppal@metagnostic.REMOVE-THIS.org> - 2012-01-21 10:21 +0000
              Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 03:59 +0000
            Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 03:44 +0000
              Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 23:41 -0600
    Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2012-01-20 14:07 +1300
      Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem blp@cs.stanford.edu (Ben Pfaff) - 2012-01-19 18:20 -0800
      Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-01-19 20:33 -0600
        Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 04:08 +0000

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