So I’ll be upfront — there are a few reviews already on the net about AllPeers, the firefox extension that helps people share files between each other. I’ll list a few of the good ones below. I’m not going into gory details about it but I did want to share some initial opinions
AllPeers has been hailed as the “best thing to happen to Firefox since Firefox”. That’s some lofty praise (or hype?).
For those not following this sort of thing, AllPeers is a Firefox Extension that allows folks to share files via a ‘personal’ p2p connection. Because its a Firefox Extension, it’ll be persistently “on” when you surf — and won’t require you to load up separate client software. Also, you don’t need to be on at the same time as the person you’re sharing with. Its been in anticipation for a few years already, and as a beta, it has recently flung open its doors to the public.
I have raved previously about using Pando to share files between friends, principally because it is so insanely easy to use, and the restrictions are actually quite generous. You can send files up to 1 gigabyte — but I’ve heard about people busting this restriction, and sending files up to 2 gigs.
I like to use these sorts of services because I like to rip and share TV shows with friends, but also large media content such as home movies and high quality digital photos (2meg each, for example).
I’ve tried AllPeers now for a few days, and I think my overall feeling is … meh.
I think this is driven by the fact that there are a TON of competitors in the “filesharing” arena, now that with the proliferation of broad band connections is driving demand, while the price of storage has dropped (and continues to drop) precipitously.
For a filesharing application to gain any traction in a competitive field, I think that they should contain the following characteristics:
1. easy to use: and this means, its got to be easy to install, a fast and unobstructive load time, use minimal resources while operating, and a design that is both pleasing and functional. Does it require a separate client to use? Is it part of the browser?
2. easy to share: putting the “sharing” into filesharing, these programs MUST be as frictionless as possible not JUST to actually send files back and forth, but also in introducing other participants into the program’s way of doing things; the instructions, the registration … they must all be easy for first adopters to share with non-first-adopters, in my opinion.
3. generous restrictions: its not an oxymoron — if the service is tiered, then it should have the least restrictive limits in terms of its use … both in terms of bandwidth or filesize. Sure, nothing’s free, but for it to be appealing in a competitive landscape, you can’t scrape the bottom of the barrel with this one. Filesizes need to be > 500megs and preferably up to 1 gigabyte. Bandwidth restrictions should probably be no less than 20-25 gigs per month.
If the software is really constructed to take advantage of a distrbuted system, and not centralized where the files are stored on one large server, I don’ t think there’s any reason to put huge restrictions on … well, the restrictions.
How does AllPeers fare under this sort of criteria? Check it out.
(more…)