P2P and Ubuntu

[John Richard Moser]

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Out of all the P2P software I've seen, gtk-gnutella is by far the
cleanest.  Unlike some others, however, it doesn't connect to every
network in existence.

More pertainant than these issues are the legal aspects of P2P.  As
asinine as it is, it seems quite believable that some entities would sue
you over supplying the capability to connect to P2P networks.  While
this is an excellent chance for FSF lawyers to kick the RIAA/MPAA in the
balls, it's not something that would be either fun or funny to see
happen.  An easy win in court isn't happening here if we get their
attention.

While I do not condone piracy, I recognize that there is a lot for Linux
users to share and download over P2P.  There are several bands and sites
supplying free MP3s and Oggs, such as http://dkcproject.ocremix.org/ and
the like.  Many artists these days license their music under Creative
Commons as well.  Swapping these via P2P is legitimate and legal, and
keeps the music alive when the original site and artists die.

What is going to happen with P2P and Ubuntu?  Many users consider P2P
important; I've seen windows users stay on windows because of Kazaa, for
example.  I believe it's their responsibility to swap files responsibly;
but i'm interested in attracting users to Linux, and this is a realistic
concern for that agenda.

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