eDonkey2000
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Developer(s) | MetaMachine |
---|---|
Initial release | September 6, 2000 |
Final release | 1.4.6
/ 2006 |
Cross-platform | |
Type | Peer-to-peer |
License | Freeware |
eDonkey2000 (nicknamed "ed2k") was a
On September 28, 2005, eDonkey was discontinued following a
eDonkey2000 network
Users on the
MetaMachines has also created another file-sharing network called
eDonkey has since been closed down.
Early history and design
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/Edonkey2000_logo.gif)
eDonkey2000 was created by Jed McCaleb, cofounder of Stellar,[4] and was first released on September 6, 2000. On September 16, 2000, client and server versions were available for Microsoft Windows and Linux.
Compared to earlier P2P file-sharing program Napster, eDonkey2000 featured "swarming" downloads, meaning that clients could download different pieces of a single file from different peers, effectively utilizing the combined bandwidth of all of the peers instead of being limited to the bandwidth of a single peer.
At first, servers were isolated from one another as with Napster, but later versions of the eDonkey2000 server software enabled servers to form a search network. This allowed servers to forward search queries from their locally connected clients to other servers, allowing clients to effectively find peers connected to any server on the server network, thereby increasing download swarm size. It also allowed clients to find and download files not available from clients connected to the same server.
A third improvement compared to Napster was the use of file hashes instead of simple filenames in search results. File searches initiated by the user were keyword-based and matched against the filename list stored on the eDonkey2000 server, but the server returned a list of filenames paired with the hash values of those files to the client. When selecting a file from the list presented to the user, the client would actually initiate a download by hash value. This meant that a file could have many different filenames across different peers, but would be considered identical for purposes of downloading if its hash was the same.
The two-level (client and server) peer-to-peer network architecture offered a balance between centralized systems like Napster, and decentralized systems like Gnutella. Where Napster ultimately proved to be vulnerable was its centralized server cluster, which was a stable target for legal action. Gnutella's original design, featuring total elimination of the server network in favor of purely peer-to-peer searching, quickly proved to be infeasible due to massive search traffic overhead between peers.
Later 2nd-level P2P file sharing systems use a similar design to eDonkey2000 (downloading files in pieces by hash from multiple peers simultaneously) but innovate in the design of the server network, such as in the case of
eDonkey2000 client
The latest version of the official eDonkey2000 client included a plugin that allowed
eDonkey sued by RIAA
In September 2005, officials from the company MetaMachine received a
However, on September 28, 2005, eDonkey officially closed its doors. MetaMachine President Sam Yagan said in a statement that the company would "convert eDonkey's user base to an online content retailer operating in a closed P2P environment," and "such a transaction to take place as soon as we can reach a settlement with the
-
A snapshot of the eDonkey website with the RIAA notice.
On September 12, 2006 it was reported that MetaMachine, Inc. had agreed to settle with the
Nevertheless, the eDonkey network is still available through other clients, such as eMule or aMule.
See also
- Comparison of eDonkey software
- Comparison of file sharing applications
- eDonkey network
References
- ^ "A Hard Ride for eDonkey". Bloomberg.com. October 24, 2005.
- ^ "Nouveau client officiel eDonkey et interview". Archived from the original on April 16, 2016.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVITE : Interview du créateur d'eDonkey !". May 3, 2002.
- ^ "An Algorithm to Make Online Currency as Trustworthy as Cash". Wired.
- ^ "U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against P2P". Nate Mook and Ed Oswald. June 27, 2005. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
- ^ "P2P Future Darkens as eDonkey Closes". Nate Mook. September 28, 2005. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
- ^ "eDonkey Firm to Pay RIAA $30 Million". Nate Mook. September 12, 2006. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
External links
Old client and plugin
- eDonkey2000 Archived News – November 9, 2000 Internet Archive snapshot of eDonkey2000.com home page showing original release announcement
- eDonkey2000 Overview – February 13, 2001 Internet Archive snapshot of eDonkey2000.com Overview page explaining network architecture
- eDonkey2000 – Overnet – August 27, 2006 Internet Archive snapshot of edonkey.com home page
News
- eDonkey2000 becomes the eMule Project – September 28, 2005 MP3 Newswire article
- Slashdot.org article "eDonkey Pays the Recording Industry $30M" – September 12, 2006