WOT forums

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Introduction

'WOT forums' (WOT for web of trust) are softwares running with the help of the 'web of trust' principles, in order to build and run decentralized (distributed) forums. The messages in the forums can also have attached files.

One common principle is that when the user has subscribed to some forums, he will download and also upload the messages of those forums to the peers he is connected to. This way, even if some user stop using the software, then the forum and its messages are not lost, however forums with few subscribers become incomplete (missing messages and attached files).

Comparisons

Comparison between 2000's file sharing softwares and WOT forums softwares

This section may help to understand easier the way that file(s) can be shared in 'WOT forums' softwares by comparing with other softwares.

Software The way a user share (upload) file(s) What all users can see/search/download
Aktie File(s) can be posted posted directory into a 'community' (= a forum, a group) the user have access to, or attached to a message that he write. Similar to OFS, but community members can also share, view and download files without the files being attached to a post.
BitTorrent The user share file(s) by uploading the .torrent file to a Torrent tracker site. Only the files that they can see/get the torrent file of.
iMule and Nachtblitz, I2Phex Share whole folders containing files. All the files shared by the others users online.
OFS File(s) attached to messages posted inside a group where the user have access to. Only the files attached to the messages of the groups they have authorization granted to access to.
RetroShare Share whole folders containing files, or attach file(s) to message(s) in a channel/forum/chatroom. The files hosted by their friends, and the friends of their friends (Turtle routing), but not the entire network.
About forums and channels and chatrooms : even if a user can't reach a forum/channel/chatroom in order to subscribe it, he may search/download file(s) attached to this forum/channel/chatroom if he know the file name or the hash.
Syndie Syndie is not designed for file sharing, however it allows to attach files (up to 4 or 5) to a message. The maximum size of a message is 512 KB (default value) and up to 2048 Kb (if the archive server used does support it, the default maximum size supported by a Syndie archive server is 512 KB)[1]
The message holding a attached file(s) can be posted into a public or a private Syndie "forum" (into Syndie a private "forum" can also be used as a private mailbox). 		Same as OFS. There is no way to search for a specific file name[2].

Comparison of the features of several 'WOT forums' softwares

Compatibles with the I2P network

As of 2016-03:

Item or feature Aktie OFS RetroShare Syndie
Distributed forums Yes Yes Yes Yes
Distributed forums can be private (locked[3]) Yes Yes Yes (from v0.6.1) Yes
Distribute a forum that a peer known to all the other peers of the network Yes Yes No[4] Yes (if forum is not banned)[5]
Distribute a forum that a peer known to all his peers[6] Yes Yes Yes (those subscribed)[7] N/A
Allow to share (attach) a file to a message Yes Yes Yes Yes
Allow to share (attach) several files to a message Yes No[8] Yes Yes
Attached file(s) are packaged with the message ?[9] No No No Yes
User can search a file name among all online peers ?
(like with iMule-Nachtblitz) 		No, but[10] No ?[11] Yes No
Technical term used for a other user Identity Identity Friend, people Forum
Technical term used for a forum Community Group Forum Forum
Technical term used for a private group of users Private community Group Circle N/A
Allow sending private messages to a other user Yes[12] Yes Yes Yes
Allow to rate (to rank) a other user[13] Yes[14] Yes[15] Yes[16] No
Allow to 'ban' (hide) a user or forum No, planed (2016)[17] Yes ? No, planed for v0.6.1 (2016)[18] Yes
Usuable as a blog (read only forum[19]) ? ? No[20] Yes
Serverless[21] Yes Yes Yes No but... (any one can run a 'archive' server)[22]
Comes with a list of seed nodes[23] Yes Yes No Yes[24]
Compatible networks I2P I2P, Tor, clearnet I2P and Tor
(from v0.6)
, Clearnet 		I2P, Tor,
clearnet, Freenet[25]
User can create several identities Yes No[26] Yes Yes
User can run several sessions of the software simultaneously[27] Yes[28] Yes[29] No (useless[30]) No (useless[31])
The software can automatically upgrade itself (by downloading it from peers) Yes Yes No No
Item or feature Aktie OFS RetroShare Syndie

Not compatibles with the I2P network

  • Freenet : Frost, FMS. Frost is not really a WOT forums this is why it is flooded by spam, FMS really is.
  • Proprietary network : Perfect Dark (feature named 'boards'[32]).[33]

Comparison of the file names containing the nodes lists used by different softwares

Comparison of file names
Software Network Name of the bootstrap file (nodes list) bundled
Aktie I2P defseed.dat
I2Phex I2P phex.hosts
iMule and Nachtblitz I2P nodes.dat
OFS I2P i2pseed.dat
OFS Tor torseed.dat
RetroShare I2P, Tor, clearnet N/A: none nodes list provided because it follow the 'friend to friend'[34] principle, you must find friend's 'certificates' (it's a text containing the GnuPG key+IP) by yourself.
Syndie I2P, Tor, Freenet N/A: It's not a nodes list, it's a list of URLs of Syndie archives (location: '.syndie/indexes/' ? or bundled into the software source code).

Note: if a file is too old (ie: several months), all the nodes listed inside might be down/offline. It's in this situation that knowing the file name is useful, because you may overwrite it with the one from a user running the software with success. However before to use this trick, try the standard way (different for each software) in order to exchange some peers addresses (at least one that is online).

References

  1. ↑ (As of Syndie v1.107b-0, 2016).
  2. ↑ (As of Syndie v1.107b-0, 2016).
  3. ↑ The technology to lock a forum is in fact encryption with private keys.
  4. ↑ No since your node is not connected to all the peers of the network (F2F principle).
  5. ↑ Yes if you've not banned the forum.
  6. ↑ This mean that its let the others peers known the list of the forums that your peer known.
  7. ↑ Distribute to the other peers only the forums you have subscribed to.
  8. ↑ Tested with OFS v0.8.5
  9. ↑ If I downloaded a message, do I also have downloaded the attached file(s) ?
  10. ↑ v0.4.12: "Well, sort of. You can search all files a user has shared in community you are subscribed to."
  11. ↑ Tested with v0.8.5, but to confirm (because the GUI is hard to understand)
  12. ↑ Private messages implemented from Aktie v0.5.2
  13. ↑ Rating (ranking) a user can make your node to censor (hide) his messages or files (for you only).
  14. ↑ From Aktie v0.4.5
  15. ↑ From RS v0.6.0
  16. ↑ Yes from RS v0.6.1
  17. ↑ No in v0.4.12, planed.
  18. ↑ No as of RetroShare v0.6.0.
  19. ↑ By 'Blog' we mean: only one person allowed posting, for the others it is read only.
  20. ↑ Will be possible from RS v0.6.1 ?
  21. ↑ This mean that the network will continue to run even if a main peer (or more) is down.
  22. ↑ Syndie clients need at least one 'archive' server running (this is a Syndie peer running as a server). Any peer can turn into a archive server if the user decide to.
  23. ↑ Seed nodes provide (automatically) to the client a list of some peers to try to contact to. Seed nodes might get down, if yo then the user will have to find peers addresses by himself.
  24. ↑ A list of Syndie archives. After testing Syndie, if you decide to use it, you should update (manually) the archives known.
  25. ↑ Syndie to Freenet compatibility is break as of Syndie v1.105b-0 (2014), however the source code seems fixed (see Monotone), so a new build of Syndie may fix it if ever released... :( Hummingbird 2015-12-23
  26. ↑ Tested with OFS v0.8.5
  27. ↑ Useful to avoid to mix: identities, files uploaded/downloaded.
  28. ↑ Tested with Aktie v0.4.3
  29. ↑ Tested with OFS v0.8.5
  30. ↑ Useless because RetroShare allow multiple identities
  31. ↑ Useless because Syndie allow multiple identities
  32. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textboard
  33. ↑ I'm not sure that it is 'really' a WOT forum. Hummingbird 2015-12-23.
  34. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friend-to-friend

External links

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