Microsoft Reinvents Bittorrent

[PastTense]

Anon E. Muss writes "Microsoft has a new Secure Content Downloader tool that sounds an awful lot like a Bittorrent clone. It's described as a 'peer-assisted technology' where '[e]ach client downloads content by exchanging parts of the file they're interested in with other clients, in addition to downloading parts from the server.' Right now MSCD is just a time-limited preview, intended to support downloads of select Microsoft beta releases (e.g. Visual Studio 2008). If this test goes well, Microsoft will probably start using MSCD for all their large downloads. How do you feel about subsidizing Microsoft's bandwidth costs?"

Source: http://developers.slashdot.org/artic.../07/28/1631205
View: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

[Chewie]

I was under the impression that upload bandwidth costs ISPs more. If this is the case, they're not going to be very happy about every Windows based PC becoming a Microsoft Update Server. :/

[TheFoX]

It may actually be of benefit.

At the moment, p2p traffic, especially BT, can be profiled and throttled. It is also easier for sniffers to detect possible copyright violation using keys.

Imagine a Windows OS that primarily uses a BT variant to distribute updates etc. How much camoflage would that offer the genuine pirate. How could ISPs throttle bandwidth or profile when the protocol is being used for legal content (MS updates).

In turn, if MS change the protocol slightly to discriminate their p2p traffic from standard BT, how long would it be before someone clones the MS app to deliver illegal content using their swarms.

The possibilities are endless, and like the time that MS decided to open raw sockets in XP, this could prove a killer to the Movie and Music industry, as stuff is transferred through a more secure platform (Microsoft).

/me waits with baited breath...

[Artakserksis]

Of course, Microsoft doesn't have enough money to afford their own servers, so they had to come up with a new, groundbreaking technology like this.

[sear]

@TheFox:

sounds good to me here's hoping they go through with it. Uploads don't cost me anything and while my isp doesn't throttle BT traffic it would be nice to have a little cover