About
Mindshare is distributed file replication software for small groups of people. It's targeted at people that want to collaborate but don't have the tools they need. It can share any number of files of unlimited size. It can even synchronize your files when your offline!
The projects aim is to be easier to use and more powerful than web based collaboration solutions. You won't need a Ph.D. in Computer Science or have to pay an expensive web hosting bill. Mindshare runs right on your computer using your internet connection and storage space, things you already pay for. Just look at all the uses people have come up with:
- Collaborate with classmates on team projects, reports and presentations
- Merge your photos with friends and family to create group photo albums
- Create an instant virtual network at your favorite WiFi hotspot
- A personal network to sync you files from work and home or your laptop and desktop
Screenshot
Preliminary screenshot of the program simulating a group sharing some files
FAQ
Where did you get the idea?
I was in a class at FIT that had a large team project. There were 4 of us on the team and we used a web based system to coordinate our efforts. It sucked and I figured I could build a better one.
I was well on my way when I realized that the problem with the web system was that it was too hard to set up. Users don't want to know hot to configure a web application and they don't want to pay for someone else to do it for them. They also don't want their files/photos/sales figures sitting on someone else's computer. So I decided to try and make a better solution using P2P technology.
How does it work?
There will be a paper published towards the end of October explaining in detail how the system works. Untill then this might help:
- You must be invited to join a group. Later on this will be enforced with cryptogrphy.
- You files appear in an organized file system, next to files that belong to other users.
- You get to see everything that is being shared even before its downloaded to your peer
- You never have to search the network because the files are always stored on your peer.
- If you are offline other peers can distribute your files on your behalf. Eventually cryptography will ensure that the files have not been altered.
- Other users cannot change files in your tree.
- To aid in collaboration you can give files to another user. This moves the files from your tree to theirs.
Who is working on Mindshare?
You resident code monkey is Gareth Farrington. I'm building this program as part of a Masters Thesis to the Florida Institute of Technology. You can also visit my blog if you like.
Where did the name come from?
It's obvious right? It's a tool for sharing what's on your mind, for conveying your thoughts to a group of people, to create a shared consciousness.
Actually Mindshare is an attempt at meme poisoning. Mind Share (wikimedia) is a marketing term for a brand that comes to mind when thinking of a class of products. There is no love lost between Programmers and marketing types so I'm hoping to make people a little confused. If you don't like that explanation, stick with the first one.
Is it ready?
No, not yet. You can download the alpha from this website but this still lacks critical functionality and is mainly for testers.
When will it be ready?
When it's done. Towards the end of October there will be a major milestone release that includes all the major functionality (and lots of bugs). Releases after that will depend on how the first round of testing goes.
How do I report a bug?
Send a clear explanation of the bug and a copy of the log dump to .