Chapter 2: Cruel Angel’s Thesis

Admittedly, when I first made the proposal for the thesis, I did not have a complete grasp of what I could achieve and how it fits into the world of computer science. Only that I wanted to provide a better networking solution. Three years later and I have finally seen the big picture. Now it’s time to drill down to the details and implement a proof of concept. I realize it has taken way too long, but I believe that it will be worth it in the end.

The goal of my undergraduate thesis is to provide a platform to develop on to achieve the end game. It might seem like a daunting task but I have been able to outline some basic requirements and the school doesn’t really demand a lot in terms of usability; only that it kinda works. There are three main points in the necessity to develop the platform. First is to create an overlay network in order to work with the data without much regard to the underlying network topology (Network Independence). Second is to enable sending and/or receiving data from a wide range of devices (Hardware Independence). Third is to enable connectivity across as many software platforms as possible (Software Independence). The thesis is entitled “A Fully Decentralized Peer to Peer Collaboration Interface Using JXTA”.

The objectives of the thesis are to:

• - Enable devices to easily share resources. Wherever, whenever.
• - Low-Cost, Scalable, Reliable alternative to Client-Server form of content distribution.
• - Secure Peer-to-Peer for everyone. No server, no administrator, zero-configuration.

The proponents must deliver a working prototype that is able to:

• - Connect devices without the need for a central server.
• - Transfer data between peers.
• - Enable peers to connect to each other dynamically and work in peer groups.

When these objectives were created, there was a critical component that seemed to be missing which was the security. At the time of conception, this was the least of my concern since the system was only meant as a proof of concept but this it seemed was a hindrance to complete the system concept. Through additional research and continued use of Facebook, I was able to fit in the last piece of the puzzle. The data should be able to verify itself, therefore identities of the creator of the data is necessary.

To be continued...