Could this be the beginning of the underground "net"

P2P takes Internet out of the Equation

Just got this in my inbox and thought it was quite the nifty idea. All open source so it is user customizable. Requires NO internet to run and it's strength is in numbers...

Maybe it is the beginning of the new "underground" technology. Although originally designed to aid corporate workers across a P2P network in conferencing and collaborating it can be set up between peers on existing framework regardless of NET cards or OS.

I find this to be a rather interesting idea and definitely worth exploring. In the event that the Internet becomes privatized as many believe it will...this may be a handy technology to have...



Edit to add the link to the POPEYE Project Home Page

And just a reminder it IS based on WIRELESS ad hoc networks...meaning it can piggy back on existing networks (so to speak) without need for the internet or ISPs and OS compatibility. This really is awesome!!

Key features include:
* dynamic peer connection/ disconnection
* multi-hop peers communication
* distributed data sharing and persistency
* dynamic workspace management
* dynamic context management and security

and more...as it is open source it is an extremely flexible application and technology...not without quirks and bugs of course but it could be the way to by pass a lot of monitoring and censorship as well as the possible privatization of Region Specific Intranet and Internets. (IMO they will impose regional restrictions across the board in the coming years - look at Australia as a prime example)

[edit on 11/7/2008 by justgeneric]

POPEYE project website is here

Source Code here

Awesome beyond words, great find, thanks!





[edit on 7-11-2008 by warrenb]

laymen here, but wouldnt that just mean more cables for the LAN's to connect to other LAN's? as far as need based programing goes though, that is awesome. open source rocks socks!

This is the thing, while the web of inter-platform connectivity becomes more and more intricate, Newer, smaller and less commercial global networks will begin keep springing up through cheap or even free hardware.

While the Internet as we know it now becomes more and more commercial and monitored, these new networks are the evolution of the web and will guarantee the freedom of data distribution that is coming to an end on this net.

if you read the article it clearly points out that they are using PDA's and laptops.
Which, in layman terms means wireless connectivity via bluetooth, infra red or other wireless technology.

I've never seen anyone try to link up a group of PDA's to sync or share anything using wires...they do it via wireless.



of course you will need to have a wireless card of some sort, otherwise no fun for you.

[edit on 7-11-2008 by warrenb]

Originally posted by warrenb
of course you will need to have a wireless card of some sort, otherwise no fun for you.

[edit on 7-11-2008 by warrenb]

i guess my question is what good is the wireless card if it cant connect you to the internet? and by that i mean how else would it interface with others?

I understand the possibility of using bluetooth to connect 2 separate off grid LAN's and stuff but doesnt that technology at some point interface with the "web"?

It does require an existing network. However that network can be anywhere and belong to anyone "theoretically". The connections require only a wireless capability (in whatever device you use the POPEYE application on) and one or more peers using the same interface (or program) (which would be POPEYE)

The same way your cell can connect in a free wireless hotspot, or your PDA or Laptop.

If you had three people all running the POPEYE application say one on a blackberry, another on a web enabled cell phone and one on a laptop - they could communicate, share files etc etc without being connected to the internet.

They only need the common program POPEYE to relay info via the network already in place.

POPEYE is the "interface" - or communication language.

Any existing network is the "mode" to transfer.

It's the same as setting up two home computers to each other via wireless and sending data back and forth... you set up the permissions and the transfer occurs without use of the internet...the two computers are linked by a common program over the existing network.

If the actual end-user application is as simple as installing POPEYE on various devices this could be HUGE in no time.

Great Find

An intranet on the internet. With no additional hardware costs to add to what most already own.

I will be following this, Thanks.

For anyone looking for more in-depth info the glossary gives good examples of how it's used and what the "terms" are in as far as the application goes.

Also check out the link for "authorization & authentication" here and it will help explain a bit about how POPEYE will interface within and across an existing network.

Glossary - working copy

Additionally if you are interested in up to minute and the very latest in gadgets and gizmos and all things Geek/Tech...you might want to subscribe to this newsletter (it's where I got the info for the POPEYE project )
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excellent thread on underground web!!!!
I think it will only be a matter of time and we will all have to become hackers to access what we know take for granted

reply to post by must be a way


I was going to say the same thing, isn't this whole idea going to make it too easy for hackers to take control? There have got to be plenty of safety concerns.

Looks like Janet (Internet 2) is akin to the POPEYE project...P2P ina big way across an existing network.

Who'da thunk it huh?

The G20 of the internet have been working on this for some time. Looks like more an more people coming to the same kinds of conclusions.

The speeds so far are 100X faster than current standard (for the Janet Net), so it's safe to assume the same could be applied to POPEYE once functional and in mainstream.

Very cool.

Race for the New Internet

reply to post by jitombe


o, the safety would not be affected, it would be just as going online - as long as you have an antivirus and good firewall etc - you can go for it. However, I would prefere the wired networks as the wileless frequencies are not fully tested on biological organisms - we just know the bees dissapeard , and wi-fi could be a cause of this..
However- going back to the issue - you just need to install an extra network card into this system, should parallel the Internet. Sure you could also be kind and if you have Internet to provide some service to the LAN (local area network) for the users to have