[p2p-research] P2P Email

[M. Fioretti]

On Fri, May 08, 2009 04:18:28 AM -0700, marc fawzi wrote:
> Gmail was down again today...
>
> When IPv6 is finally here all PCs and devices connected to the net
> will be able to reach each other DIRECTLY, in point to point
> fashion.
> Now it's impossible without jumping thru hoops, with a less than
> perfect success rate.

???

the only thing for which IPv6 would be needed is quantity, ie have
enough static IP addresses for every computer and then some.
Everything else you describe it's either built-in the IPv4 protocol
(path redundancy) or in DNS or already possible today. I and the lots
of other individual or businesses of any size who already run their
**own** mail servers **already** constitute, as a whole, "resilient
p2p email that does not crash unless the entire Internet goes down".

The reasons more people don't already do the same is a mix of cost,
real or perceived lack of skills, ignorance of the possibilities and
so on, but certainly not the lack of IPv6.

> So when IPv6 is finally here, and it's been ages (I wonder if it's
> held up because of its potential to disrupt centralized structures
> of power on the Internet)

What I've been sincerely wondering for months now is how it's possible
that a p2p-research and advocacy list, of all places, has so many
members "running" their own email with gmail, that is in the way which
is as far as possible from P2P ideals and suggested practices, a way
which relies on one huge provider with bunches of large, very
centrally managed data centers. I'm on tenths of lists and the
percentage of gmail addresses among, say, the 20/30% most active users
is far higher here than in any other of them.

With respect to IPv6 conspiracy theories, a few ipv6 related reading:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Google/?p=241 (google plans to become just an
IPv6 connectivity provider. Not sure how much this is worthwhile, but
funny food for thought at least)

http://www.isp-planet.com/technology/2002/ipv6_world_waits.html why
the IPv6 switch was seen a "colossal chore" in 2002, probably some of
the reasons are still valid today, then there's the crisis which makes
less money available...

Same for "The IPv6 mess": "Before clients can be safely deployed on
public IPv6 addresses, practically every server will have to learn how
to talk to those clients", http://cr.yp.to/djbdns/ipv6mess.html

Marco Fioretti
http://mfioretti.com
-- 
Your own civil rights and the quality of your life heavily depend on how
software is used *around* you:            http://digifreedom.net/node/84