Gnutella network to our frontends????

[Lilwolf]

http://www.gnucleus.com/

Well, they just added a new com component that will directly access the gnutella network.  What does this mean?  That creating a gnutella (P2P network like napster without a central server) would be a piece of cake!

So we could add the feature for all our frontends to (if our clients chose) add themself to a emulation only P2P (since you can choose the main server).  Then if you join, you can download roms from others and give them to others.

Think of how cool it would be if all our frontends joined the same network.  When a new version of mame comes out... why take all of some networks bandwidth, but fill up your collection automatically and also let others fill their in.

Seems like it would be sweet!

[romid]

That sounds very cool!

[Howard_Casto]

But the quesiton is if it became as popular as napster would we run into the same legal battles ragarding it.  It seems like a good idea, I'm just unsure at the moment.  

Regardless a client end software setup, similar to napster would have to also be developed for enough users to actually use the thing for it to work.  A lot of people use our fe's but I don't think there are enough to make a p2p work.  We would have to make a stand alone app for all mame (heck while your at it u64, zinc model2, ect)  users to have enough clients.  Also there would have to be some sort of filter in place which only allows emulated material, otherwise it would become littered with porn and videos of dragon ball z.  

I have enough on my plate right now, but I would love to see someone else tackle this..... I would also help if I could but on a limited basis.

[Lilwolf]

I kinda take the same feeling about it.  I think it would be really cool (especially if mame32 and a few others added it... then the P2P network would be pretty big)

[SirPoonga]

There are other problems too, like verifying the file you are getting has what you need.

[romid]

This seems simple enough, a CRC check could be posted by the client along with the filename.... In the same manner, files that dont have a CRC and filesize of valid mame roms would (could) be overlooked by the clients...

There are other problems too, like verifying the file you are getting has what you need.

[SirPoonga]

Sounds simple, doesn't it?  BUT you'd need the crc of the zip file for what version of mame you are looking for.
One, how would you get that?
There is no standard rom source.  If you download a  rom off a site (say crazy climber for this example).  The CRC may not be the same yet have the same files in it.  Say one person grabbed ccboot (needed in .65) form someone else and added that file individually to the zip OR another person used clrmame to generate ccboot, OR someone is running with merged sets!

It's actually a very complicated issue.

[wee beastie]

Some guys on the current affairs board at retrogames.com were doing something similar a long time ago.

You can go check it out if you like.  WARNING:  they are very crude group

[Howard_Casto]

Sounds simple, doesn't it?  BUT you'd need the crc of the zip file for what version of mame you are looking for.
One, how would you get that?
There is no standard rom source.  If you download a  rom off a site (say crazy climber for this example).  The CRC may not be the same yet have the same files in it.  Say one person grabbed ccboot (needed in .65) form someone else and added that file individually to the zip OR another person used clrmame to generate ccboot, OR someone is running with merged sets!

It's actually a very complicated issue.

I agree but it's not quite as bad as you say.  First off split, merged and half merged are irrelevant.  There are enough people that use each type to where you would be able to find it regardless.  Also there could be a simple, yet effective method of getting what you want.... The client reads dat files and you can only download things on your list (unless you override of course)  so if you want roms from say version .63 you need to have a .63 dat file installed before you can search for them.  The same goes for uploading... you can't upload a file unless you have a dat file of it made.  We could actully use the header of the dat file to help sort the roms during searches.  

There are other issues (like console roms are and always have been a mess and thus they would be out of the question). But I genuinely think it's possible.  It would just take a lot of work.