EXeem
Encyclopedia
eXeem was a peer-to-peer
(P2P) file sharing
client
using the BitTorrent protocol
. eXeem was designed to replace the need for centralized
trackers (servers which co-ordinate the transfer of metadata
across a BitTorrent network
). It largely failed to achieve this goal, and the project was canceled and eXeem's network was shut down by the end of 2005.
eXeem was written in C++
using the open source libtorrent library for its bittorrent functionality.
. The company employed Andrej Preston, the founder of Suprnova.org
, as its spokesperson and public face of eXeem. Five thousand Suprnova.org users were selected to take part in a private beta test of eXeem before the public beta was released on January 21, 2005.
eXeem's developers expected to implement the following features:
Criticism of eXeem arose soon after it debuted and included:
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
(P2P) file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
client
Client (computing)
A client is an application or system that accesses a service made available by a server. The server is often on another computer system, in which case the client accesses the service by way of a network....
using the BitTorrent protocol
Communications protocol
A communications protocol is a system of digital message formats and rules for exchanging those messages in or between computing systems and in telecommunications...
. eXeem was designed to replace the need for centralized
Centralized system
In telecommunications, a centralized, or centralised system, is one in which most communications are routed through one or more major central hubs. Such a system allows certain functions to be concentrated in the system's hubs, freeing up resources in the peripheral units...
trackers (servers which co-ordinate the transfer of metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
across a BitTorrent network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
). It largely failed to achieve this goal, and the project was canceled and eXeem's network was shut down by the end of 2005.
eXeem was written in C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
using the open source libtorrent library for its bittorrent functionality.
Overview
eXeem was created by Swarm Systems Inc. which is located in Saint Kitts and NevisSaint Kitts and Nevis
The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis , located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island nation in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in both area and population....
. The company employed Andrej Preston, the founder of Suprnova.org
Suprnova.org
Suprnova.org was a Slovenia-based website which distributed torrents for various music and video files, computer programs and games. Started in late 2002 by Andrej Preston and for a while considered the most popular BitTorrent search engine, Suprnova.org closed in late 2004 after legal threats...
, as its spokesperson and public face of eXeem. Five thousand Suprnova.org users were selected to take part in a private beta test of eXeem before the public beta was released on January 21, 2005.
eXeem's developers expected to implement the following features:
- On-the-fly encryptionEncryptionIn cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
and decryption - Searching by file hashHash functionA hash function is any algorithm or subroutine that maps large data sets to smaller data sets, called keys. For example, a single integer can serve as an index to an array...
- Quality of ServiceQuality of serviceThe quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...
features - Proper Universal Plug and PlayUniversal Plug and PlayUniversal Plug and Play is a set of networking protocols for primarily residential networks without enterprise class devices that permits networked devices, such as personal computers, printers, Internet gateways, Wi-Fi access points and mobile devices to seamlessly discover each other's presence...
-support - User comments & ratings, but only when the file has been downloaded (to prevent fake ratings)
- Minimum limited upload rate (5 kB/s) to stop leechersLeech (computing)In computing and specifically Internet, a leech or leecher is one who benefits, usually deliberately, from others' information or effort but does not offer anything in return, or makes only token offerings in an attempt to avoid being called a leech...
.
Criticism of eXeem
- eXeem's for-profit operating model, including support through advertising (much akin to KazaaKazaaKazaa Media Desktop started as a peer-to-peer file sharing application using the FastTrack protocol licensed by Joltid Ltd. and operated as Kazaa by Sharman Networks...
) and a public beta that included HTML ads supported by CydoorCydoorCydoor Desktop Media is an Israeli adware company. Cydoor originally placed ads only in software programs such as Kazaa, but has now expanded into running ads on websites as an advertising network....
, which is widely considered to be spyware . Ads-free versions called eXeem Litehttp://www.exlite.pl/ and BIT eXeem were subsequently released, and eXeem later replaced Cydoor with WhenU from version 0.21 onward. - Closed source code development, in contrast with the open sourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
model followed by the most popular BitTorrent software, on which eXeem is based. - No initial LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
or MacintoshMac OSMac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
versions, with no ability to allow third parties to portPortingIn computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
the code beyond WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
(as eXeem is closed source). - Seacay was released as a Linux Client for the eXeem network when eXeem version 0.21 was released (see screenshot, right )
Network
The eXeem network used super-peers that were used to track torrents (as ordinary bittorrent trackers). These super-peers were also responsible for maintaining file lists, comments and ratings for part of the files in the network. When a peer that was tracking a torrent was closed or went down, a new peer was assigned to be the tracker for that particular torrent.External links
- eXeem 0.27 Beta download
- eXeem Review - SuprNova successor hands-on
- eXLite vs eXeem Lite – 2005-02-07 MP3 NewswireMP3 NewswireFounded in 1998, the same year as MP3.com, MP3 Newswire is the oldest active news site devoted to digital media technology. Notable for its series of essays that chronicled the rise of digital music and the Internet’s acrimonious relationship with the record industry, MP3 Newswire initially was...
article - Boing Boing posting and screenshots on eXeem
- News article on Slyck – includes partial transcript of Sloncek interview
- Spanish eXeem tutorial
See also
- Distributed hash tableDistributed hash tableA distributed hash table is a class of a decentralized distributed system that provides a lookup service similar to a hash table; pairs are stored in a DHT, and any participating node can efficiently retrieve the value associated with a given key...
(DHT) used in trackerless torrents - Peer exchangePeer exchangePeer exchange or PEX is a communications protocol that augments the BitTorrent file sharing protocol. It allows a group of users that are collaborating to share a given file to do so more swiftly and efficiently....
(PEX) used in trackerless torrents