[Tech] New Freenet feature proposal

[Yves Lempereur]

The problem:

Freenet is slow. Loading a freesite from an activelink takes a long time, and when you finally get the HTML file, it takes even longer before you see the graphics (assuming you get to see all of them). If you then navigate to a secondary page of that freesite, odds are that it won't even load.

The problem isn't one of bandwidth, but one of latency. For each file that is needed, one or more key(s) must be retrieved, and for each key that is needed, a little "roamer" is sent out on the net to visit each and every node (within a radius) one by one, hoping to run into the sought after key and come home with it. This takes a long time. I therefore submit that, because of this, it takes much longer to retrieve ten 10KB files than it takes to retrieve one 100KB file, it's the nature of the beast. Furthermore, since it takes ten little roamers to retrieve the ten keys and only one to retrieve the one key, it causes ten times the traffic on the net, compounding the problem.

A solution:

JAR files. Take the few HTML files and the few graphic files that make a freesite, pack them in a .jar file and insert it at a "/site//" type URI. URI's like "/site//index.html" and "/site//images/activelink.gif" would retrieve the .jar file and extract the target file.

The advantages:

1. you only need to retrieve one file to render a complete freesite (including secondary pages).
2. by doing so, you replicate the whole site, not just the page(s) you visited.
3. activelinks replicate the whole site as well.
4. the .jar files are compressed, improving DS usage and transmission times.
5. insertions are faster and more efficient.
6. chatter on the net is reduced dramatically.
7. using real .jar files leverages existing technology in the JDK.
8. users could even use the jar tool to create them (until insertion tools get smarter).

A few things to keep in mind:

1. the .jar files should be kept under 1MB to keep them from splitting (and for practical reasons).
2. freesites should not include files for download in the .jar files, instead they should be inserted separately and linked to by CHK.
3. .jar files not accessed through a "//" URI should simply be retrieved.
4. users can still use other methods if they prefer (maps/manifests).

This simple feature has the potential to greatly improve Freenet's worst perceived shortcoming.

Yves Lempereur


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