browsing uploading hosts

[sdiverdi]

I'm getting frustrated with people connecting long enough to search and then disconnecting so I get about a meg or two of some file downloaded and then requery sent. Currently I'm providing a lot of popular files for sharing, and I leave LimeWire running 24/7 with a max upload of about 45kbps. I figure it's worth doing my part.

My idea was to maybe take advantage of the fact that people are downloading from me, by trying to download from them. Since I know they're getting a 700mb file from me, they'll be connected for a while - it seems reasonable then that I try to download files from them since they're more likely to stick around.

I've noticed there's a Browse Host feature on the search results window, but I can't find something similar in the monitor uploads window. I've tried typing the ip:port directly into the search any type filename field, but haven't had any success. Is there a way to manually specify the ip address of a host to browse? Is this a feature other people would find useful? Does this seem reasonable? I'm still pretty new to p2p file sharing, so help is very much appreciated.

-steved

[Julie Z]

It's a very good idea and it was posted in the New Feature Requests. But never responded to by any LimeWire developers on whether or not it could/would be implemented.

[trap_jaw]

It could be done.

[Julie Z]

Originally posted by trap_jaw
It could be done.

But, will it be done?

[sberlin]

almost definitely... sometime in the future.

[sberlin]

just fyi -- it definitely works. i've modified stuff on my end and now have a working copy that lets me browse uploader's files.

there are problems with it tho -- namely, there is no definitive way of knowing whether or not someone who is uploading from you supports a 'browse host' request. i've fudged it by saying 'if they support chat then they support browse-host', but that's not really the best way of doing it.

also, if the user is firewalled, there's no way of getting through to them. it's possible with downloaders & search results because you have the GUID of the remote servent, so you can send a push request. but you don't have that with an upload, so it's an all-or-nothing shot.

adding a "search a user's files" would use the same basic concept, but requires some sort of UI to let the user type in the host & port... will think on how to do that.

i'm gonna send the patch off to the limewire team shortly..

[trap_jaw]

That's what http headers are for. Why not let the host you are downloading from know your GUID and whether or not you allow browse host...

Another feature you might add would be browsing hosts from chat windows. - So far LimeWire's chat feature stays well below its possibilities, anyway.

[sberlin]

it wouldn't really be useful to send the guid in an HTTP header. pushing works (as i understand it) by the clients storing tables of who routed them what GUID.. so, if i send a browse-host push-request to any of my connections, they haven't necessarily seen the GUID of this host, and the push request would be rather futile.

that said, sending the browse-host status would be useful... but i didn't want to get into specs and also because there's a lot of hosts on the network that currently do support browse-host but wouldn't send the header. maybe in the future the header will be added, and after a bit of time when it settles in, it'll make more sense to look at the header instead of something else.