hyperdrive.el: Peer-to-peer filesystem in Emacs
Joseph Turner, https://ushin.org xmpp:discuss@conference.ushin.org (XMPP MUC for USHIN discussion), joseph@ushin.org
Format: 40-min talk followed by live web conference Q&A
Discuss on IRC: #emacsconf
Status: Waiting for video from speaker
Description
This talk explores hyperdrive.el, an Emacs interface to hyperdrive, a peer-to-peer shared filesystem.
Peer-to-peer networks give you the freedom to choose your sources of information and to communicate directly with them. Emacs is a freedom-respecting text editor/operating system that puts you in the driver's seat. By bringing these two worlds together, hyperdrive.el aims to inspire deliberation about digital communication freedom.
Hyperdrives are peer-to-peer shared folders, well-suited for data that changes over time, like personal blogs. It complements Bittorrent and IPFS, which work best with unchanging data, like journal archives.
Here's a scenario: Alice creates a new hyperdrive and adds some files. Her computer returns a public key URL that uniquely identifies the hyperdrive. Alice shares that URL with Bob, who can then download Alice's files directly from her computer. No third-party servers are required to route the connection.
Data is distributed among peers; once Bob has loaded Alice's files, Carol can get them from Bob (or anyone else who has a copy) even when Alice is offline. Drives are mutable; when Alice adds/removes/changes files in the drive, Bob can refresh her drive on his machine to get the latest changes. Drives are versioned; anyone with the URL can "check out" prior versions of Alice's drive to see what her files used to look like.
Currently supported features in hyperdrive.el include:
- directly edit hyperdrive files
- dired-like directory view
- org-mode link support
- version history navigation/diffing
- built-in bookmark.el integration
- local directory mirroring
- audio/video streaming
Planned features include:
- peer discovery (swarming)
- diffing directories between versions
Check out the manual for installation instructions!
You're welcome to join our public XMPP chat room!
- xmpp:discuss@conference.ushin.org (Join anonymously from your browser)
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Bugs can be submitted to the ushin issue tracker. Patches, comments or questions can be submitted to the ushin public inbox.
Questions or comments? Please e-mail joseph@ushin.org