The Circle is a scalable, decentralized peer-to-peer application that is open source.
Key Features:
- The Circle facilitates sharing of files, instant messaging, and chatting in IRC-style, personalized news service, and proxy Debian package downloads.
- The application was written in Python and runs on Linux and Windows platforms.
- It is incredibly scalable with an innovative decentralized hashtable, or "Chord" that allows users to search for files in logarithmic time based on keywords.
- Privacy is a significant feature of the Circle that allows users to post anonymized content like Freenet. However, the file-sharing protocol is not anonymous and may reveal the user's IP address.
- To protect users' privacy, The Circle has a Digital Rights Management system that allows users to choose which authorized users can download their files. Unauthorized users have access only to the names of the files, not to their content.
- It is worth noting that The Circle's privacy feature is not applicable when trying to share snuff or child pornography, which are seen as contentious issues, quite separate from the debate over copyright.
The Circle requires Python 2.2 or higher, GTK+ 2, and Python-GTK 2, which is compatible with their respective versions. The application will likely work on any system that supports Python. Users can optionally use the Pyogg and Pyvorbis packages, "depending on distributions."
Overall, The Circle is an excellent application that ensures privacy, scalability, and an untraceable network for users.
Version 0.41c: N/A