Fileshare Networking

June 15, 2004 6:40 PM

CleverCactus Share Combine the social networking aspect of Orkut and Friendster with the filesharing aspect of programs like Kazaa and WinMX, and you get clevercactus share. Get the RIAA off your back by only sharing file folders with people you actually know. Throw in encrypted transfers and platform-independency as a bonus. General Public release is scheduled for tomorrow, but you can sign up and start today.
posted by quasistoic (73 comments total)

Disclaimer: I haven't had the chance to actually share files yet, as none of my friends have signed up, but it looks really promising.

For a little more insight, read this post in Diego's weblog.

I've been following Diego's work since the alpha version of "Spaces" back in 2002, an email client which is based on similar ideas to Gmail's labeling and searching principles. I believe clevercactus share evolved somehow from Spaces.

If anyone would like to test out the service with me, let me know.
posted by quasistoic at 6:49 PM on June 15, 2004

I'd definitely be interested. Email's in my profile.
posted by yerfatma at 6:58 PM on June 15, 2004

Same here. I'm downloading now, and email is in my profile.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:04 PM on June 15, 2004

Ditto. I'm testing out my shiny new gmail account for this. tsibley at the likely place.
posted by thebabelfish at 7:19 PM on June 15, 2004

Ah... I've been close to hitting AskMe for a closed P2P thingie several times.
posted by scarabic at 7:21 PM on June 15, 2004

Done and done (and, on preview, done). What say you we take this baby for a spin?
posted by quasistoic at 7:23 PM on June 15, 2004

Not cool. The Linux installer doesn't work. I'll fix it. But it'll take time, precious precious time. Damn.
posted by thebabelfish at 7:29 PM on June 15, 2004

sounds like Nullsoft's old WASTE darknet app, which is still alive and awesome, by the way. the thing just emits l33tness. clevercactus looks a bit more user-friendly though.
posted by lotsofno at 7:29 PM on June 15, 2004

is it mac-friendly? if so, i'm in.
posted by amberglow at 7:33 PM on June 15, 2004

So far, downsides I have noticed:

1. no per-user upload limitation, only a global upload limitation
2. It seems that I need to restart the app to show new contacts.

I've emailed diego about this. I'll post if I get a reply.

On preview: There's an OS X version listed on the download page.
posted by quasistoic at 7:35 PM on June 15, 2004

i'm in : > i'm amberglow there.
posted by amberglow at 7:41 PM on June 15, 2004

It's Panther-friendly, but not Jaquar-friendly. Grr....
posted by grabbingsand at 7:50 PM on June 15, 2004

They need to change their About page. It says it is invitation-only. Well, I invited myself from the main page.
posted by Gyan at 7:51 PM on June 15, 2004

In case it happened to anyone else, I had to change my password from my invite code before I could login to the app. How do you add/ invite existing users?
posted by yerfatma at 7:53 PM on June 15, 2004

Another downside: transfers restart if you disconnect/reconnect.

Then again, that's not such a problem if both users have always-on connections...and since it's people you know, you're more likely to let them know when you're disconnecting and vice-versa.
posted by quasistoic at 7:54 PM on June 15, 2004

Gyan: the proper release isn't scheduled until tomorrow, so it's still supposed to be invite-only.

yerfatma: The same way you invite users who aren't a part of the service. Just make sure to use the right email address, and if they're already a part of the network, it'll let you know, and they'll get an approve/disapprove email. (I'm using the email address clevercactus@ the domain in my profile.)
posted by quasistoic at 7:58 PM on June 15, 2004

i sent you an email invite, yerfatma...see if u get it (to gmail)...is there an easier way to add people?
posted by amberglow at 7:59 PM on June 15, 2004

oh, stick some stuff in your folders...i did...we'll test this baby.
posted by amberglow at 8:00 PM on June 15, 2004

What's to keep the RIAA from hiring moles within the system, getting themselves in a position of trust, and then, at some point, calling "gotcha" on a bunch of people. They could even give moles a wealth of material to work with and permission to distribute it for this purpose, making them easily more popular in the sharing network.

I guess you could limit your sharing to people you actually know well from the real world. But I already know how to do that.
posted by weston at 8:04 PM on June 15, 2004

Because a person in the system has to be accepted by you. On top of that, you select which files to share with which users, so the level of security is up to you.
posted by yerfatma at 8:08 PM on June 15, 2004

weston: who's to say I'm not the mole. Maybe you're the mole.

Mole alert! Mole alert!

*waves hand* "These are not the moles you are looking for." /jedimindtrick

Really, though, this is the first program I've seen that lets you specify who you want to be able to look through specified folders on my desktop. Sure, I could FT a song to a friend of mine through AIM, but they can't look through my folders to let me know it's there. Sure, I could use the ftp section of my website, but I'd rather not waste the limited server space/bandwidth that I pay dearly for.
posted by quasistoic at 8:10 PM on June 15, 2004

Go ahead and add me, guys. desjardins(at)gmail.com
posted by Evstar at 8:11 PM on June 15, 2004

doing it now evstar...everyone else, set up a folder to share, or a file for a test.
posted by amberglow at 8:16 PM on June 15, 2004

me too! :) jnewland at gmail.com
posted by slhack3r at 8:18 PM on June 15, 2004

i can't see anyone else's stuff. what's up?
posted by amberglow at 8:20 PM on June 15, 2004

I have the installer figured out, but must sleep. I'll join the party around noon tomorrow.
posted by thebabelfish at 8:26 PM on June 15, 2004

amberglow: I know diego has said that firewalls should not be an issue, but it's a possibility. Keep on truckin'.
posted by quasistoic at 8:27 PM on June 15, 2004

well, since thebabelfish has hit the sack....any success stories with the linux installer? i'm downloading it now
posted by slhack3r at 8:33 PM on June 15, 2004

Sweet! could you add me as well?

legal(at)riaa.com


thx!
posted by Kwantsar at 8:33 PM on June 15, 2004

well crap. i'll check in tomorrow. no luck with the linux installer here either. and i'm way too intoxicated to be fooling with shell scripts.
posted by slhack3r at 8:39 PM on June 15, 2004

clevernixxoncactus (at) blankspace (do t) org

"I am not a mole"
posted by nixxon at 8:41 PM on June 15, 2004

my email address is hitler (at) gmail.com. you may add me if you like.
posted by angry modem at 8:46 PM on June 15, 2004

I'm having trouble confirming an additional e-mail address (clever cactus doesn't like the link it sent me.) I signed up using my main e-mail account, not the one I have listed here. If you want to add me, I'm mlnjr (that's right, just remove the Es from my MeFi name) à comcast dot net. I'm hoping to be able to add my Gmail account soon.

Mmm, mole sauce.
posted by emelenjr at 8:49 PM on June 15, 2004

angry, do you have that ultra-rare 78, "Love Songs of the Reich"?
posted by anathema at 8:53 PM on June 15, 2004

you know, a lot of people had the last name Hitler in Germany, besides one guy who liked to pain flowers.
posted by angry modem at 8:58 PM on June 15, 2004

paint
posted by angry modem at 8:58 PM on June 15, 2004

Kwatsar: I tried to add you, but I got the following error message:
"doo Doo DOO
message 3oh567
The email you have attempted to contact is not in service. Please check your subpoena and try again."
posted by quasistoic at 9:14 PM on June 15, 2004

Mee too! Me too!

blasdelf at gmail dot com
posted by blasdelf at 10:16 PM on June 15, 2004

My username there's Ben. Email in da prof.
posted by Tlogmer at 10:18 PM on June 15, 2004

I'm [my mefi username] at gmail dot com, add me! Please.
posted by drezdn at 10:43 PM on June 15, 2004

I'm [my mefi username] @ [my mefi username] .ws
And I'd love to be added, and have plenty of stuff... :)
posted by woil at 11:07 PM on June 15, 2004

I am also [my mefi username] @ gmail.com ( thanks again to vacapinta for the gmail hook up) Please help me share my wealth.
posted by addyct at 12:06 AM on June 16, 2004

I'd like to sign up with a gmail account but, alas, I've never been invited. Does anyone have a spare invite? My address is my meta filter name at hotmail. Thanks!
posted by gfrobe at 12:53 AM on June 16, 2004

From Diego:

"Regarding the per-user upload limit, you're right. I'll add that feature to the upcoming list. That said, you can set the upload limit in the preferences to something higher and **theoretically** it should load-balance, sending out things to more than one user if possible. Let me check this though.

Regarding the show new contacts (mentioned in mefi) you can do Edit/Sync contacts. Other things mentioned in mefi like transfer-restart issues will be fixed, as we'll be adding resume/pause features fairly quickly (they are in progress)."

I hadn't noticed the "Edit>Sync Contacts" menu option, and that should save me from quite a few program restarts in the future.

He also mentions that he (and his team?) is (are?) actively working on putting out a new release with "some improvements" later today (Wednesday).

He was even cordial with me about outing his release early. What can I say? I couldn't wait to share the wealth.

gfrobe: Read the last few comments in this post.
posted by quasistoic at 1:23 AM on June 16, 2004

me three!

graventy at gmail
posted by graventy at 3:56 AM on June 16, 2004

me 4 please!

sijeka at hotmail
posted by Sijeka at 4:26 AM on June 16, 2004

I'll have to check this out again tonight with the larger user base. I had some trouble last night with Evstart queuing up files that never got sent to him. Is there a way to force the files to start transferring?
posted by yerfatma at 4:30 AM on June 16, 2004

yerfatma: I had a simliar problem when trying to get files from one of my friends last night. It resolved itself, though -- actually, I think one or both of us had restarted the program for the resolution. I have a feeling the "Edit>Sync with share web" method might be able to resolve that problem, also, but I haven't had the chance to try.
posted by quasistoic at 4:37 AM on June 16, 2004

Has anyone figured out how to change their password? By the way, you can add me if you like:
share (at) folkhop.com
posted by Outlawyr at 5:51 AM on June 16, 2004

feel free to add me!

yeahyeahyeahwhoo
jeb-at-ltmr.net

this is great, i love this sortof stuff, ive been running WASTE for a while
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 7:54 AM on June 16, 2004

me too please- I'm in the book.
OSX version seems to be humming along so far.
Now that I synched w/ Share Web this morning I can see some of y'all in there...about half of my attempted contact adds fail, though.
posted by obloquy at 9:51 AM on June 16, 2004

For Linux: Download the shell script (share_linux_beta.sh) and my shell script to the same directory. Run my shell script to start the installer for Clever Cactus Share.
posted by thebabelfish at 10:54 AM on June 16, 2004

This looks like fun! I have lots of spiffy movies I want to share. Go ahead and add me: marblevideo at yahoo dot com.
posted by beth at 11:25 AM on June 16, 2004

oooh yah thank you thebabelfish! i'm messing around with the windows client right now at work but i have nothing to share so it's no fun...i'll install on linux as soon as i get off work :)
posted by slhack3r at 11:35 AM on June 16, 2004

Folks - it doesn't work if you don't stay online!

Has anyone actually successfully transfered a file yet? I've been waiting for people to get online so I can try it...
posted by woil at 11:38 AM on June 16, 2004

woil, according to my list, YOU'RE not on line. So there are some bugs.
posted by Mayor Curley at 11:43 AM on June 16, 2004

And on my side, neither of you is online. Interesting.
posted by addyct at 11:52 AM on June 16, 2004

yeah i dont see anyone as online, either on my home PC or my public-IP-address work machine, so i think its a bug, there is a thread regarding it on the brand new forum:
http://www.clevercactus.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12

hoefullly some answers or fixes will pop up shortly
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 11:55 AM on June 16, 2004

thebabelfish successfully downloaded a file from me, but I have not had such luck yet. I'm at work now but left the app open at home.
posted by obloquy at 12:05 PM on June 16, 2004

completely close it and reopen. I just did and I can see a bunch of you now.
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:07 PM on June 16, 2004

Yup, I've added a million people and no one shows up as being online. Bummer.
posted by Outlawyr at 12:09 PM on June 16, 2004

i knew it was impossible for there to be no internet-addicted mefites to be online. i never doubted you guys. maybe when i get off work things will be working.
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 12:14 PM on June 16, 2004

i left it on when i left the house, so it should definitely show me as online...I both gave and got last night, and will try again tonight, when i get home...Try that synch thing to update your lists.

everyone add me to your lists, and make sure to designate a sharing folder with stuff in it--i had to do it individually for each contact on my list. : >
posted by amberglow at 1:03 PM on June 16, 2004

I actually successfully downloaded a file, but for the most part this app is acting flakey. I plan on staying online non-stop, so feel free to grab the goodies if you can get it working.

share (at) folkhop . com
posted by Outlawyr at 1:07 PM on June 16, 2004

It's hard convincing my girlfriend to let me leave the computer on, but I will... Hopefully you guys can get something good.
posted by drezdn at 2:27 PM on June 16, 2004

drezdn - same issue with my wife. Do what I did, get your monthly electric bill and figure out what your computer costs to run for 24 hours (power supply watts/1000) * est. system load * ($/kwh) * 24.
Figure out how many movies you can download in that time, and compare the price to going to the video store and renting a movie. In my case, I can get 3 -4 movies in a 24 hour period, which would cost me around 1500 yen to rent. Running the PC for that time period costs me about 150 yen.
posted by bashos_frog at 3:28 PM on June 16, 2004

Well I've been trying to stay online, except that my normally very stable box seems to have crashed when I walked away.... Hope they patch soon.
posted by woil at 4:40 PM on June 16, 2004

sorry Mayor--try now
posted by amberglow at 4:59 PM on June 16, 2004

i want a cool @gmail.com account... lol.

i invited myself on the clevercactus site last night, didn't get the email.
hook me up? corey [atsymbol] fhase [period] net
posted by y0bhgu0d at 8:11 PM on June 16, 2004

I won't be able to add anyone until at least a week and a half from now, but if someone wants to invite me (wolfson-at-gmail.com), that'd rule. I promise I have the l33test music collection.
posted by kenko at 9:47 PM on June 16, 2004

finally getting the folders to stay shared was tricky, it seems to be working now (unless its crashed since i left). downloaded a few modest mouse songs...
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 8:21 AM on June 17, 2004

Hey, is anyone going to log on and use it?
posted by amberglow at 11:16 AM on June 19, 2004

ah, this thread made them release it early.
posted by amberglow at 6:52 PM on June 22, 2004