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Teen teaches Google to share
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CommentsG2G Share has only been around since November, but already has more than 7,000 users and 127GB of data. A PHP script logs into subscribers' Gmail accounts and makes a list of all the files there, then publishes them with links on the G2G Share Web site. Anyone who visits the site can search for and download any files they please.
"If someone wants to download a file at your account, the system accesses [it] and forwards the mail with the file," says Robbie Groenewoudt, the 17-year-old author of G2G Share. "Everything is done by the system and no user will ever see any passwords." Gmail's labels serve as file indexers, and mail account holders can specify which labels are shared on G2G and which remain hidden.
Users may not see login details, but Groenewoudt says he has access to that information. "I have written the encryption. The users will have to trust me, but then again, for what do I need their accounts?" Groenewoudt recommends that subscribers create a new email account specifically for G2G Share purposes.
Groenewoudt, a student in the Netherlands, says he created G2G Share because he knew many people who were already using Gmail for sharing files and backing up data. "I thought sharing files could be much easier," he says.
A quick search of the files reveals many that appear to be copies of commercial software from firms such as Adobe and Microsoft. For that reason, Groenewoudt fears Google will soon shut down G2G Share. "I would understand if [they don't] like this project. I'm waiting for their response."
Google did not respond to NewsForge's request for comment.
Tina Gasperson writes about business and technology from an open source perspective.
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on Teen teaches Google to shareNote: Comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for their content.
"I'm sorry but G2G Share is now closed. Google has let me know that this website is against their policy and I don't problems with Google."
They probably told him they'll sue him if he does not close it down "immediately."
I don't blame him for not wanting to get in trouble with the Google people<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:)
Smart idea though.
They probably told him they'll sue him if he does not close it down "immediately."
Or, this 17 year old could have been informed by Google that they do not wish to get into the "P2P copyrighted/RIAA/MPAA/etc" headache, and in a move just as altruistic as the original seems to be, took it down.
In fact, I use my gmail account mostly as a "mobile dump space" rather than official mail account and a sharing infrastructure could be a godsend (think: separate password-protected labels - almost an ftp server without having to keep your machine running 24/7).
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Posted by: Anonymous Coward on December 13, 2005 03:20 AMAnother interesting link is: <a href="http://www.rjonna.com/ext/gspace.php" title="rjonna.com">http://www.rjonna.com/ext/gspace.php</a rjonna.com> which is an extension for firefox regarding gmail.
What I hope to see is a system where a gmail account will automatically send files from itself to email addresses. Since google groups and yahoo groups (msn groups too?) are addressable as an email address you could have it send files to these groups. It would be a media content distribution system.
To make it so your ip address isn't banned I'd hope for a javascript version that would execute on public computers or visitors. Then the gmail account could send out it's files you've uploaded without you having to do anything.
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