Editing Gnutella (section)

== History ==
The first client (also called Gnutella) from which the network got its name<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/AOLs-Nullsoft-creates-software-for-swapping-MP3s/2100-1023_3-237974.html|title=AOL's Nullsoft creates software for swapping MP3s|work=CNET|access-date=2017-04-13|language=en|archive-date=2015-04-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415020210/http://news.cnet.com/AOLs-Nullsoft-creates-software-for-swapping-MP3s/2100-1023_3-237974.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.afterdawn.com/software/network/p2p_clients/gnutella.cfm#description|title=Gnutella|last=AfterDawn.com|work=AfterDawn|access-date=2017-04-13|archive-date=2017-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414081208/http://www.afterdawn.com/software/network/p2p_clients/gnutella.cfm#description|url-status=live}}</ref> was developed by [[Justin Frankel]] and [[Tom Pepper]] of [[Nullsoft]] in early 2000, soon after the company's acquisition by [[AOL]]. On March 14, the program was made available for download on Nullsoft's servers. The event was prematurely announced on [[Slashdot]], and thousands downloaded the program that day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slashdot.org/story/00/03/14/0949234/open-source-napster-gnutella|title=Open Source Napster: Gnutella - Slashdot|website=slashdot.org|date=14 March 2000 |access-date=2019-03-24|archive-date=2019-03-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324202943/https://slashdot.org/story/00/03/14/0949234/open-source-napster-gnutella|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/|title=CNN - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos|website=CNN|access-date=2019-03-24|archive-date=2000-06-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000620180259/https://www.cnn.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[source code]] was to be released later, under the [[GNU General Public License]] (GPL); however, the original developers never got the chance to accomplish this purpose.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/gnutella.html|title=Regarding Gnutella - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation|access-date=2015-03-17|archive-date=2015-03-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316094719/http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/gnutella.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The next day, AOL stopped the availability of the program over legal concerns and restrained Nullsoft from doing any further work on the project. This did not stop Gnutella; after a few days, the protocol had been [[reverse engineering|reverse engineered]], and compatible [[free and open source software|free and open source]] clones began to appear.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Schell|first1=Bernadette Hlubik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f26uXP_QIaQC&q=This+did+not+stop+Gnutella%3B+after+a+few+days%2C+the+protocol+had+been+reverse+engineered%2C+and+compatible+free+and+open+source+clones+began+to+appear&pg=PA137|title=Webster's New World Hacker Dictionary|last2=Schell|first2=Bernadette|last3=Martin|first3=Clemens|date=2006-09-05|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-04752-1|language=en|access-date=2020-10-02|archive-date=2023-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117212319/https://books.google.com/books?id=f26uXP_QIaQC&q=This+did+not+stop+Gnutella%3B+after+a+few+days%2C+the+protocol+had+been+reverse+engineered%2C+and+compatible+free+and+open+source+clones+began+to+appear&pg=PA137|url-status=live}}</ref> This parallel development of different clients by different groups remains the ''[[modus operandi]]'' of Gnutella development today.

Among the first independent Gnutella pioneers were [[Gene Kan]] and [[Spencer Kimball (computer programmer)|Spencer Kimball]], who launched the first portal aimed to assemble the open-source community to work on Gnutella<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-239060.html|title=Programmers help "Napster" clones take off|work=CNET|access-date=2017-04-13|language=en|archive-date=2015-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416121148/http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-239060.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-942180.html|title=Gnutella pioneer Gene Kan dies|work=CNET|access-date=2017-04-13|language=en|archive-date=2015-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416120216/http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-942180.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and also developed "GNUbile", one of the first open-source (GNU-GPL) programs to implement the Gnutella protocol.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stearns.org/gnubile/|title=gnubile file listing|website=stearns.org|access-date=2017-04-13|archive-date=2016-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422095301/http://www.stearns.org/gnubile/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://underpop.free.fr/g/gnutelladev/source/gnubile.html|title=The source code for Gnubile|website=underpop.free.fr|access-date=2017-04-13|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080332/http://underpop.free.fr/g/gnutelladev/source/gnubile.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Gnutella network is a fully distributed alternative to such semi-centralized systems as [[FastTrack]] ([[KaZaA]]) and the original [[Napster]].  The initial popularity of the network was spurred on by Napster's threatened legal demise in early 2001. This growing surge in popularity revealed the limits of the initial protocol's scalability. In early 2001, variations on the protocol (first implemented in [[proprietary software|proprietary]] and [[closed source software|closed source]] clients) allowed an improvement in scalability. Instead of treating every user as client and server, some users were now treated as ''ultrapeers'', routing search requests and responses for users connected to them.

This allowed the network to grow in popularity. In late 2001, the Gnutella client [[LimeWire]] Basic became free and open source. In February 2002, [[Morpheus (file-sharing software)|Morpheus]], a commercial file sharing group, abandoned its FastTrack-based peer-to-peer software and released a new client based on the free and open source Gnutella client [[GnucDNA#Gnucleus|Gnucleus]].

The word ''Gnutella'' today refers not to any one project or piece of software, but to the open protocol used by the various clients.

The name is a [[portmanteau]] of ''[[GNU]]'' and ''[[Nutella]]'', the brand name of an Italian hazelnut flavored spread: supposedly, Frankel and Pepper ate a lot of Nutella working on the original project, and intended to license their finished program under the GNU General Public License. Gnutella is not associated with the [[GNU]] project<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/gnutella.html|title=Regarding Gnutella (www.gnu.org)|access-date=2015-03-17|archive-date=2015-03-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316094719/http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/gnutella.html|url-status=live}}</ref> or GNU's own peer-to-peer network, [[GNUnet]].

On October 26, 2010, the popular Gnutella [[client (computing)|client]] [[LimeWire]] was ordered shut down by Judge [[Kimba Wood]] of the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York]] when she signed a [[Consent Decree]] to which recording industry plaintiffs and LimeWire had agreed. This event was the likely cause of a notable drop<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388627,00.asp |title=Indie Labels Sue LimeWire Over Failed Copyright Deal |author=Chloe Albanesius |date=18 July 2011 |work=PC Magazine |publisher=Ziff-Davis |quote=In the wake of the LimeWire shutdown, the percentage of U.S. Internet users who access P2P file-sharing services dropped about 7 percent from [its] all-time high in 2007... |access-date=19 March 2012 |archive-date=2 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202131044/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388627,00.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> in the size of the network, because, while negotiating the [[injunction]], [[LimeWire]] staff had inserted [[Backdoor (computing)|remote-disabling code]] into the software. As the injunction came into force, users who had installed affected versions (newer than 5.5.10) were cut off from the [[Peer-to-peer|P2P network]]. Since LimeWire was [[free software]], nothing had prevented the creation of [[Fork (software development)|forks]] that omitted the disabling code, as long as LimeWire trademarks were not used. The shutdown did not affect, for example, [[FrostWire]], a fork of LimeWire created in 2004 that carries neither the remote-disabling code nor [[adware]].

On November 9, 2010, LimeWire was resurrected by a secret team of developers and named [[LimeWire Pirate Edition]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372412,00.asp |title=Report: LimeWire 'Resurrected' by Secret Dev Team |author=Chloe Albanesius |date=9 November 2010 |work=PC Magazine |publisher=Ziff-Davis |access-date=19 March 2012 |archive-date=12 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712164112/https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372412,00.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> It was based on LimeWire 5.6 BETA. This version had its server dependencies removed and all the PRO features enabled for free.