Quote:
Originally Posted by drjones
Just to nitpick here, but these programs do not allow anyone to use another companies bandwidth "for free", even though thats the popular line from the ISP's.
Any consumer using Skype, P2P etc is choosing to use the bandwidth THEY pay for, for those purposes. ISP's are in a tight spot, because they still build their networks and oversell their bandwidth based on 1990's internet usage patterns.
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Sorry to pick your nit, but the bandwidth you receive in your contract with your ISP cannot be resold or redistributed in any manner, read the T&C of your ISP. You will be shocked.
Also, the obvious fact is clear: Without this type of distributed network, none of these things would exist. Therefore it is clear that they are entirely dependant on using bandwidth for free. In some cases, Skype users have thier machine turned not only into a data passing facility, but a major node for lookups and searches. So your machine and your ISP's bandwith are being used for commercial purpose without permission. Nice.