Linux Mint Forums

idea when computers get faster and bandwidth is too expensive...

You download a byte size and checksum, your computer then makes files of that size until it hits the checksum, then you have the file without ever downloading it...

phonicboom,

Very interesting concept.

Fred

That's brilliant! Make sure Microsoft or Apple never read this, lest they steal it!

As I posted this idea on a few forums I have had various responses.

With adaptation there is a possible solution. We do not just send byte length and checksum, we also send clues.

We send the file type to be produced, the byte length, the checksum, the first and last few characters(?), a 1 or 0 to show if 1 or 0 is more common in the file, and well anything that would help the generating algorithm on the local computer to attempt more suitable guesses.

Like if I had a 6 sided dice in my hand I do not ask you (the algorithm) to bother with colours, numbers above 6, letters of the alphabet, animals, vegetables or politicians. I give you a much better chance of getting the answer.

So in the case of a file I say. It is a .png, 4370120bytes, checksum blablabla, starting with a 1 and mainly 1's.

..obviously I don't really know what I'm talking about but I feel the idea has legs if people add such ideas to the basic premise.



..

phonicboom,

I think you might actually have something there. It would take a lot of processing power to pull it off, but I suspect that will come in due time.

I would recommend you write up something formal, maybe with the help of an attorney and go to the trouble to get it published in some periodical or university journal. Keep a few copies in a lock box somewhere just in case. Who knows what the future may bring. It would be a shame for some big company like Microsoft to come out with something along those lines 10 years down the road and you not even get a thank you or cup of coffee for your idea. You would at least be able to keep it from being patented and the community not having access to it.

Fred

Hi Fred, I have been in this position before and stumped my chances of owning the idea by releasing it into the public domain.

I was told you must do all that before even letting your cat know you have an idea..

I wonder if I could just write the concept down and give it a GNU or CC licence so any work done in the future would at least have to be free and open?

Is there an attorney in the house?

phonicboom,

Can't help you with the legal aspects very much. Having had to deal with attorneys more than I wanted over the years, I can tell you they are a lot like women. They are expensive and a general pain in the butt, but they come in handy from time to time and as time goes by you find it increasingly more difficult to do without one, or two or three for some rich, brave souls.

Fred

Would this function be handled by the SPPH (self propagating package handler) which would be the front end for the PPE (package propagation engine)?

This could never be useful.

Take for example simple checksums where you just add the files. And lets say (base 10 for now) that the checksum is by favoriate number 43.

Possable combinations of 42 include
41+1
40+1+1
...
(42-n)+1*n

or
other easily representable forms from by head.
5*4+2
21*2
84*0.5
168*0.25
80*0.5+2

Although hashes or checksums are used to identify individuality of a file, it does not represent any particular representation of the file. Thus the algorithm used to create is answer is not reverse engineer-able.

Have you never heard the old saying, "hope springs eternal"? There is no forecasting what might be possible 10 years from now. A little dreaming never hurt anyone.

Fred

Fred wrote:Have you never heard the old saying, "hope springs eternal"? There is no forecasting what might be possible 10 years from now. A little dreaming never hurt anyone.

Fred

thanks Fred

An idea from else where is to provide;

checksum, byte length, a small part of the file.

...

Very good, I am going to steal this idea

-Bill Gates

Bill Gates wrote:Very good, I am going to steal this idea

-Bill Gates

Good, windows will build it's own trojans.