http://mute-net.sourceforge.net/ MUTE: Simple, Anonymous File Sharing

MUTE protects your privacy by avoiding direct connections with your sharing partners in the network. Most other file sharing programs use direct connections to download or upload, making your identity available to spies from the RIAA and other unscrupulous organizations.
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Ants display collectively intelligent behavior when foraging for food or fighting off predators. Each ant in the colony acts in a rather simple way, but together they end up doing something clever, like discovering the shortest path between their ant hill and a food source. MUTE's routing mechanism is inspired by ant behavior.
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MUTE is based on research, and experiments show that it works quite well. MUTE's ant-inspired routing is light-weight, robust, and adaptive. Results from experiments in real MUTE networks show that the collective behavior of MUTE nodes quickly finds the shortest (or fastest) routing path between two nodes on the network.
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"The RIAA just started bullying Internet users, but they've been bullying musicians for decades. By refusing to pay for major label (RIAA) music, we can usher in a more fair music business and keep the Internet free (as in freedom)."

--Holmes Wilson

Simple, Anonymous File Sharing

MUTE File Sharing is a peer-to-peer network that provides easy search-and-download functionality while also protecting your privacy.

MUTE File Sharing compiles as a fast, native application for many platforms (no Java, no Python, etc.).

News

(-) A new release of the MUTE 0.4.1 source code has been posted (the UnixSource-2 package). This package removes an unnecessary on OpenGL and GLUT. You should try this new release if you ran into OpenGL-related errors when compiling 0.4.1 in the past.

(-) A sha1 hash tool is now available for download. See the information below.

(-) We now have 12 new hostcaches online. You should update your MUTE node's list of caches for the best experience. See the instructions below.

[Older News]

The MUTE project is experimenting with new fund-raising models based on milestones. To read more about how creators can make a living post-copyright, see my essay, Free Distribution.

How milestones work:

I am always working on several projects, including MUTE. Some of these projects involve new ideas and are still in early development---these projects do not have websites of their own yet (in May of 2003, MUTE was one of these embryonic projects). Other projects (such as MUTE, Monolith, Silk, and Transcend) have already seen releases and have established websites. If I consistently tie fund-raising efforts to my established projects (for example, with milestones that involve adding new features to MUTE), I can never work on anything new.

In an attempt to deal with this issue, I am experimenting with a new use of milestones. First, I have opened up my (previously private) development process to public scrutiny through the publication of a worklog (unfortunately, the only catchy abbreviation seems to be "klog"). As I work, I add notes to this log about my progress. I only write about issues that are of interest to the general public---I do not log the tedious details of day-to-day coding and debugging. This log includes information about established projects, embryonic projects, and thought experiments that may never see public release. As an inventor, I explore lots of ideas before deciding to devote a year of my life (or more) to one particular idea. Second, I am proposing monthly milestones that are not attached to any particular task. The monthly fund-raising goal is based on my estimate of the amount of money I will need to support myself and my family during the month of project work (we spend roughly $27 per day as part of our $10,000 yearly budget). If you read my worklog and think my current pursuits are worthwhile, you can donate $5 to support my efforts. As always, the results of my work will be released for free under the GNU GPL. Furthermore, a public log containing of all of my unreleased ideas will be available to all.

The previous milestones were intended as a test, and the amazing success of the fund-raising effort demonstrated that the milestone model can work.

Version 0.4.1 released on April 18, 2005 (change log)
NOTE: Some SourceForge mirrors do not have 0.4.1 yet.
If you see an error in your download, please pick a different mirror.

Download	Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar)	2.7 MiB	version 0.4.1
Download	Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP	4.0 MiB	version 0.4.1
Windows users: try MFC MUTE (a nice Windows-only MUTE client)
Download	Unix Source (notes)	644 KiB	version 0.4.1
Language files are available.

MUTE is free software (released under the GNU GPL)

Technical Details -- Credits -- Translators -- Developers

Current list of host caches (updated December 25, 2005)

Edit your MUTE/settings/webHostCaches.ini file to have these caches in it:

http://mcache.firstlight.dk/mcache.php
http://webcache.mymute.info/mcache.php
http://mutecache.ath.cx/mcache.php
http://mute.frac.dk/mcache.php
http://mute.hotserv.dk/mcache.php
http://mute.nothingbutnoise.org/mcache.php
http://mute.icehosting.com/mcache.php
http://nms04.altervista.org/p2pstorm/mute/mcache.php
http://mcache.hackerszone.org/mcache.php
http://mute.zeug.us/mcache.php
http://devianthosting.co.uk/cache/mcache.php
http://mutefs.d3snetwork.com/mcache.php
http://mcache.guenever.net/mcache.php

You can also run your own host cache.

Various External Links and Services
Niels Sandholt Busch has released a MUTE client for KDE users:
http://kommute.sourceforge.net

Tobias Hansen has set up a MUTE forum and information page:
http://www.mymute.info

Markus Speckmeier has set up a MUTE Wiki and Forum:
http://www.planetpeer.de/wiki/index.php --- http://board.planetpeer.de

We are now running an official SourceForge-based mailing list, and the Yahoo-based list is now defunct. To subscribe, see the List Info Page.

People are discussing MUTE via IRC on irc.efnet.net:
#mute-net

People are discussing MUTE via Invisible IRC:
#mute

Someone has set up an online forum for exchanging MUTE file hashes:
http://mutehash.hopto.org If you want to look for a file that has the hash:
FB322F86DB95BE0670D06631EE27E83C5B64679A, simply type this in the search box:
hash_FB322F86DB95BE0670D06631EE27E83C5B64679A

MUTE uses sha1 hashes. To make hashes of your own files on Windows, download this tool (run from a command window). On Unix-like systems (such as GNU/Linux and MacOS X), you may already have an sha1sum tool installed by default. If not, you can compile sha1sum from source by downloading this package. MUTE info for Italian users:
[Website] [Forum]

Screenshots

MUTE File Sharing on Linux:

MUTE File Sharing on Mac OS X:

MUTE File Sharing on Windows:

Text-mode MUTE File Sharing on Linux:

They say, "DON'T EVER ANTAGONIZE THE HORN."
Their lips move, but no sound comes out.
Who really listens to the people on TV?

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