Bram Cohen: I wrote BitTorrent while sitting in my living room, unemployed, in my underpants

American programmer and author of the BitTorrent protocol.

Bram Cohen

is an American programmer best known as the author of the peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol BitTorrent, as well as the first file sharing program to use this protocol, also known as BitTorrent. He is also the co-founder of CodeCon and organizer of the San Francisco Bay Area P2P hackers meetup and co-creator of Codeville.

Early life and career[edit]

Cohen grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, the son of a teacher and computer scientist. He claims to have learned the BASIC programming language at the age of 5 on the family Timex Sinclair computer. Cohen took the American Mathematics Test to qualify for the United States Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) while he was attending Stuyvesant High School in New York City. He is also a graduate of the Hampshire College Summer Mathematics Program. He graduated from Stuyvesant in 1993 [1] and attended SUNY Buffalo. He later dropped out of college to work for several dot-com companies in the mid-to-late 1990s, the last of which was MojoNation, an ambitious but ill-fated project that he worked with Jim McCoy.

MojoNation allowed people to split sensitive files into encrypted chunks and distribute those chunks to computers that also had the software installed. If someone wants to download a copy of this encrypted file, they will have to download it from many computers at the same time. This concept, according to Cohen, is ideal for a file sharing program, since programs like KaZaA take a long time to download a large file since the file (usually) comes from a single source (or "peer"). Cohen developed BitTorrent to be able to download files from many different sources, thereby speeding up download times, especially for users whose download speeds are faster than their download speeds. Thus, the more popular the file, the faster a user will be able to download it, since many people will download it at the same time, and these people will also download data to other users.

Cohen claims to have Asperger's syndrome [2], based on self-diagnosis. [3]

Donald Knuth

Author of the fundamental monograph “The Art of Programming”, professor emeritus at Stanford University. Donald Knuth's academic work covers all areas of programming and is relevant to this day. The author began work on the four-volume “The Art of Programming” in 1962, and promised to release the fifth volume in 2022. While writing the book, Donald Knuth created the TeX computer publishing system. It continues to be the standard for all forms of scientific communication and publication.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee

The first and only programmer elevated to the rank of knight. Created HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), a protocol that helps exchange data between a web resource (a browser, for example) and a web server. Tim Berners-Lee now heads the Alliance for Affordable Internet. The organization's mission is affordable and fast Internet for everyone.

Author: Paul Clarke James Gosling

Created the object-oriented programming language Java. James Gosling also developed the NEWS distributed computing technology, with the help of which a computer network integrated into a computing system can solve difficult problems. He was also one of the developers of Google search engine algorithms.

Photo source: liquid-robotics.com

BitTorrent [edit]

In April 2001, Cohen left MojoNation and began working on BitTorrent. Cohen presented his new ideas at the first CodeCon conference, which he and his roommate Len Sassaman created as a showcase event for new technology projects after becoming disillusioned with state of technology conferences. It remains an event for those seeking information about new trends in software, although BitTorrent continues to claim the title of "most famous presentation."

Cohen wrote the first implementation of a BitTorrent client in Python, and many other programs have implemented the protocol since then.

In the summer of 2002, Cohen collected free pornography to lure beta testers to use the program. [2] BitTorrent gained fame for its ability to quickly share large music and movie files online. Cohen maintained that he never violated copyright law by using his software. [2] Despite this, he openly states that the current media business is doomed to become obsolete, despite RIAA and MPAA legal or technical tactics such as digital rights management. In May 2005, Cohen released a trackerless beta version of BitTorrent.

In late 2003, Cohen had a short career at Valve, working on Steam, their digital distribution system introduced for Half-Life 2

. [
quote needed
]

By 2004, he left Valve and formed BitTorrent, Inc. along with his brother Ross Cohen and business partner Ashwin Naveen. In 2012, he announced a beta version of BitTorrent Live for television broadcasting over the Internet. [4] In the fall of 2022, Cohen left BitTorrent, Inc. to co-found Chia.Network. [5]

BitTorrent and MPAA[edit]

By mid-2005, BitTorrent, Inc. was funded by venture capitalist David Chao of Doll Capital Management, and in late 2005, Cohen and Naveen struck a deal with the MPAA to remove links to illegal content on the official BitTorrent website. The deal was concluded with seven of America's largest studios. The agreement means that the site will comply with the procedures outlined in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. [6]

Hatred of computers and programming

“I don’t set up computers, I think they just have to work.
This is my approach to them. I want to spend zero time on setup, configuration, etc. In this sense, I don't like them. I love programming. I do something quite annoying, programming in Python, I don't create anything on my computer, I just use a text editor and a virtual control system. This is the only thing I touch. I refuse everything that involves the slightest use of the built-in API, I try to avoid the real mechanics of working with data as much as possible, doing exclusively pure programming.” “Computers are a real evil, I hope that in the future they will become more convenient and better, and I, in turn, will do everything possible for this.”

“I played with cars, construction toys, etc., but around the same time I learned to read, I also learned to program. These two skills have always been at about the same level my entire life. Just as I could read, I programmed.”

“They expect me to have some kind of firm position on content issues, they expect me to have some kind of position that I defend, but there is none. My goal is to get beats from point A to point B."

“The truth is, almost all the knowledge you acquire in college can be gleaned from books, from the situations around you. In today's world, you can find any book you need, read any information on Wikipedia, or just find a way to learn something on your own."

“I created BitTorrent myself, with my own hands, on my old computer, without the support of a business empire that I would lead. And I believe that this is how I should continue to work and live in general.”

Personal life[edit]

As of 2008, Cohen lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, United States, with his wife Jenna and their three children. [8]

Cohen's hobbies include creative origami and juggling up to five balls, but his main interest is recreational mathematics. Cohen blogs [ citation needed

], where he frequently discusses confidence metrics with Raf Levien, as well as monetary systems, games of skill, and other mathematics-related topics. He is also an enthusiast of assembly puzzles. [9] [10] He designed several puzzles, including some in collaboration with Oscar van Deventer, including several gear-based puzzles such as Gear Shift [11] and several variants of the Rubik's Cube called Bram's Fortress. [12] Some of Bram's puzzles are available for 3D printing through Shapeways. [13]

Bram Cohen has come up with a new accessible type of mining... on hard drives!

BitTorrent developer Bram Cohen has published new whitepaper that provides an environmentally friendly alternative to the computing process involved in energy-intensive Bitcoin mining.

The method, called “proof of space,” relies on disk space rather than computing power as the primary resource for mining (the process by which new transactions are added to the blockchain). This is an environmentally friendly and more cost-effective alternative to the usual proof-of-work.

In March, Cohen sought development assistance from CoinDesk, resulting in the release of a white paper this week.

The long-titled document, "Beyond Hellman's Time-Memory...", outlines the use of "proof of space" to create a mining process that requires less energy (and natural resources to produce it). Due to the reduction in energy requirements, as well as the use of pre-existing hardware, the proposed method aims to make mining accessible to any user with a computer.

As the document explains:

“The idea is to use disk space as the main resource for mining - instead of mining calculations. Since millions of users have a significant amount of unused disk space (on laptops, etc.), using this space to power the blockchain will result in “zero” wastage of resources.”

In a proof-of-space system, miners allocate a portion of their unused disk space to the network: the probability of successfully mining blocks is proportional to the amount of disk space allocated and inversely proportional to the overall network throughput.

In addition to Cohen, the white paper thanks as authors Hamza Aboulal, Joël Alven and Krystof Pietrzak from the Institute of Science and Technology of Austria, Danilo Hilko from ENS Paris and Leonid Reizin from Boston University.

However, it remains to be seen whether the document will serve as the basis for the creation of a new cryptocurrency, although Cohen told CoinDesk in March that he does not see the need to create a new one.

“Rather, there should be no need [to launch new coins],” he said, adding:

“But I have a new basic idea for mining.”

Want more news? Facebook. Fastest? Telegram and Twitter. Subscribe!

#bittorrent #CoinDesk #proof-of-work #white paper #bitcoin #etherium

• Hey, you
  Sell ​​your $BURST, life will never be the same.
  https://www.facebook.com/app_scoped_user_id/887319788082042/ Alexandr Konkin

  Exactly.

Links[edit]

1. Cohen, Bram. "Summary" . Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
2. ^ abc Thompson, Clive (January 2005). "The BitTorrent Effect". Wired. Retrieved March 18, 2006.
3. ↑
   Roth, Daniel (November 14, 2005). "The Abundant Kingdom". Luck . pp. 91–96. Retrieved November 6, 2006.
4. BitTorrent Inc. (2011). "BitTorrent Live JukeBox". BitTorrent Live BETA
   . BitTorrent Inc. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
5. Constine, Josh (November 8, 2017). "BitTorrent Inventor Announces Green Bitcoin Competitor Chia". TechCrunch.
6. ↑
   Gentile, Gary (November 23, 2005).
   "Hollywood hopes BitTorrent deal will reduce illegal movie downloads". Information week. [ permanent dead link
   ]
7. ^ ab "Energy-efficient Bitcoin rival Chia rises with A16Z and plans mini-IPO". TechCrunch
   . Retrieved February 15, 2022.
8. Susan Berfield (October 15, 2008). "Bram Cohen BitTorrent is not limited by Asperger's". Bloomberg Businessweek
   . Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
9. ↑
   Bram Cohen (7 May 2012).
   “PTS sucks.” Bram Cohen's blog
   . Bram Cohen. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
10. ↑
    Jason McIntosh (June 21, 2009).
    "Bram Cohen's Puzzle Shop". Game shelf
    . Game shelf. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
11. ↑
    Oscar van Deventer (October 9, 2010).
    "Gear shift" . Gear shift
    . YouTube. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
12. ↑
    Oscar van Deventer (25 August 2012).
    "Bram's Fortress". Bram's Fortress
    . YouTube. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
13. ↑
    Bram Cohen (August 25, 2012).
    "Bram Cohen Puzzles". Bram Cohen puzzles
    . Shapeways. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
14. "Wired 04/12: 2004 Wired Rave Awards". Wired.com. January 4, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
15. "2005 Young Innovators Under 35: Bram Cohen, 29". Technology Review. 2005. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
16. "Special Issue: TIME 100". Time
    . April 10, 2005
17. "Usenix Stug Award". Usenix.org. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
18. "Big Report - Internet Evolution 100". Internet evolution. Retrieved November 11, 2011.

More to read

Bram's website - bramcohen.com

• Dark Matter of the Internet
• I2P – Invisible Internet Project
• The Men Who Stole the World (article translation)
• It's our fault... Deal with it
• What does the world's torrent traffic consist of?
• OneSwarm is a fully decentralized peer-to-peer network
• Facebook started using BitTorrent
• Interview with the creator of the BitTorrent protocol
• BitTorrent turns 12 years old
• History of The Pirate Bay
• Decentralization: What services already exist?
• Hyperboria: How it all works
• Piracy is the engine of progress. Scientific research in the field of uncontrolled copying
• The creator of BitTorrent is going to destroy television in its current form
• YouTube on torrents
• Torrent puzzle. About Bram Cohen, creator of the BitTorrent protocol
• Bram Cohen's Revolution
• Quotes in English

Finally, two quotes from Cohen:

• print(sum(x for x in range (1, 1000+1) if x% 3 == 0 or x% 5 == 0))
• “There is no society so properly constructed that it does not require people to be good.”

Dismissal of managers

In October 2016, the payment of the guarantee bill became due. DJS was unable to pay. Then the DCM fund, which previously owned a stake in BitTorrent, paid DJS's obligations, which allowed it to obtain a controlling stake in the company and three seats on the board of directors. “The first thing the new board members did was fire their incompetent co-leaders,” Hampel writes.

CFO Deepak Joshi was appointed interim head of the company. BitTorrent closed its Los Angeles and San Diego offices, cut staff again, and shuttered the Discovery Foundation.

Almost everyone I talked to had a different opinion about the reasons for the company's failures: infighting, wasteful spending, strategic mistakes.
But they all agree on one thing: Cohen has developed excellent technology. — Jesse Hampel

“The lesson to be learned from this story is that sometimes technologies are not products. And certainly not companies. It's just damn good technology. For example, Vint Cerf did not create a company like Google, although he helped invent the TCP/IP protocol on which the Internet is based. To succeed, a startup needs two great ideas: how to come up with a good product, and how to sell it. One without the other guarantees failure,” writes the Backchannel author.