Infinit is a new simple file sharing app for OSX, using P2P | Hacker News Reader

Infinit is a new simple file sharing app for OSX, using P2P

techcrunch.com

42 pointsjbk13 comments

Another centralized service, sadly. I've decided that whenever possible, I will seek out decentralized solutions instead.

Looking for a decentralized, peer-to-peer file sharing and synchronization solution? I've been using BitTorrent Sync as a replacement for Dropbox, and so far I've been very pleased with it. Unlimited storage, no 3rd-party servers involved, and less CPU usage and UI lag than Dropbox. Did I mention that it's free? Check it out: http://labs.bittorrent.com/experiments/sync.html

The centralized bit is only for managing your contacts though right? The data would be peer-to-peer unlike Dropbox.

Genuine question, but what are the security implications for this other then being able to see who you have as your contacts?

Or is your preference of decentralized simply because you do not want to rely on a third party staying up and running?

loving it myself.

i am also using it for that weird category of data you need to transfer that isn't suitable for dropbox or git.

This is my list of P2P managed file transfer (and counting):

ShareFest: http://www.sharefest.me/ and https://github.com/peer5/sharefest

https://www.getshareapp.com/v2

http://www.jetbytes.com

http://host03.pipebytes.com/

http://www.filesovermiles.com/

There was an extremely similar attempt at this, worml [1] that failed dismally. While pretty enough, they never quite got the NAT transversal stuff nailed, so it looks like files are just uploaded in the clear to their server. Of course that's not mentioned on their website, but it's the behaviour I've previously observed.

[1]: http://plantbasedapps.com/

Sucks that it's still in a private beta. I wonder how long it takes for them to accept your invitation.

Also, for it would probably benefit from (if it already doesn't do it) giving some invitations so I can invite my friends to test it and use it. Otherwise I will not have anyone to test this with.

Disclaimer: I work for Infinit. Invitations will start being sent out in the next day or so. Each invitation comes with 3 invites so that you can begin sharing files with your friends. If you need more you can email support AT infinit DT io and we'll increase the number for you.

Can we get more information on the privacy and encryption aspects of Infinit? I like what you guys are doing but in light of all this NSA/PRISM hullabaloo, I'm becoming really cautious about what online services I use. Are your servers in Paris as well? I don't mean to put you on the spot or anything.

We don't store anything on any server. The data is encrypted locally and transferred directly from one device to another. We may use one of our servers to relay the information because of a failed direct connection between devices, but we don't store anything. Mathematically, Infinit cannot read the contents of the transfer because of the encryption. In addition, we don't store any personal information aside from email addresses and anonymous analytics relating to the file transfers.

It sounds like you guys are doing all the right things. Keep it up and you'll have many paying customers.

Might you have some idea of whenabouts Windows support will be arriving? I spend almost all my time with OS X, but some of the project partners are more Windows-based.

We're currently working on Windows. It should be done in a couple of months. In parallel, we're really making sure that the OS X application is solid. It's clear that this could be a constraint, but we'll do everything we can to push something out as soon as possible.

That's very good to hear! Thank you. Certainly, the current OS X offering does look beautifully refined - as simple as it ought to be, for the user, despite all the magic underneath.

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