Decentralization and peer-to-peer architecture
- Internet originally designed as a peer-to-peer system
- presently more oriented towards client-server (millions of users, interacting with relatively few sites
- peer-to-peer systems go hand-in-hand with decentralized system
- in a fully decentralized system:
- every host is an equal participant
- there are no hosts with special facilitating or administrative roles
- Central definition of concepts, thesauri, dictionaries and/or identification of central
repositories or authorities:
- is a long lasting and time consuming process
- sometimes aborts (unable to cope with different cultures or well established traditions)
- In a freely evolving environment, like the web, the most reliable sources become authorities