As we wrote about previously, doing business on the Internet is different than doing business in the real world where physical limitations are the rule. Industrial Age centralized organizations held the power over consumers because they could maintain control over the distribution of their products and services, but in the Information Age, information and entertainment data files are easily copied and distributed by anyone that is able to access the files. A host of new web sites are springing up like wildflowers that facilitate P2P exchanges. And, there will be more. Individuals will have their own music swapping web sites as the enabling software becomes cheaper, better, and faster.
Every computer can become an Internet server.
Dozens of freely distributed programs are already available like HackSter, MyNapster, INapster, BeNapster, Macster, Gnapster, Snap, WebNap, Gnotella, and MyGnut. Linking millions of decentralized computers to share information will be the most democratic publishing model ever. The prospects for P2P commerce are astounding. If you have something to sell, you can make it available to the Lightshare users. If you want to buy something, the Lightshare program will search all computers on the network and return the requested information to the user.