ROADMAP

ROADMAP
=======


Stage 1

* Basic server

  * Server asks for a document from all connections, one connection at
    a time, with timeout.
  * Server assumes enough resources to keep track of all hashes and
    connections.
  * Customizable hash function.
  * Maximum document size.

* Basic client

  * Handles text/plain, text/html.
  * Documents are <HTTP-like header, '\n', binary document>.
  * No hash blacklisting.
  * No disk storage.


Stage 2

* Extend server with:

  * Ask for documents on multiple connections simultaneously (e.g.,
    three connections at the same time).
  * Do not ask for documents exhaustively to all connections.
  * Drop hashes and connections to conform to a given resource
    consumption level.

* Extend the basic client with:

  * Console showing received and stored documents.
  * Handles thout://hash_function/hash URIs.
  * Hash blacklisting, meaning certain documents known to the user can
    be explicitly refused to be stored.
  * Pluggable handling of MIME types.

* (New) Node.js client

  * Serves documents from a particular folder. It is intended to work
    together with a regular HTTP server folder.

    * This process is quite complex, as internal URIs need to be
      changed to thout://hash_function/hash URIs.

      For example: 
      * Page index -links-to-> pages A, B, C
      * Page A -links-to-> pages B, D
      * Page B -links-to-> page C, A, index
      * Page C -links-to-> page D, index
      * Page D -links-to-> index

      The graph needs to be made into a tree, by dropping some nodes:
      * Page index -links-to-> pages A, B, C
      * Page A -links-to-> pages B, D
      * Page B -links-to-> page C
      * Page C -links-to-> page D
      * Page D

      Then topologically sorted: {D, C, B, A, index} and hashed in
      order with the links changed to thout://hash_function/hash
      links.
      
  * Also caches in memory a number of documents for the thout network.


Stage 3

* Extend server with:

  * Capability to become a gateway, connecting to another server.
  * Needs to be able to detect search cycles and break them.

* Extend client with:

  * Capability to connect to multiple thout servers, bridging between
    them.

* Extend Node.js client with:

  * Capability to serve documents to multiple thout's servers,
    bridging between them.
  

Stage 4

* Freenet add-on:

  * Bridges between freenet and thout.
  * Each freenet node is then potentially a thout node.


Stage 5

(When node.js handles asynchronous crypto.hash with buffers)

* Add to client and server the possibility to stream video.