Idea: Exchanging notes on files

Search results could carry "notes" metadata where users can add distributed 
notes to files - to search results as well as to shared files. 

I can think of two ways to spread this metadata efficiently (at the moment): 

Firstoff: What's a note: 
- Metadata on a file added by users in the p2p app. 
- Can contain multiple data from different clients (i.e. identified by GUID). 
- Several notes can be collated into one without duplicating data (if both 
notes contain the same data, the resulting notes will have the same data as 
each one of the collated notes). 


1) If a client received a query result with "notes" data, it could contact all 
those who also returned a result with the same hash and send them the notes 
of the others (which aren't already in the note). If all notes have the same 
data, it shouldn't contact them. 

- Advantages: 
	* Happens instantly. 
	* Notes spread for files which people search for. 

- Disadvantages: 
	* Danger of high load due to note updating (shouldn't be too high, because as 
soon as the notes are synchronized, there shouldn't be note change connects). 


2) The clients in a download mesh exchange all notes additionally to 
exchanging the file. 

- Advantages: 
	* Exchanges with servents while stablishing the Download Mesh (no need for 
new protocols, just adding another information to already exchanged data). 
	* Network load is reduced to the files the users actually download. 
	* Notes are available mostly for files which really get downloaded -> No 
sudden limitless connection surge. 
	* Notes could simply be put into TCP headers -> backwards compatible. 

- Disadvantage: 
	* Note exchange is slower. 
	* Files which don't get downloaded don't exchange notes - adding notes for 
search results only works if you download the file afterwards -> Will spawn 
fake download attempts to spread the note. 


I tend toward the first way to exchange notes, because it is faster and it 
makes it possible to add notes for files I don't download (for example clear 
spam) - it seems to be more what people might expect from adding a note. 

The second way has the advantage of only allowing notes when people actually 
check the file (for example notes could just be added to running or finished 
downloads - one usage would be a "cancel and mark as spam" button). 


What do you think? 

Does it sound interesting and useful? 

Are there any glaring weaknesses or errors? 

Do you have comments on an actual implementation? 

Arne

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