Why isn´t RS successful?

[phigotten]

I think noobifying it just a touch would help, not TOO much though!

Also the successful implementation of groups (sharing certain files with certain friends etc) would be a major draw imo. It's all that's stopping me from switching over full-time from the utterly stagnant Gigatribe...

[Dumbledore]

IMO the VOIP feature is the most important thing to make RS more popular. For me, F2F is a great thing but I'm searching for an Alternative to Skype, too.

[csoler]

These two improvements are on the list of high priority features to implement. The second one will be a plugin while the first one will be part of the main executable.

[Gurge]

First of all, RS isn't succesful because nobody knows F2F. If you know what you are looking for you finde RS very fast.

The second step, you need friend who are able to share there files. The main problem, the upload is to small. The next problem they have all files on a extern hdd. If you finally find two you get connected. But its confusing:
- What is the difference between Trust margina and full?
- Why i need an e-mail and a nickname?
- What are Channels and Forums for? Why another message system... next to icq, twitter, facebook, jabber, skype, teamspeak, steam, other social networks
- why i upload always the file so fast and start again the normal speed?
- why i have always trouble to change the temp folder? (lasttime my friend changed because c: was just full. After that my friend was not able to connect to somebody... he uninstalled ...)
- how can i delete my friend who deinstalled or have a new key because they forgot the password.
- why is the speedmeter always 10s behind?
- why is a tcp connection faster as a udp connection?
(I know the answers - well not the last two - but that a questions i get ask, when i try to find new friends

I think its a nice software. There is no better out there. But there are still some big issues. All friends with windows have a lot of trouble with the stability on windows. My main RS ins running on ubuntu without any trouble.

On my mac i actually have no problems. I always read in ther forum its not working. Just download and start. (ok i copied my privat key from ubuntu, maybe that is the solution?) Ok i can not search on mac, the input box is just to small to enter somethink. But i dont need the search, i just browse the files.

RS dont need, Voip, games what ever. It just needs to be become stable and easier to setup and its fine. The Internet is becoming faster and faster and soon or later ipv6 will solve the connection problems hopefully.

[defnax]

RS dont need, Voip, games what ever. It just needs to be become stable and easier to setup and its fine. The Internet is becoming faster and faster and soon or later ipv6 will solve the connection problems hopefully.

We need Voip, or Video Chat... some other importend features are planed.
We are working hard to get rs stable, and we are developing on our free time.
rs will is not only a filesharing application, its a secure communication platfrom.

[Gurge]

We need Voip, or Video Chat... some other importend features are planed.
We are working hard to get rs stable, and we are developing on our free time.
rs will is not only a filesharing application, its a secure communication platfrom.

I know its your free time, like most of all open source projects. Thanks a lot.

Well in my opinion i don't see the reasons for a Voip and Video Chat, but that is my opinion.

[FranciscoMiralha]

One reason could be that it doesn't work/connect very well.

I've been trying to connect with two friends one on a mac the other pc... The macman gave up on trying to get the gpg working and went to an old pc, I also tried on my mac to get retroshare to work but the gpg is a dog and won't work...

We are all installed with working gpg on win 7 pc's now and tho we have swapped keys etc we still can't actually connect to each other.

I'm here looking for answers, your average user wouldn't even bother... either it works or it doesn't, and if it doesn't most won't waste time trying to flog a dead app into starting...

*** I agree 100% with you

The idea of RetroShare is just fantastic, but the "connections" must work.

Lots of efforts should concentrate on making ADD_FRIEND really work, because it's very frustrating when you add a friend and it just not connect (event inside a LOCAL NETWORK, 192.168.0.xxx addresses, with 5 windows vista machines).

I think the GUI it's already good (very good). Now it's type to make connections work - this part of the RetroShare idea is not good, needs to bem solved. It must bem SIMPLE and easy. And it must work.



I'm here to help.
Best regards
Francisco

[demaniak]

We wont want mix anything with RetroShare.

RetroShare will be stay to use with Friends or Friends of Friends and not more.

I support this position 100% - RetroShare is NOT Vuze/eDonkey/eMule/Limewire/FrostWire/GNUtella/etc-etc
It is built on different principles and technologies - that is what makes it different, and imho, better and safer.

Keep up the good work RetroShare crew.

Cheers.

[rndbit]

I say its not successful because it doesnt work. Yep, you hear me right..

I managed to get RS connect to other RS instance which was running on... Localhost. How cool is that? Tried to get it working with a friend, surely without udp hole punching we could not reach each other. Nowdays almost anyone is behind NAT (in my country certainly everyone). Dont know about you guys.. But ISPs of my country and USA (my friend is from there) are not keen on giving much power to home users. So in short - we are behind NAT and we cant change s**t.

So what is use of application that cant connect to anyone..? :\


However if there was UDP holepunching support added - much more people would use it because application would actually work. Be it bad for privacy and stuff, but it would at least work. Besides i dont see much harm if someone logged that i connected to some other ip. Communications would still be encrypted so i wont care.

However... As much as i would like RS im forced to look for alternative. Too bad tho, i really dont wanna.

just my 2 cents...

[nutpantz]

security is far more inportant than any other aspect of f2f.
sure voice over ip is nice.. but this is not a voip app
sure ease of use is nice, but not at the price of losing security
and sure retroshare is not prefect.
but it is the best thing i have found so far and the only thing really lacking is an updated pgp.
please dont give up security for frills that are not required to f2f sharing or the community that
retroshare supplys.
it is not very successful at the moment becasue there are a number of ways to share files online
but with megaupload gone and others going fast i hope many forums will go to retroshare or f2f style
for community sharing of information.