WinMXWorld Is a Big Vicious Monopoly

Many times GhostShip and the some of the staff at WinMXWorld have tried hammering in the fact that they do not have a monopoly over WinMX, and that they do not control it. This folks is a complete load of rubbish.

First we need to take into consideration the sheer number of users that use the community patch or a modified version of Eagle's patch. At least 90% of the 40,000 network base uses their patch. If that's not enough of a shock to prove that GhostShip's spouting off about how they don't have control is nothing but a big lie I don't know what will get through to you.

Why this market share matters:

The block-list is the main cause for concern when dealing with this monopolistic situation. As there were a few comments to my previous blog post that clearly had no understanding of how the WinMXWorld blocklist works and is different than say Peerblock let me explain that.

PeerBlock is 3rd party software that you CHOOSE to install, and CHOOSE which ip address ranges are going to be blocked from connecting to you, or you connecting to them.

The block-list built into the WinMX "community" patch is managed by someone who has already shown that they are willing to abuse it for even the simplest reasons as disagreeing with certain files being shared on a supposedly "decentralized" network. The block-list is automatically turned on with no simply way of turning it off unless you can somehow manage to navigate to your WinMX folder and figure out how to turn it off in a confusing configuration file.

How you receive the block-list:

When you open up WinMX, it first contacts one of their peer cache servers operated via sub-domains via following main domain names.


winmxworld.net, winmxcache.com, winmxconex.net, winmxcache.net, winmxconex.com, mxpie.co.uk.

Each sub domain leads to one of the following cache servers. You can view a live list of the current active cache servers by clicking here.

Your patch then asks for primary nodes to connect to, and it also asks for a block-list that contains a list of ip address ranges to not allow connections to/from or receive any search results from.


Where do the cache server's get their block-list?

This is where the sheer corruption happens. Each cache server run by a WinMXWorld drone gets a blocklist from http://www.winmxworld.com/block/cache_list.txt

As WinMXWorld is run by GhostShip, he is able to put whatever ip-address ranges he wishes into that file, which then gets propagated to the cache servers, which then hand it out to the actual WinMX users. This can be considered a full monopolistic regime with supreme control over pretty much the complete network. If GhostShip does not agree with you, he can simply snap his fingers, and you're blocked from the network.


The great lengths GhostShip goes to to keep his control:

This control comes with a price. And guess who is getting the bill? The innocent WinMX users. Have you ever thought about why the community patch has never been updated in the almost THREE years it has been released? It's simply due to the fact that if they were to implement new features that actually benefit the network and its users, they would not have as much control over it, and their website would no longer be as relevant.
 

Possible decentralization of the WinMX network:

The WinMX network could easily be modified to become near completely decentralized. Upon installing WinMX for the first time you would only need to contact the cache server once for a list of primary nodes to connect to, and never again, ever. As the WinMX protocol itself is able to discover new valid primary nodes by itself, the need for cache servers would be completely non-existant, and we would never have to worry about cache servers going down again.

So why was this idea that was thought up years ago never implemented? Well the answer is actually the benefit of this system. It removes the need for cache servers. And without cache servers, WinMXWorld loses their superior control and becomes less relevant. So when this idea has been given to GhostShip multiple times, he simply shrugs it off as rubbish, nonsense, and might call you an anti-WinMX terrorist attacker.

Why should the WinMX network suffer because some vile, sick, old man with a mental illness wants to maintain his "popularity". The destruction of the WinMX network is not worth wanting to stay popular. This isn't a popularity contest.... get a clue GhostShip.

While he has in fact announced his fake "retirement" he still manages to ruin and corrupt the entire network for all us users. The cache operators, domain owners all listen to what he says, and never question his authority. Even when he has in fact "retired". What a sad, sad old man.

What happens when you question GhostShip's authority?

Whether you disagree with his policy of the monopolistic reign on the network, or you are simply trying to discuss a new feature idea to better the WinMX network, the only response you will get from GhostShip is that you are an idiot. He will talk down to you like you're worthless. He will call your idea complete and utter nonsense. Unless he specifically thinks up a brilliant idea (which obviously has never happened since nothing new has been added to help the network in the past three years), he will ignore you, and eventually befriend you as he has done the vast majority of WinMX programmers.

So I ask you to please think about this. How can you sit here criticizing me for sharing the truth with you guys. I understand you may be still partially blinded by GhostShip's smoke and mirrors, but speak and think for yourself for once. He is a cancer on this network. He needs to be removed before we can get better. Sacrificing the well being of 40,000 users is not worth one greedy old man's mental illness.

I sure hope Me Here (LadyRay) is alive...