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I was reading about Google's Fiber installations, with first deployment in Kansas City. There's a controversy where the terms of service restricts what services can run on their Fiber network.
Some relevant items:
"Can I run a server from my home?
Google Fiber is intended as a residential Internet service. Our Terms of Service prohibit running a server."
Would running the bitcoin node on Google Fiber be considered to be a server, and thus prohibited?
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Google refers to server as a business grade hosting with a very different usage profile then personal use. This is not intended to catch someone using home server, but if a small business tries to power their rack of servers, then there is grounds for termination.
The Fiber Services are intended for the personal use of you and others with whom you share your residence (including, within reason, guests who are visiting you). You agree not to resell or repackage the Services for use by people other than those with whom you share your residence. If you wish to use the Google Fiber Services to provide Internet service to others, you must enter a separate agreement with Google Fiber that specifically authorizes you to do so.
Here are some common-sense rules that you should keep in mind when using services provided by Google Fiber:
- Your Google Fiber account is for your use and the reasonable use of your guests. Unless you have a written agreement with Google Fiber permitting you do so, you should not host any type of server using your Google Fiber connection, use your Google Fiber account to provide a large number of people with Internet access, or use your Google Fiber account to provide commercial services to third parties (including, but not limited to, selling Internet access to third parties).
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The Bitcoin client is not a server by the usual definition of a server. By definition, a server exists to provide a service to its clients. If the client is a server, what would be the client?
For example, Wikipedia says (emphasis added):
In pure peer-to-peer systems the entire network consists solely of equipotent peers.
This describes the Bitcoin network.
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i find it stupid that one limits what one can do with the internet. There is no need to pay an extra few thousand a month just to get rid of the terms of service which prohibit the use.
Comcast prohibits use of servers, but many still host servers on their network.
So this means i cant put up a multiplayer game to play with friends? Most games have the ability for one to host a game by using their own computer as the host, in order to play mods or to not be interrupted by other random people joining the game.
Whether or not google says they prohibit it, many still will attempt and be successful to host a long term server on their network as google spreads their availability throughout the usa.
Unless they portscan every customer and check for open ports on the customers network every day and night, they will not find anyone who may be hosting a server. And port scanning can take a long time depending on the number of ports that they check.
i couldnt just be limited to viewing videos, and loading web pages. You wont be taking advantage of the gigabit speeds you are provided. And for one thing, providing a server does not have to be commercial, have any income (make money) or be widely popular. As a server can be limited to just small things, such as playing a quick game with friends or sharing a bit of information over FTP rather than having to upload the data, then have them download it making the file transfer a bit longer.
