File-Sharing System Using Gmail

GShare - A Proposed File-Sharing System Utilizing Gmail

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What is GShare?

When you sign up for a gmail account, Google provides you with over 2 gigabytes of space. How can they possibly expect you to fill this void with emails? The simple answer is, they don't. To help fill these gargantuan accounts I have designed and implemented a file-sharing system that works consistently and is virus-free (unlike others such as Kazaa and eMule) utilizing Gmail's massive storage capacity.

The file-sharing system is based on what is known as a virtual file system built around gmail. The virtual drive system creates a 'virtual' drive on your system. Using the software Gmail Drive, you can create a virtual hard drive on your computer whose files are actually stored on a gmail account. The proposed file-sharing system hinges on the concept of everyone having access to the same gmail account and Gmail Drive - once someone uploaded a file to their Gmail Drive, it would be available to everyone who had access to the account. Better still, you would be guaranteed the file would be available and that your download would be fast because you are downloading directly from Google's servers, unlike other file-sharing programs where files must be downloaded from multiple unreliable sources at slow speeds.

The proposed file-sharing system is actually ready to start accepting new users. To get in on GShare (the file-sharing system's name), download Gmail Drive, install, and log in as gsharebyjpez with the password sharefiles. To help create a diverse selection of files, please contribute to GShare by uploading your own personal files for others to download. To download a file, simply drag it from your Gmail Drive to your desktop. To upload a file, simply do the reverse. (Note that either operation may take a few minutes depending on file size and Internet connection). Enjoy!

Issues that need to be addressed and ideas for future improvements:

1. Security Issues
One of the largest projected problems with GShare is it's insecurity. Any bimbo with the (public) password has the potential to delete files or change the password and ruin GShare for all other users. Currently, we are simply trusting members to be honest and respectful of the community. In the future members may have to sign up by email to ensure that they are honest, but in the meantime GShare is open to the public.

2. File Size Limit
One irksome limitation of GShare is the 10 MB file size limit set by Gmail. Fortunately this means that almost any music file can be uploaded to GShare without issue. Unfortunately, this renders movies and large games an impossibility for Gmail. There is no forseeable solution to this problem pending Gmail's allowance of larger files.

3. File Name Size Limit
This is a very minor issue in which files whose names are over a certain number of characters cannot be uploaded, a limitation imposed by the virtual file system. This is an easy obstacle to overcome: simply rename the file to something shorter and attempt to upload again.

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