I think ive been following the dev chat long enough to answer that the new freenet is a new, seperate network to the original (now called hyphanet I think) that handles transport by itself, and end to end encryption is not in scope of the project but can be built on top
sanity|2 years ago
This is correct - while old and new Freenet both rely on a small-world network, they are very different and not compatible. Borrowing from our FAQ[1], the main differences are:
Functionality: The previous version of Freenet (now called Hyphanet) was analogous to a decentralized hard drive, while the current version is analogous to a full decentralized computer.
Real-time Interaction: The current version allows users to subscribe to data and be notified immediately if it changes. This is essential for systems like instant messaging or group chat.
Programming Language: Unlike the previous version, which was developed in Java, the current Freenet is implemented in Rust. This allows for better efficiency and integration into a wide variety of platforms (Windows, Mac, Android, MacOS, etc).
Transparency: The current version is a drop-in replacement for the world wide web and is just as easy to use.
Anonymity: While the previous version was designed with a focus on anonymity, the current version does not offer built-in anonymity but allows for a choice of anonymizing systems to be layered on top.
[1] https://freenet.org/faq#faq-2
BlueTemplar|2 years ago
I can even remember my Motorola Razr being arguably (almost) a smartphone because, while a far cry from Symbian, it could already run Java applications ! (Notably, IIRC, Opera mini ?)
P.S.: Also, I tried Freenet about around that time too ! I'm a bit confused about this being a "new" project... why not naming it "Freenet 2" then ? Why did Freenet "1" had to change its name ??