Leigh will have plenty to say later on about why we’re so stoked about our new product, ucaster. But first I want to say a little bit about why we built the tecnhnology behind the product in the first place.

In a nutshell, it just bugged me that every computer and every device was not actually a node on the Web. Despite the fact that personal computers in particular are more than powerful enough to act as web servers, the physical and logical topology of the Interent as deployed relegates most devices to being web clients only.

The Web 2.0 phenomenon has improved the capabilities of lowly web-clients, allowing them to contribute content as well as consume it. This is a great thing, and I don’t mean any insult by saying that by itself it just isn’t enough.

I wanted a Web that was end-to-end. Where every device could provide as well as consume web services and content. Where every shared resource had a resolvable URL.

Just because your laptop or your phone don’t have the full power and connectivity of the “great server cloud in the sky” there’s still plenty you can do with them if they’re able to join the network in an active capacity.

So that’s what we set out to do. Our first product, ucaster, is intended to be the easiest method ever invented for publishing your own content on the web. If you can drag files from one folder to another, you’re an expert user already. There are no servers in between you and your friends (or colleagues) with web browsers viewing your content. We don’t upload anything anywhere, we don’t replicate anything anywhere. You own your own stuff. You control who sees it and when. We’re just flinging packets around to make that possible.

I hope you enjoy the freedom. We certainly do.

Cross-posted from the official oponia networks blog