WASTE

Original author(s)Justin Frankel
Initial release2003; 21 years ago (2003)
Stable release
1.7 / 2008; 16 years ago (2008)
Repository
Written inC++
Operating systemWindows, Linux, OS X
Available inEnglish
TypeDarknet
LicenseGNU GPL
Websitewaste.sourceforge.net Edit this on Wikidata

WASTE is a peer-to-peer and friend-to-friend protocol and software application developed by Justin Frankel at Nullsoft in 2003 that features instant messaging, chat rooms, and file browsing/sharing capabilities. The name WASTE is a reference to Thomas Pynchon's novel The Crying of Lot 49. In the novel, W.A.S.T.E. is (among other things) an underground postal service.

In 2003, less than 24 hours after its release,[1] WASTE was removed from distribution by AOL, Nullsoft's parent company.[2] The original page was replaced with a statement claiming that the posting of the software was unauthorized and that no lawful rights to it were held by anyone who had downloaded it, in spite of the original claim that the software was released under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

Several developers have modified and upgraded the WASTE client and protocol. The SourceForge edition is considered by many to be the official development branch, but there are several forks.

  1. ^ "AOL Execs Flush Nullsoft's WASTE". BetaNews. May 31, 2003.
  2. ^ "Nullsoft releases WASTE -- AOL pulls the plug". AfterDawn.