adj. Describes a technology or system that enables individuals to deal with each other directly without requiring a central organizing point or authority.
2003
The RIAA and the labels took an aggressive stance as soon as online music file sharing became popular. They won an early victory in 2001 by shutting down the seminal music-sharing service Napster.
The site was an easy target because Napster physically maintained the computer servers where illegal music files, typically in high-fidelity, compressed, download-friendly MP3 format, were stored. [With P2P networks, the files are stored on individual user computers; special software lets consumers "see" the files and download them onto their own hard drives.]
The site was an easy target because Napster physically maintained the computer servers where illegal music files, typically in high-fidelity, compressed, download-friendly MP3 format, were stored. [With P2P networks, the files are stored on individual user computers; special software lets consumers "see" the files and download them onto their own hard drives.]
2000
The tchotchke transfers have also helped make X.com the Web's leading financial site, with more than 2 million weekly unique visitors — more than double the traffic of E-Trade, the nearest competitor. . . . So it's no wonder that dozens of companies are tripping over themselves to get into the person-to-person, or 'P2P' payment race.
1970 (earliest)
A famous Chinese saying states a man should be steadfast at the age of 30. When Zhang Shishi, Yang Yifu and Li Xinhe turned 30 this year, they were definitely steadfast regarding their business of peer-to-peer lending, known as P2P.