Problem: Record companies are facing a downturn in sales of music. This is seen as consequence of the growth of distribution of music through Internet by file sharing networks such as BitTorrent networks. On one side there are record companies who feel threatened of the illegal file sharing, and on the other side file sharing BitTorrent networks has increased dramatically in number of users since they first approached. Some record companies have responded by taking hostile actions towards the BitTorrent networks and their users with lawsuits and penalties for illegal file sharing. Other record companies and artists have joined forces with BitTorrent networks and see them as an advantage. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze if, and how record companies can collaborate with the BitTorrent networks. Method: A hermeneutic inductive approach is used, in combination with qualitative interviews with both record companies and BitTorrent networks. Conclusions: It is argued that record companies can find a way in communicating and cooperating with BitTorrent networks. Instead of adopting hostile approaches and trying to restrict the technologies adopted by end users, companies should open themselves up and accept the current changes initiated and developed by BitTorrent networks. Thus, it was concluded that companies have to concentrate around collaborating with BitTorrent networks rather than fiercely protecting old business models. By opening up to the users, record companies will adopt open innovations approach that is characterized by combining external and internal ideas, as well internal and external paths to market, thus obtaining future technological developments. As for the BitTorrent networks, by going from outlaw to crowdsourcing mode, the networks’ creative solutions can be further harnessed by record companies. Finally, strengthening relationships between customers and music artists can be considered as beneficial for both record companies and BitTorrent networks. Thus, giving opportunities for customers to win special items, tickets for concerts, watch sound check, eat dinner backstage with the group, take pictures, get autographs, watch the show from the side of the stage, etc. can lead to valuable relationship in a long run.

Titel: Into tomorrow – Constructing scenarios for the record industry in the 21-century.Number of Pages: 54 (55 including enclosures)Author: Erik G AgebergTutor: Else NygrenCourse: Media and Communication Studies DPeriod: Spring semester 2009University: Division of Media and Communication studies, Department ofinformation science, Uppsala University.Purpose/Aim: The aim of this paper is to, through scenario planning methodology,present recommendations in order for record companies to be competitive in the nearfuture. In order to achieve this goal three question where asked. (1) What are the mostcentral problems of the record industry? (2) How can these problems affect the futurein the industry? (3) In what way can record companies’ work to avoid theseproblems? The paper focuses on the Swedish market partly because of the giventimeframe but also because of Sweden’s position in that of file sharing as well astechnological advances. It is also assumed in this paper that the future of music saleswill be concentrated to the Internet.Material/Method: The chosen method for this paper was scenario planning. Anextensive literature study was complemented with interviews of key players involvedin content consumption over the Internet.Main results: A fundamental issue for the future of the music industry is that oflegislation. The outcome of the record industry’s future is almost exclusivelydependent on the way, which the legislation takes. A stricter legislation, whichincludes violations of citizens’ personal integrity, may backfire and result in politicalpirate parties’ becoming members of parliaments. This may in turn result in that theintellectual property laws of the nineteenth century are removed. Suing privatepersons and trackers can result in record companies alienating an entire generation ofmusic consumers. Record companies attempts to retain music as a product may proveto be futile within time, but they can absolutely prolong the period in which it is aproduct. It is nevertheless, not entirely negative for music to become a service. Bybeing a service music can more easily be attached to another service, like an Internetsubscription, or an experience.

S3 (Softwood Sawmill Simulator) is a sawmill simulation system for modeling the operations of Pacific Northwest softwood lumber mills. S3 consists of three main parts. The first part is the framework for construction of the sawmill layout. The second part focuses on individual machine centers, their process and down times, and their interconnections. The third part consists of databases for raw material and final products. S3 inputs process logic from external data files. All parts are integrated in an object-oriented framework. The system was developed using the object-oriented environment, Actor. All data input and output are through database files in dBASE IV format. S3 can model a sawmill represented by the machine center and connection types defined in S3. The size of the model is controlled by the Actor programming environment. The construction of a sawmill model is demonstrated. / Graduation date: 1993

This research compared the effectiveness of an interactive video training program with an instructor-led program for teaching working adults the personal computer (PC) application WordPerfect. The objectives of the study were to develop a research methodology and instrumentation in order to determine whether instructor-led training resulted in significantly different reaction, performance, and post-training use than interactive video instruction and to utilize the findings to suggest strategies for teaching working adults PC applications. The study was based on the need to comparatively evaluate various instructional approaches for teaching PC applications to working adults. There is also an underlying need in computer training is for easily administered, yet comprehensive evaluation methodologies. There were 111 individuals in the original sample. Half were randomly assigned to a interactive video group and half to an instructor-led group. After initial dropouts there were 53 individuals in the instructor-led group and 47 in the interactive video group. Instructional objectives, content and topic sequence were the same for both groups. A pilot study was conducted to confirm the reliability and validity of the instruments and methodology. A demographic questionnaire was completed at the beginning of an initial training session. At the end of the first training session a performance test and a reaction questionnaire were completed. After two to three weeks a use survey, a knowledge test, and a performance test were completed. Descriptive and analytic statistics were prepared for the dependent variables (reaction, performance, and post-training use) and covariates (age, gender, occupation, organization, education, and prior use). Null hypotheses of no difference were rejected when the significance was less than .05. Results indicated no significant differences in performance between the groups after either the first training session or after two to three weeks. However, results indicated significant differences (p = .0004) in reaction with the instructor-led group rating the training better overall. The instructor-led group also indicated that the clarity and usefulness of the course materials was better (p = .035). Significant differences were also found in post-training use (p = .036). / Graduation date: 1991

The rise in the prevalence of the Internet has had a wide range of implications in nearly every industry. Within the music business, the turn of the millennium came with a unique, and difficult, set of challenges. While the majority of academic literature in the area focuses specifically on the aspect of file sharing within the Internet as it negatively impacts sales within the recording sector, this study aims to assess the Internet’s wider impacts on the broader music industry. In the same time that record sales have plummeted, the live music sector has thrived, potentially presenting alternative business models and opportunities. This paper will discuss a variety of recent Internet-related developments including the rise of legal digital distribution, key economic implications, general welfare effects, changes in consumer preference and social phenomena as they relate to both the recording and live entertainment sectors. I employ a time series multiple regression model to evaluate the statistical significance of the relationship between the Internet’s rise and the value of record sales. For the concert industry, I will examine recent trends and descriptive data as they relate to the Internet’s prevalence.

Ce mémoire ne contient pas de résumé.

Avec l'essor de la métrologie de l'Internet, la prévision du trafic s'est imposée comme une de ses branches les plus importantes. C'est un outil puissant qui permet d'aider à la conception, la mise en place et la gestion des réseaux ainsi qu'à l'ingénierie du trafic et le contrôle des paramètres de qualité de service. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'étudier les techniques de prévision et d'évaluer la performance des modèles de prévision et de les appliquer pour la gestion des files d'attente et le contrôle du taux de perte dans les réseaux à commutation de rafales. Ainsi, on analyse les différents paramètres qui permettent d'améliorer la performance de la prévision en termes d'erreur. Les paramètres étudiés sont : la quantité de données nécessaires pour définir les paramètres du modèle, leur granularité, le nombre d'entrées du modèle ainsi que les caractéristiques du trafic telles que sa variance et la distribution de la taille des paquets. Nous proposons aussi une technique d'échantillonnage baptisée échantillonnage basé sur le maximum (Max-Based Sampling - MBS). Nous prouvons son efficacité pour améliorer la performance de la prévision et préserver l'auto-similarité et la dépendance à long terme du trafic. Le travail porte aussi sur l'exploitation de la prévision du trafic pour la gestion du trafic et le contrôle du taux de perte dans les réseaux à commutation de rafales. Ainsi, nous proposons un nouveau mécanisme de gestion de files d'attente, baptisé α_SNFAQM, qui est basé sur la prévision du trafic. Ce mécanisme permet de stabiliser la taille de la file d'attente et par suite, contrôler les délais d'attente des paquets. Nous proposons aussi une nouvelle technique qui permet de garantir la qualité de service dans les réseaux à commutation de rafales en termes de taux de perte. Elle combine entre la modélisation, la prévision du trafic et les systèmes asservis avec feedback. Elle permet de contrôler efficacement le taux de perte des rafales pour chaque classe de service. Le modèle est ensuite amélioré afin d'éviter les feedbacks du réseau en utilisant la prévision du taux de perte au niveau TCP. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Modélisation et prévision du trafic, techniques d'échantillonnage, gestion des files d'attente, réseaux à commutation de rafales, contrôle du taux de perte, qualité de service, l'automatique.

Along with the rise of smart phones, Google announced a mobile platform named Android, having the advantages of open source, free, etc, had become one of the popular mobile development platforms. But there are following restrictions on the file sharing of the smart phones: 1. The File Sharing between mobiles is used frequently, but the APP of the File Sharing in Google play contains user sharing their files on the same LAN, can¡¦t share on the WAN. 2. The cloud storage space has the file sharing strategy on WAN, but doesn¡¦t on LAN. 3. File sharing of mobile devices always hope to be able to share file through one-to-many Push, delivery to the nearby users but the app of the smart phone file sharing don¡¦t have this function. Therefore, this thesis architects a File Sharing platform, which is based on social networks, passing through pub/sub pattern to sharing files.In the File Sharing System, if users are on the same LAN can share files directly. We implement one-to-many file sharing system, so that users can obtain files automatically. If on the WAN, files are delivered by the intermediary server. This System also supports Multimedia streaming, users can play media from Server; need not download files in the local device. This paper use protocol buffer to the communication between devices, compared with the current common XML, JSON and other common file formats, there is a better package rates and privacy, and provides a convenient user interface to share files.

With the advent of Flash based solid state devices (SSDs), the differences in physical devices used to store data in computers are becoming more and more pronounced. Effectively mapping the differences in storage devices to the files, and applications using the devices, is the problem addressed in this dissertation. This dissertation presents the Umbrella File System (UmbrellaFS), a layered file system designed to effectively map file and device level differences, while maintaining a single coherent directory structure for users. Particular files are directed to appropriate underlying file systems by intercepting system calls connecting the Virtual File System (VFS) to the underlying file systems. Files are evaluated by a policy module that can examine both filenames and file metadata to make decisions about final placement. Files are transparently directed to and moved between appropriate file systems based on their characteristics. A prototype of UmbrellaFS is implemented as a loadable kernel module in the 2.4 and 2.6 Linux kernels. In addition to providing the ability to direct files to file systems, UmbrellaFS enables different decisions at other layers of the storage stack. In particular, alternate page cache writeback methods are presented through the use of UmbrellaFS. A multiple queue strategy based on file sequentiality and a sorting strategy are presented as alternatives to standard Linux cache writeback protocols. These strategies are implemented in a 2.6 Linux kernel and show improvements in a variety of benchmarks and tests.

Current shared file systems (NFS and SAMBA) are based on the local area network model. To these file systems, performance is the major issue. However, as the Internet grows, so does the distance between users and the Local Area Network. With this increase in distance, the latency increases as well. This creates a problem when multiple users attempt to work in a shared environment. Traditionally, the only way to collaborate over the Internet required the use of locks. These requirements motivated the creation of the State Difference Transformation algorithm that allows users non-blocking and unconstrained interaction across the Internet on a tree based structure. Fine Grain Locking, on the other hand, allows a user the ability to set a lock on a character or range of characters while using a form of the transformation algorithm listed above. This thesis proposes an implementation that integrates these two technologies as well as demonstrating the effectiveness and flexibility of State Difference Transformation. The implementation includes two applications that can be used to further research in both the transformation and locking communities. The first application allows users to create tests for SDT and Fine Grain Locking and verify the correctness of the algorithms in any given situation. The second application then furthers this research by creating a real-world groupware interface to a shared file system based on a clientserver architecture. This implementation demonstrates the usability and robustness of these algorithms in real world situations.