The Forgotten Network: How Gnutella Proved Decentralization Could Scale

Gnutella's rise and fall reveals that decentralized technologies can achieve mainstream scale by solving real problems, not through financial incentives or hype. The protocol's fade from public memory isn't a failure—it's a reminder that technology adoption depends on historical conditions, not technical superiority alone. Understanding Gnutella's story is essential for anyone evaluating modern decentralized systems and their long-term viability.