g2p: looking for others’ files the dummy way

Back in April 2005, we gave a tip on how to look up files normally downloaded through p2p. Using long commands, Google allows users to find files on non-secure directories to be seen and downloaded by the users who stumble upon them.

But there is another, easier, less brain-boggling way. The site is http://www.g2p.org. It is a “special project” by i-Hacked.com, by a Kansas State University Management of Information graduate named “Bill”.

According to Bill’s blurb on the g2p website, g2p uses the same commands used in Google’s filespace/directory searches. However, Bill says that

“it is much easier to remember g2p.org than these complex searches. Really I put this site together to make it easier on me, and then shared it with you.”

To convince people to use Google search commands and even g2p, Bill states that, “P2P/BT (peer-to-peer/bittorrent) is being monitored –

“Using Google we can download a lot more safely. We are simply just following a link — curious how it leads directly to the file we are looking for.”

With g2p, the choices to search for are:

• songs
• albums
• software
• ebooks
• ringtones
• prox-ify

“Prox-ify” is a search tool for proxies. This is geared to help students who are locked behind a University firewall, and other users who need proxies to circumvent firewalls in the organizations, offices, or schools that they are with.

Bill was once told that the old g2p interface way plain “fugly”. Below is the old g2p.org:

And this is the new g2p.org interface:

I was able to download several ringtones and a couple of .pdf files from g2p search results before, and it’s better than p2p in the sense that the results are streamlined, and that there aren’t any dud results like trojans or corrupt files, in my experience so far. Besides, I’ve never found ringtones in p2p or bittorrent before. You can also preview the prospective downloads if you have media plugins in your browser.

In all, g2p is fast, convenient and streamlined. I like it much better than bittorrent or p2p for files like ringtones. I haven’t used the proxy services yet, but many people have attested to g2p being very helpful in their Internet experience if they are caged behind firewalls.

It takes men like Bill to take the power of Google and enhance it to make things easier for themselves and other people. Long live Google, long live g2p!