This is basically exactly what I2P does automatically.
Each peer is also a router, so that point is covered.
It already has a well documented method of transmitting torrents over the protocol, unlike Tor.
I2P has dedicated .maggot links too for distributing files over that network.
It uses garlic routing too, which makes it even more difficult to discover hidden services through network saturation.
So by all accounts, I2P is the better network to choose for this, it has all the resources there and a community that's willing to help.
But you decided to go down the unsupported route with Tor, a route that's going to be very unpopular with the Tor community.
That's great to hear! I haven't decided anything, I'm just more familiar with Tor and thought this would be something interesting to do with it. I'm not even building anything really, just getting feedback on the idea.
I don't see any antagonism between the two, and I'm glad to know there's something being done with I2P already, will check it out.
I fully support this venture with I2P, since the infrastructure is pretty much already there.
I'm not an experienced programmer, more tinkering than anything, but I suggest that you pass these messages onto some of the I2P devs on Twitter (@i2p, @echelon and @str4d would be able to help you the best with this).
I'm actually trying to bundle I2P with a portable version of Seamonkey with less than exciting results. I was also hoping that there would be some open source equivalent to Bittorrent Surf available to bundle too, however the only plugin that's similar apparently uses a proprietary network.
We have operational code which combines Tor with Bittorrent. Operates exactly as you describe in this delightful read.
Current download speed is 23Mbit/sec for a 3-hop Tor onion circuit on average laptop. We're in contact with the real Tor people.
That's great news! From what I saw, it seems like you implement onion routing separately from the Tor network, right? Do you have plans to integrate this into the official network as a way to incentivize relays too?
You should look up i2psnark in particular, that was the first big one I'm aware of, but there are plenty of others too.
Tor has a large critical mass - which makes it safer in general, through pure volume - but I2P is more suited to this for a bunch of technical reasons I'm not going to go into in detail right now, but they involve garlic routing vs onion routing, end-to-end correlation, single-ended vs double-ended tunnels/circuits... basically, Tor hidden services are okay, but I2P is actually designed for more generalised use like this.
Each peer is also a router, so that point is covered. It already has a well documented method of transmitting torrents over the protocol, unlike Tor.
I2P has dedicated .maggot links too for distributing files over that network.
It uses garlic routing too, which makes it even more difficult to discover hidden services through network saturation.
So by all accounts, I2P is the better network to choose for this, it has all the resources there and a community that's willing to help. But you decided to go down the unsupported route with Tor, a route that's going to be very unpopular with the Tor community.