CENTRALIZED vs.
DECENTRALIZED NETWORKS CENTRALIZED vs.
DECENTRALIZED NETWORKS 
CENTRALIZED NETWORK
In a centralized network, the locations of all music files of users who are currently online are kept on the central network. The files themselves stay on the users’ computer until another computer asks for it.
In a decentralized network each peer connects directly to other peers without being directed by a server. These connections are repeated making the resulting network, in theory, infinitely large. In reality this size of a network is constrained by the number of layers of computers a message has to travel through.[1]
[1] Hebrank, Martin, Gnutella News, FAQ, Gnutella/Napster Comparison, “Gnutella & Napster. Huh? Or What do I Need to Know to Keep From Looking Like an Idiot.” http://www.gnutellanews.com/information/comparison.shtml (Copyright: 2000, 2001; Date visited: 13 November 2001.)