thus why I specified "a copy of a random file". It's nice to have a trophy from each conquest. I also thought that after accepting each match and while it is loading, there would be a screen that shows the name of the file each person is wagering. I imagine there are some files that people might be more desperate to keep private and therefore will play harder that round.
I'd imagine there'd even be some
filenames that someone wouldn't want to be conveyed. So maybe the game should allow a variant of "blind bidding". Or the owner, on being shown the filename that will be disclosed (and which is already in escrow so that it is even if he pulls the power out immediately), gets the chance of a second randomly-chosen file (this time remaining unknown, for that little extra zest!) being presented in the contest on top-of the only-known-to-owner one. In the event of a draw (or very minor win by the opponent, if a draw isn't possible), only the mystery second file is "won" by the other party, but both files go under normal conditions.
I've got some ideas about how to deal with "clean" installs (default system files are exempt, there must be a certain number/size of viable files on the system, and there are ways to deal with "padding" a clean system with equally clean qualifier-fodder) but there are always possible countermeasures, counter-countermeasures, etc...
[Deleted point also just made by Draco18s]