RE: bit torrent programs
- From: "Chip Orange" <Corange@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 09:25:50 -0400
BitTorrent is a generic term for a peer-to-peer file transfer protocol.
There is no single BitTorrent program, but a wide variety of BitTorrent
clients for you to choose from, but all of them are compatible with one
another.
As Chevel (sp?) says, the advantage is that a very popular download can
be pushed out by a single source extremely fast due to the way it uses
all the pcs which are receiving the download as repeaters for it. This
keeps the owner of such downloads (such as MS distributing a new version
of IE) from having to have huge server farms and tremendous internet
capacity in order to meet the demand that is some times placed on them.
It's a wonderfully ellogant protocol, and as she also points out, it's
instead usually used for illegal file sharing. I do think we'll use
something like it for all downloads someday, although MS is developing
their own incompatible version called Avalanch, so we may end up with
that.
Anyway, to use it you go download one of the BitTorrent free clients (I
use ABC, which stands for Yet Another BitTorrent Client), and you use it
in conjunction with your browser.
You use your browser to go find a BitTorrent cataloging web site (called
a tracker), and find a torrent file that you'd like to download. By
clicking on it in your browser, it puts your BitTorrent client in touch
with other BitTorrent clients which have this file at the moment, and
the transfer begins to take place, as Chevel described, from multiple
sources to you. The tracker web site does not have a copy of the entire
download file, just a very small file called it's torrent file, which
describes the file(s) to be downloaded. By clicking on the torrent
file, it actually downloads to your BitTorrent client in a second or so,
and gives your client all the info it needs to go get the download.
The polite thing to do is for you to leave your pc on, providing the
torrent files you have to others. Some tracker sites require this, some
don't.
There's a usenet news group named alt.bittorrent if you'd like to learn
about all the tracker sites available, and you can even use google
advanced search to search by file type, and specify the file type as
torrent.
hth,
Chip
Chip Orange
Database Administrator
Florida Public Service Commission
Chip.Orange@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(850) 413-6314
(Any opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect those of the Florida Public Service Commission.)
_____
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Gery Gaubert
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 10:13 PM
To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: bit torrent programs
Please elaborate on bit torrent programs? I have heard about
them but don't understand how to use them or even where to get them.
Thanks!!
Other related posts:
