how does torrnet work?

[enhanced08]

i have been seeing a lot of bitorrnet or torrnet, which ever it is, lately. i figured out that it was kind of like a P2P client, like Napster, but companies use it to help save on web bandwidth. thats about all i know about it, anyone have anything to add?

[juicelooser]

Basically, the idea behind bittorrent is that the website that is distributing whatever file they want does not actually host the file on their servers. They create a torrent, and people that have completed versions of whatever file it is act as "seeds" and distribute it to others. You can find some more information here: http://bittorrent.com/introduction.html

[enhanced08]

ok, so how do you create a torrnent?

[bhome83]

so when you finish getting the part of the file your essentially sharing it with others so they can get your part? isn't this illegal. i know downloading stuff is illegal but slim chances of getting caught but sharing stuff is alot riskier right?

[j4ck]

Originally Posted by juicelooser Basically, the idea behind bittorrent is that the website that is distributing whatever file they want does not actually host the file on their servers.

Hmm...sounds possibly a little like investing. Keyphrase: "Share the risk"
I wonder if this is an accurate analogy.

[trelarah]

"Azureus" is one of the best BitTorrent clients to use, and BitTornado isn't too bad either.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Originally Posted by bhome83 isn't this illegal. i know downloading stuff is illegal but slim chances of getting caught but sharing stuff is alot riskier right?

It depends on what you download. I do not know about the specifics of the law (thats UK law, let along US law), but i believe it is perfectly alright to download uncopyrighted material/original material (that you made) or anything that allows distribution (i.e. Linux and other Open Source Software, acording to the license). When you start downloading copyrighted material (ie something you would noramally have to pay for) you are at least doing something wrong, and probably breaking the law (depending on where you live).

[Harry]

Isn't Bit Torrent really slow for people who use 56K modems. And then if you don't have an option and must share your files at 56K, you could get a severe slow down.

[bigandy]

Really, anything is slow on dial-up. If you use a client which allows you to limit the upload speed, you can get a higher download speed, so that may be something to look at if you are using dial-up. But the main perk to BitTorrent is that it shifts the bandwidth load from a single server to many individuals (seeders) who have and can help to upload the file.

[foolishone]

Everybody is getting it from everybody else instead of just one server or peer in P2P, you can download from dozens of sources, making it easier and faster to download, exactly what big said

[shadowbreaker513]

Bittorrent is supposed to be faster than standard downloads, but I've never even gotten half of my normal speed even off a well seeded torrent

[mikezel]

Originally Posted by shadowbreaker513 Bittorrent is supposed to be faster than standard downloads, but I've never even gotten half of my normal speed even off a well seeded torrent

Same here. I've tried it a few times, but I've never gotten over even 20% of what my usual download speed is. Oh well.

mike

[enhanced08]

can you create a torrent with Azureus?

[juicelooser]

Originally Posted by enhanced08dotcom can you create a torrent with Azureus?

Yes, Azureus allows you to create torrents.

[enhanced08]

ok thanks for the help.