pros and cons of bittorent

merlin · Mar 14, 2009, 19:09:55

i know how bittorrent works (near enough anyway ) but it seems some people dislike it ,while others think its wonderful, so what are the pros and cons.

and i may be wrong here , but why do sites of shall we say dubios nature seem to favour it

??

Simon · Mar 14, 2009, 19:22:44

Pros: Faster downloads of large files (dependant on number of seeds).

Cons: A lot of stuff on torrent sites is illegal (cracked programs, copyrighted material, etc), and much of it also contains trojans and other nasties. I would always advise against downloading software. Also, many sites contain persistent pop ups of the 'adult' variety, and will leave tracking cookies if you're not careful.

One fairly pop up free site that I know of is Mininova, but I have to advise that many of the links on the site contain illegal or copyrighted material.

Sebby · Mar 14, 2009, 19:39:40

I'd agree with Simon. It's a very powerful tool, but you have to be careful.

Lance · Mar 15, 2009, 00:14:37

I tend to use isohunt for torrents, as it is simple and pretty much be free. The same warning as above though that many to the links lead to illegal downloads.

drummer · Mar 15, 2009, 01:36:27

Bittorrent is just another perfectly legal file-sharing protocol that can also be used for the illegal distribution of copyrighted material.

This is just a very small example of what's legally available.

Linux distros are always available as bittorrents because it's a free and extremely fast method of distributing large files to thousands of people who are prepared to share their bandwidth with total strangers.

Randomly searching for stuff on public trackers may (or may not) cause you grief, so it wouldn't do any harm to do some very basic research on private bittorrent trackers.

Rik · Mar 15, 2009, 10:10:30

Take a look at this, Bob:

Wiki Link to BitTorrent (Protocol)

One potential downside of torrents is that your machine is used by others to obtain material that you have downloaded. While uploads with IDNet are free, it may affect your experience of the web.

Link repaired.

merlin · Mar 15, 2009, 10:24:41

i thought i would try a bit torrent download just out of interest, as i have never done it before,
went to the site simon gave as an example (mininova) set it up as they said , and started to download one tune , not sure if it was legal or not ,

well the speed was super fast 1.2kb/s at one point it reached 2.0kb/s, this one tune was going to take 6days,13hours,23 minutes ,

do,nt think this is what i expected

??

Rik · Mar 15, 2009, 10:25:33

Speeds will vary with seeds, Bob.

Steve · Mar 15, 2009, 10:35:13

Apart from checking seeds my usual problem is ensuring UPnP or port forwarding is functioning.I usually find initial speeds are slow until more seeds are enlisted.

merlin · Mar 15, 2009, 11:02:52

if i remember correct i had 6 seeds, i had also set my upload max to the same as my download max, as they said if your upload max is less than your download max ,then your doanloads will be slower,

stevethe gas ,HOW do you check that UPnP or port forwarding is functioning, and if its not ,how do you reset it

this does not come up to my expectations !!! think its best to give it a miss

Simon · Mar 15, 2009, 11:15:00

Which Bit Torrent client are you using, Bob? Personally, I find µTorrent to be one of the easiest. You do have to allow it through your software firewall, and sometimes create a specific rule for your router, but once it's up and running, it shouldn't need any further fiddling with. You also have to allow a few minutes for a download to reach higher speeds, as it takes a while for all the trackers to connect.

Sebby · Mar 15, 2009, 11:57:55

I also like uTorrent - I've tried several and find it the best.

Niall · Mar 15, 2009, 15:33:11

A good example to use would be a Linux binary that's on there. They're always very well seeded, and always max out my download. I haven't actually looked recently but that used to be the case anyway

Sebby · Mar 15, 2009, 16:41:39

I believe it is still the case, Niall. It is indeed a good way to test whether things are setup properly as you should pretty much get full speed.

Lance · Mar 15, 2009, 17:16:55

Quote from: Sebby on Mar 15, 2009, 11:57:55
I also like uTorrent - I've tried several and find it the best.

Another vote from me too!

vitriol · Mar 15, 2009, 18:59:52

I always found that setting your upload speed to about 80% of your potential maximum upload speed increases the download speed. Saturating your upload bandwidth results in lower download speeds as the bit torrent client has to resend packets of data telling the seeds / leeches that it has completed that part of the download. This is required so it can request another piece.

However the main factors are Seeds and Leeches. A well seeded Linux binary for example should max out your download speed easily.

As for clients I used to like Azureus (before they mucked it up), I suppose a preferential one now would be utorrent.

Simon · Mar 15, 2009, 19:06:30

I used to like Azureus, Vit, until, as you say, they ruined it. I do find, though, that uTorrent is leaner on resources.

merlin · Mar 15, 2009, 20:46:31

so if i try with utorrent , i know it varies, but roughly ,what sort of download speeds could i expect thx

mrapoc · Mar 15, 2009, 21:13:33

i use utorrent

configured properly (ports etc.)

err

depends on source

try an openoffice torrent - usually maxes it

I can get 700KB/s on a good torrent - up to 850KB/s iirc

Sebby · Mar 16, 2009, 00:05:06

Quote from: merlin on Mar 15, 2009, 20:46:31
so if i try with utorrent , i know it varies, but roughly ,what sort of download speeds could i expect thx

It completely depends on the torrent in question. It's not to do with the torrent application or your connection per se. As long as your torrent application is setup properly (uTorrent support UPnP, but if you use something like a 2Wire, you'll need to forward the ports manually) and the torrent is well seeded, you'll get a good download rate.

merlin · Mar 16, 2009, 05:52:52

sebby i think you,ve found the problem, "but if you use something like a 2Wire, you'll need to forward the ports manually) i do use a 2wire, so the question is how do i "forward the ports manually", bearing in mind i have,nt a clue what you,re talking about!!!

Steve · Mar 16, 2009, 07:20:25

Merlin go to www.portforward.com they have comprehensive instructions for most routers and software

Sebby · Mar 16, 2009, 13:23:21

Quote from: merlin on Mar 16, 2009, 05:52:52
sebby i think you,ve found the problem, "but if you use something like a 2Wire, you'll need to forward the ports manually) i do use a 2wire, so the question is how do i "forward the ports manually", bearing in mind i have,nt a clue what you,re talking about!!!

In uTorrent's settings, you'll find which port the application is using. This is the port that you need to forward from the router to your PC. See Steve's link about how to port forward on the 2Wire.

merlin · Mar 16, 2009, 13:26:48

thx sebby and steve ,i,ll give this a try