What's happening in the torrent world?

[Mahngiel]

Torrents have a wonderful use. They've made obtaining files much swifter even with having high bitrate bandwidth. Most every linux distribution uses this to enable faster download speeds and reduce the distro's server congestion, as many other products are available via torrents. Even Blizzard's newest game StarCraft II was uploaded into torrent sites by the company to enable gamers to obtain the game without having to go to an outlet.

Not to say that all torrents are legal, when in fact, I would venture to say a great percentage are pirated works of one kind or another. This gets lawyers involved, and people get sued as judges allow firms to collect IP addresses of the swarm - the latest suit was filed by Lucas Entertainment. [LINK (http://torrentfreak.com/private-bittorrent-tracker-hit-again-by-movie-studio-100810/)] Here's another: (http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/03/30/us-copyright-group-sues-20000-individual-movie-torrent-downloaders-lawsuits-targeting-30000-more-are-on-the-way/)20,000 US BitTorrent users sued; (http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/03/30/us-copyright-group-sues-20000-individual-movie-torrent-downloaders-lawsuits-targeting-30000-more-are-on-the-way/) 30,000 more lawsuits pending.

These lawsuits beg me to question whether the suing companies are going to profit from this, or go bankrupt from legal costs while frivolously trying to protect their old world business models by failing to adapt to the present. Regardless of source the media comes it, it will always be under "fair use laws" to back up your rightfully obtained media.

Judges have said that consumers have a right to copy a DVD for their own use.

With torrent sites and illegal downloaders being sued, I ponder at the longevity of this sharing protocol? Are companies hurting finances by waging war against those that choose to share illegal content? Should these companies take a different approach to media distribution such as following the tactic that iTunes has done?

[johnb820]

IMO torrents are one of the most underutilized forms of file transfer. Yes, people illegally pirate stuff just as they have done since the beginning of time. One thing I don't understand is why developers don't release their software through torrents to help cut back on bandwidth. The successes of every ubuntu release should prove its effectiveness. Lastly, I would gladly pay for access to well standardized and user created content with torrents.

[beren.olvar]

I would say they are loosing money from all those lawsuits, but I don't think they are aiming to get money from that, but to have a better control of the internet.

I think their ultimate goal is to have a much more restricted internet, and for that they will continue attacking users and service providers.

[FuturePilot]

Most of the lawsuits never see court. Instead they're settled out of court for a couple thousand dollars which translates into loads of money.
I don't see how this process is allowed to exist. Instead of taking the torrent in question down, they leave it up so they can catch more people.

[drawkcab]

Torrents are going to be around for a long time.

The lawsuits are not making a dent and proxy servers make it impossible to detect everyone that's sharing. The RIAA is going to have to figure out positive ways to combat illegal filesharing like netflix streaming.

[Bachstelze]

One thing I don't understand is why developers don't release their software through torrents to help cut back on bandwidth.

Virtually all Linux distros use torrents to distribute their software. If you mean software as in tarballs of source code, that would be highly unpractical and unreliable. For the biggest repositories, like the GNU ftp or sourceforge, there are tens or hundreds of thousands of files. In order to ensure that anyone could download any source package at any time (which is a license requirement!), the GNU folks would have to have a machine seeding all files, all the time, and a tracker to track all the torrents. Not practical at all.

[drawkcab]

http://linuxtracker.org/

[Mahngiel]

http://linuxtracker.org/

Nice link. I had grown to enjoy KickAssTorrents.com due to it's much better aesthetics, but for the past few days, the site has been down. Makes me a curious if a lawsuit has struck this site as well.

[linux18]

http://linuxtracker.org/
I wonder if I can get my remix on that site...

[Cuddles McKitten]

... and a tracker to track all the torrents. Not practical at all.

I could be way off here since my knowledge of torrent protocols is virtually nil, but don't magnet links make it so that a tracker isn't needed anymore?

Of course, a simple tracking server is by no means the biggest problem/annoyance that you mentioned.

[linux18]

magnet links connect existing trackers and servers together, if file "A" is 700MB and has the md5sum 111222333444fff and the files "b" "c" "D" "zzz" have the same size and md5sum then they must be the same file and thus 'share' trackers.

[blur xc]

IMO torrents are one of the most underutilized forms of file transfer. Yes, people illegally pirate stuff just as they have done since the beginning of time. One thing I don't understand is why developers don't release their software through torrents to help cut back on bandwidth. The successes of every ubuntu release should prove its effectiveness. Lastly, I would gladly pay for access to well standardized and user created content with torrents.

Maybe I'm just old- but I'd take a direct link over a torrent any day.

Direct link- click -> save file
torrent- download torrent -> open with transmission or whatever -> sit around at the mercy of seeders... :(

BM

[linux18]

Maybe I'm just old- but I'd take a direct link over a torrent any day.

Direct link- click -> save file
torrent- download torrent -> open with transmission or whatever -> sit around at the mercy of seeders... :(

BM
I've got direct links to every file ever.

[Groucho Marxist]

IMO torrents are one of the most underutilized forms of file transfer. Yes, people illegally pirate stuff just as they have done since the beginning of time. One thing I don't understand is why developers don't release their software through torrents to help cut back on bandwidth. The successes of every ubuntu release should prove its effectiveness. Lastly, I would gladly pay for access to well standardized and user created content with torrents.

Where ever people exist, piracy will flourish. Hell, there was a time (albeit brief) when you could pirate software off the radio (http://www.cracked.com/article/202_8-online-fads-you-didnt-know-were-invented-decades-ago_p2). In terms of legal applications, I think the technology is worthy of further exploration and utilization in society.

[del_diablo]

The main problem about developed software being shared by torrent is that:
*Several patches every weeek
*Need to seed the license

The patches is mainly the problem.

[Mr. Picklesworth]

Maybe I'm just old- but I'd take a direct link over a torrent any day.

Direct link- click -> save file
torrent- download torrent -> open with transmission or whatever -> sit around at the mercy of seeders... :(

BM

The latter is actually two steps now:
Click magnet link (magnet:?xt=urn:btih:3e16157f0879eb43e9e51f45d485f eff90a77283&dn=Ubuntu+10.04+LTS+x32&tr=http%3A%2F%2Fdenis.stalker.h3q.com%3A6969%2Fann ounce) › Sit around cursing people who don't seed.

This is only vaguely related, but one of the Pirate Bay guys is doing something surprisingly cool: http://flattr.com/
I think Google Ads should take note. Maybe a monthly subscription to replace advertisements with a button that works like Flattr ;)

[Zorgoth]

One problem with using torrents by default for distributing software is that many places, for example a lot of college and business networks, ban using torrent of *any kind*.

[drawkcab]

I wonder if I can get my remix on that site...

Go for it!

[drawkcab]

Maybe I'm just old- but I'd take a direct link over a torrent any day.

Direct link- click -> save file
torrent- download torrent -> open with transmission or whatever -> sit around at the mercy of seeders... :(

BM

You're old. The cool thing about torrents is that you almost never end up with a file that is corrupted.

[Bachstelze]

You're old. The cool thing about torrents is that you almost never end up with a file that is corrupted.

I've never ended up with a corrupt file downloaded via FTP or HTTP either.

[Mahngiel]

The main problem about developed software being shared by torrent is that:
*Several patches every weeek
*Need to seed the license

The patches is mainly the problem.

I disagree with this. If the program in question was created *properly* it would have a self-patch process so that once installed it can keep up to date. Secondly, the license may be purchased via the software originator's site.

Case in point: StarCraft II.
Blizzard is taking advantage of the torrent swarms by allowing THEM to host the files and eliminate bandwidth on their servers. The program, once installed, updates itself, and cannot be played without a live account linked via a license obtained either by the boxed product or from online.

The only flaw there is that the cost is the same, so there is no advantage to using your own bandwidth to download the product.

The vast benefit is that you can obtain the game if your disc is ruined, old, or otherwise unavailable. I have all of my blizzard games associated with the site and I can download them as many times as I wish from their site. God knows if my old D2 or Warcraft discs are readable anymore, but I know that I can play them whenever I wish and never have to buy a retail copy again.

[Bachstelze]

I disagree with this. If the program in question was created *properly* it would have a self-patch process so that once installed it can keep up to date.

Funniest post I've read today.

<cute picture goes here>

[Mahngiel]

Funniest post I've read today.

<cute picture goes here>

Glad I am able to entertain you.

http://bestuff.com/images/images_of_stuff/210x600/qq-more-n00b-35888.jpg?1173276935
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bestuff.com/images/images_of_stuff/210x600/qq-more-n00b-35888.jpg%3F1173276935&imgrefurl=http://bestuff.com/stuff/qq-more-n00b&usg=__r7GrPW6Dyap8-BhMURrxxVhLFfs=&h=188&w=210&sz=17&hl=en&start=0&tbnid=nfxo4SIJQaCXtM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=168&prev=/images%3Fq%3DQQ%2Bmore%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D 1919%26bih%3D861%26tbs%3Disch:1%26prmd%3Div&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=774&ei=R3RkTPGoJ8WqlAe_64GtCQ&oei=R3RkTPGoJ8WqlAe_64GtCQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=93&ty=52

[Shpongle]

I would say they are loosing money from all those lawsuits, but I don't think they are aiming to get money from that, but to have a better control of the internet.

I think their ultimate goal is to have a much more restricted internet, and for that they will continue attacking users and service providers.

this . . .as of now the internet is the last place where true free speech exists

[MCVenom]

I've never ended up with a corrupt file downloaded via FTP or HTTP either.
^ this ^
I prefer direct links, personally.

[linux18]

^ this ^
I prefer direct links, personally.
I have direct links to almost anything.

[drawkcab]

I've ended up with a corrupt linux .iso quite a number of times while downloading from direct links. I've never had one fail from bittorrent.