Re: [Harp-L] bit torrent for mac question

[Garry Hodgson <harp@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

note:  i am answering this here, where it was asked.  if anyone
wants more info, please contact me offlist, so we can keep the
list on topic.

Randy Singer wrote:
> i am trying to understand this thing called bit torrrent.....
it's pretty straightforward.  bit torrent is just a mechanism
to transfer files, like ftp, http, etc.  as a user, you don't need
to know or care how it works.  you just need a BT client, and
a place that hosts bit torrents of things you want.  you go to
the site, click on a link for a torrent file, and it should launch
you BT client to start downloading.  it may take some time,
perhaps hours or days, depending on how big it is and how
many others are downloading it.

here's more or less how it works (skip this if you don't care).
the conventional way to distribute files is that my computer
connects to your server and downloads the entire file.  this works
fine if i'm the only one that wants it, but puts a lot of load on your
server if 100 people want it.  and the 100th guy will wait a long time
before you get around to him.  with BT, i can get chunks of the file
directly from you, but i can also get chunks from any of the other
99 people who are downloading.  in effect, you need only send out
one copy, different pieces to each of us, and we pass them around
until everyone's got all the pieces.  each of us becomes a server
for those parts we already have.  much more efficient.
> are there are any mac users who understand how to use it?
here's a page that reviews various osx (mac) bit toprrent clients:
http://torrentfreak.com/mac-bt-clients/
i have no direct experience with BT on osx.

> if it is controversial, perhaps I need to know this too!!

there is nothing controversial about the technology.  what is
controversial is that people have used it to pirate copyrighted
material.  as a result, BT gets a lot of bad press, and there is
a fair amount of legal maneuvering going on, with sites being
sued, shut down, etc.  i'm not really up on all that, as i don't
deal with the shadier parts of the scene.

the BT sites i frequent are pretty rigorous about only allowing
torrents of legitimate material.  this is typically music from bands
that allow taping and trading of their performances.  torrents
that include copyrighted material, even if only a single track from
a show, are quickly shut down.  that is how it should be.  there is
plenty of grey area, but if a site is offering copies of commercial
games or movies and such, you've wandered into the dark side.
sites hosting live shows from jam bands (bt.etree.org,
www.dimeadozen.org) are a safer bet.  dimeadozen has a nice
feature where you can subscribe to a category and it'll email
you when a new torrent is posted.  i subscribe to the blues one
and get 1/2 dozen or so emails a day with new blues shows to
check out.  registration for dimeadozen is capped, though, so
it may take a while to get registered.  dunno.