torrent downloading

[gsaps]

i've been trying to find a site to downlaoad an album (not illegally) and came across 'torrent' downloading.

i assume this is different from the good 'old fashioned' downloading from regular (i-tunes) sites

can anyone throw any light in the method

thanks

 

[Vormulac]

Downloading torrents is a form of peer-to-peer downloading that requires a client application such as Azureus (or Vuze as it is now known). It allows you to download the file you require from multiple sources, making the process faster and more likely to complete than single-source downloads.
The obvious caveats apply - potential copyright infringement (do the people sharing the files have the right to do so?) and security (are the files you are downloading riddled with malware/viruses?).

HTH.

V.

 

[mr]

Torrent downloading involves many machines connected together in what's called a peer to peer network. Each of the machines has an amount of the the fileset to be downloaded, over time each of the machines increases the amount it has by virtue of swapping bits with each other. First there is one complete copy then two, three, four etc as newcomers to the network complete the data transfer from the peer machines in the network. This is different from the iTunes model where a client downloads a file from pool of files held on one machine.
To download torrent files you need a torrent client like Bit torrent or Azureus. You then open a "seed" file which contains information as to where the file is held. The torrent client then connects to the peer to peer network, downloads and collates the data.
Torrent files are often used for pirated music and video but also have a legit usage for large file transference. Legit usage examples include BBC iPlayer, transfer of Linux images etc.
Hope that helsp some.

Cheers Mike

 

[gsaps]

thanks folks, and i thought standard downloading was current technology??

 

[mr]

thanks folks, and i thought standard downloading was current technology??

Not sure what you mean exactly but peer to peer networking is a newer development than standard downloading.
Cheers Mike

 

[gsaps]

just meant that as soon as you get your head around things, new technologies appear, i can't keep up :?

 

[wizer]

IMHO Torrents are not worth the hassle. I steer well clear of them

 

[Vormulac]

IMHO Torrents are not worth the hassle. I steer well clear of them

They used to be a bit of an @rse when bit torrent was the only software out there, but Azureus is stupidly easy to use, it even features 'channels' with various different genres categorised for you so you can browse for music vids or games or whatever - so if you don't want to go rooting through the various torrent websites like btjunkie and so-on you don't have to.
Seriously, unless I'm downloading a very specific file like a driver or a patch for something, torrents are so much faster and more reliable than trying to find a single site that has what I'm looking for that I use Azureus every time.