BitTorrent

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The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: BitTorrent.com
Wikipedia: BitTorrent
Brian's BitTorrent FAQ and Guide
YouTube: The Bittorrent Song
YouTube: How to Download Torrents and Bit Torrent software
Wired: The Best of BitTorrent
Wikipedia: Terminology of BitTorrent

BitTorrent News and Articles

TorrentFreak: Latest BitTorrent News
The New York Times: Comcast Tests a New Bandwidth Black List (June 4, 2008)
Arstechnica: Internet celebrates 2 years of futility battling Pirate Bay (June 1, 2008)
Lifehacker: Lifehacker Top 10: Top 10 BitTorrent Tools and Tricks (January 30, 2008)
International Herald Tribune: British, Dutch police close file-sharing Web site (October 23, 2007)
Pitchfork: Illegal Torrent Site OiNK Busted by Police (October 23, 2007)
TorrentFreak: BitTorrent a Boon to Independent Filmakers
TorrentFreak: Dutch University Uses BitTorrent to Update Workstations (March 6, 2008)

BitTorrent Tips, Guides, and How-to

TorrentFreak.com: BitTorrent Tutorial Roundup
mooter's BitTorrent Guide

BitTorrent Software

Wikipedia: Comparison of BitTorrent Software
BitTornado
BitComet
BitTorrent FAQ and Guide: BitTorrent Progams
Azureus

BitTorrent Sites

BitTorrent Legal Disputes

TorrentFreak: Don’t Humiliate Yourself Complaining to The Pirate Bay (June 25, 2008)
O'Reilly Radar: HBO Attacking BitTorrent
ArsTechnica.com: Does network neutrality mean an end to BitTorrent throttling?
YouTube: The Pirate Bay Police Raid
The Pirate Bay: Legal Threats Against The Pirate Bay
BetaNews: BitTorrent Uploader Faces 5 Years

Competing P2P Protocols and Networks

BitTorrent Technical Information

BitTorrent.org: BitTorrent Protocol Specification
Theory.org: BitTorrent Specification Wiki

Related Searches

P2P | Online Video

Guide Note

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer filesharing protocol. It is used to distribute large files or blocks of files via the Internet. It is often used to distribute videos and MP3s, but is also used to distribute software, images and various other kinds of data. BitTorrent uses a system by which every recipient of a file uploads portions of the file they've already downloaded to newer recipients. The result is a reduced strain on the original provider in terms of bandwidth, but it also makes the process more efficient, providing multiple sources for a file instead of just one.

Fast Facts

Developer: BitTorrent Inc.
Created by: Bram Cohen
Implemented: July 2001
Used for downloading music, videos, and software
Requires a BitTorrent client like Azureus or uTorrent

BitTorrent Controversy

Although the BitTorrent protocol is ostensibly designed for legal file distribution, many users and web sites have used it to distribute and download unlicensed content, violating the copyrights of the owners of the content. The MPAA has been particularly vocal and active in combating this kind of use, playing key roles in the closure of several torrent tracking sites that provides such content. BitTorrent Inc. maintains that their protocol is intended for legal uses, and have formed several content distribution deals with 20th Century Fox and other legitimate content providers.

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