Bit Torrent . . . . What is it?

[lugesm]

I accidentally came across a reference to Bit Torrent, and I checked their web site.

This must be the "Napster" of today. Is this site allowing the exchange of protected media?

Is it legal?

 

[sushi]

A way to infect your computer!

I'll let someone else answer in detail.

 

[bns1201]

hmm is file-sharing of protected media legal?
no, not to flame but cmon. and learn about bittorent cuz its the best

 

[DannyBres]

Linky

basically its a P2P file transfer system, and yer certain torrents are legal like some game updates and companies have their free software available via torrents.

There is also a MASSIVE illegal community sharing everything from tv to software.

 

[NAG]

Read this if you want to know how the protocol works.

And distributing anything in a way that breaks the license continues to be illegal. Just because some people do it in a different way doesn't mean it is magically okay.

Edit: Hey someone beat me lol

 

[72930]

Its a great distribution method for software from devs unwilling/able to pay the huge bandwidth costs associated with popular and regularly updated software. E.g. Linux distros and NeoOffice.

 

[NAG]

World of Warcraft uses it to distribute their patches.

There is even a few legal video on demand services that use it. Verizon (and maybe comcast) are also starting to use it.

 

[Krafty]

I accidentally came across a reference to Bit Torrent, and I checked their web site.

This must be the "Napster" of today. Is this site allowing the exchange of protected media?

Is it legal?

The "Napster" of today is Limewire.

 

[bhsu21]

I accidentally came across a reference to Bit Torrent, and I checked their web site.

This must be the "Napster" of today. Is this site allowing the exchange of protected media?

Is it legal?

I read on a gadget website where a woman read about how to download torrents and then she downloaded a bunch of movies. She got a notice from Comcast telling her to stop what she was doing. I don't think the said they were going to press charges but they threatened.

I wish I remembered where I saw that so I could show you.

But it is a HUGE community.

 

[lugesm]

hmm is file-sharing of protected media legal?
no, not to flame but cmon.

Agreed. We all know that sharing of copyrighted media is not legal! However, I didn't get far enough into that site to see the actual content. My question, perhaps not perfectly stated, regarded whether Bit Torrent might offer useful (legal) information posted there.

I really didn't want to download and install some program from Bit Torrent or any other site without knowing more.

 

[EB66]

ya i would say that just about everyone I have encountered that uses torrents, uses them illegally

 

[Le Big Mac]

I read on a gadget website where a woman read about how to download torrents and then she downloaded a bunch of movies. She got a notice from Comcast telling her to stop what she was doing. I don't think the said they were going to press charges but they threatened.

Of course, Comcast cares for other reasons:

1) It's a bandwidth hog that chokes their network (or at least that's the reason they've given for throttling bittorrent access).

2) They want to slow the adoption of internet-based entertainment since it competes with cable tv.

3) They are potentially indirectly liable for assisting in copyright infringement.

Personally, I'm guessing the letter came primarily for reason #1.