I don't get it. Bit torrent it one of the best things to happen to the internet, yet everyone on this site board seems to complain that they don't want to use it, or it sucks. The only reasonable reason not to use it would be if you were on a 56k modem (which I feel is kind of rare these days), but if that were the case, you should be focused on not downloading anime episodes but getting a cable modem.

But otherwise, is it unwillingness to learn? Bit torrent is a safe, extremely fast way to get pretty much anything you want. (Hell I just downloaded the old cartoon series Mighty Max for a friend - which is so old and impossible to find) Suprnova.org is probably THE best site i've ever seen. If you are using a cable modem (which i assume most people are), you will get average speeds of anywhere between 30kb/s - 300kb/s depending on seeds.

So before you say in your post (No Bit Torrent or Bit torrent sux), try learning how to use it, and soon all you will be doing is going to suprnova.org everyday.

-- Adam (ashapir1@binghamton.edu), June 16, 2004

Answers

yep, although bitorrent DOES log your ip (so if your downloadin illegal files you're screwed) ESPECIALLY if you've got damn "comcast" ISP. I've gotten 2 letters from them saying "we have logged that you were downloading illegal file ______" and all that other crap.

Here's a brief guide on how you can protect yourself from the RIAA, MPAA, the ESA, BayTSP and many other nasties out there scanning the Internet for filesharers. This is done by blocking a wide range of IP addresses so they cannot access your computer and catch you in the act of uploading/downloading torrents. Currently, two stand-alone programs and one Azureus plugin are available.

PeerGuardian - http://methlabs.org/ - this is the first of its kind, and still the most popular. The website gives you the executable for download, as well as a constantly updated blocklist, help/support, FAQs and forums to discuss the program.

Protowall - http://bluetack.co.uk/pw.html - a newer app that does the same thing as PeerGuardian but uses a different approach by using a driver for Windows instead of handling blocking at the application level. This results in greatly reduced CPU usage.

The above two apps provide systemwide protection from blocked IP addresses. That means they can be active at all times, and can protect you regardless of which P2P filesharing program you're using. Note that they are NOT firewalls, or meant to replace firewalls. You should continue to use a router and/or software firewall alongside PG/PW.

Firewalls manage all connections on a per-application basis and dynamically allow or block them; they also block hacker attacks and prevent some vulnerabilites that may be present on your computer from being exploited remotely. PeerGuardian/Protowall, on the other hand, completely block a predetermined list of IP addresses from connecting to your computer, period, regardless of whether the attempted connections are incoming or outgoing (originating from your computer).

SafePeer Plugin for Azureus - http://azureus.sourceforge.net/plugin_deta...plugin=safepeer - this is an excellent IP filter with very low CPU usage which uses the PeerGuardian database, and can redownload that database in user- definable intervals (once daily by default).

The difference to PG/PW is that this plugin ONLY blocks IP addresses from connecting to Azureus, nothing else - so it will not protect you while using any P2P apps other than Azureus - and that the plugin is of course only running while Azureus runs. This plugin is updated rather often, so if you're an Azureus user, it's worth checking out the above link regularly, even if Azureus itself has not been updated in a while (as the plugin is developed separately).

FAQ:

"What's the point in blocking media companies etc. from my computer? They can still find my own IP address through the tracker, can't they?"

That's correct (although some trackers do, in fact, protect themselves with PeerGuardian as well). However, if they cannot connect to you, they can't catch you in the act of actually uploading/downloading any torrent data, and without that they are powerless and have nothing against you.

"Can I use my firewall to block IP addresses, so I won't have to use PG/PW/SP at all?"

Yes. The PeerGuardian website has detailed instructions for each of the most popular firewalls on how to do this, and provides plain-text versions of the blocklist that can easily be imported into your firewall. See the PG site for more information.

(i 'stole' that info from another forum)

So...bottom line... BITORRENT ROX!

-- Pearson (none@aol.com), June 16, 2004.

That is true, thanks for adding that. But it's not as common. I've used Optimum online and Roadrunner and have never had a problem (Though getting peer guardian is very simple and effective). So if you really want be extra cautious, use that.

-- Adam (ashapir1@binghamton.edu), June 16, 2004.

I got DSL (768kbit/s) and with bit torrent my average speed is only 5kb/s. What do I wrong? PLZ help.

-- King.Joti (King.Joti@gmx.de), June 16, 2004.

Bit Torrent does not suck at all. Whoever said that should die >.< Bit Torrent is one of the best programs for getting those hard-to- find videos (episodes) that you really want. I don't have to worry about the speed since it's usually from 50-100 (or more) KBs a sec and I have cable. So yeah....Like Pearson said "BITTORENT ROX!".

King Joti - Maybe you're behind a firewall (your status light should be yellow). I've found out that the more peers you're connected to the faster your download speed will be.

-- HIYF (iy_home_0729@hotmail.com), June 16, 2004.

Yea, it's probably def a firewall. If you need the firewall, open up ports 6881-6889 in your firewall settings (those are the main ones that BT needs) and you should be fine. Also check to make sure what you are downloading has a good number of peers. If it is only like 1 or 2, you will get a slow speed.

-- Adam (ashapir1@binghamton.edu), June 16, 2004.

For brand new anime series: Perfect, yes. But for old animeseries ones: You 'll hav to get luck for a quick downloads

-- Anime-Drive (adsf@baloo.com), June 19, 2004.

Yup, yup. It's great! EEven though i thought that veary thing when i first started using it. Probly cuz I didn't know how the heck it worked and it was always going like 3 kb/s and an ep would take like 24 hours. But then i learned to wait it out and it would really only be an hour or so. I have DSL, and the averadge for me is about 20-30 kb/s. It's not that fast, but i've learned to be patiant! ^_^

-- Natsumi (silver_deeds@hotmail.com), June 21, 2004.

Everybody that says Bittorrent sux are STUUUUUUUUUPPID new kids on the broadband!

-- ngox (ngox@hotmail.com), June 30, 2004.

BitTorrent rocks! I've downloaded 10GB with 0 byte error so far! Great!

-- Clae (yemmm@fkk.tk), July 05, 2004.

Bittorrent is a great idea and way to download files, but not many people like to share. Most will disconnect right after they finish downloading. I've stopped, or tried to atleast, using bittorrent. I'll use it occasionally for some files I can't find anywhere else. But I've moved back over to irc for most of my files. You can get things at great speeds on there if you just know where to look, which isn't too hard. Most people are too lazy to look for things on their own, which is why most probably don't like irc and also why they come here for answers. That also applies to why people would use bittorrent. There's so many sites out there with torrent files for almost anything which requires just about no looking around. I get far better speeds using XDCC's that I've found throughout irc than I ever have with bittorrent. So, I don't really have anything against it. I love the concept. It's just that I prefer to use other mediums for file transfer. And I also don't like the damn RIAA and MPAA, along with others, trying to connect to me on almost all the torrents I download. They seem to be monitoring just about every single one now. Oh yeah, ProtoWall is excellent program. I almost never turn it off.

-- thecritic (cum@yourface.com), July 08, 2004.

Bittorrent has its uses, but it has a lot of problems too. These become somewhat more obvious when you start doing traffic around the 100-200 gig regions. The wasted bandwidth can hit hard at the wallet, in the long run.

-- foobar (foo@bar.com), September 04, 2004.

hi, i never get higher than 19kb/sec while normally i download 60kb/sec on the internet (don't got a firewall on) can somebody help me pls

-- R-J (robjac60@hotmail.com), September 22, 2004.

i got 10 peers and 5 seeds and i upload 6 to 10 kb/sec and download 4 to 6 kb/sec can someone please help me

thanks, Rob

-- Rob J. (robjac60@hotmail.com), September 22, 2004.

Constant 19 KB/S is a decent speed. BT is meant as a way to distribute the files without costing too much money for the site maintainer, not as a way to compete with direct download speed.

-- ubb (demonreaper73@hotmail.com), September 22, 2004.

Hi everyone..... I have comcast and I'm using Azureus... and after running BT for several hours my connection drops and I have to reset my Comcast modem... anyone know what's wrong or how to fix it?

thanks

alex

-- someone (alex333sh@hotmail.com), September 24, 2004.

Hm... so Bit Torrent is a download program... hmm... and who say's 56kb/s is rare? O.o its the only internet speed i could get out here (well except for satalite, but thats a bit pricy) Anyway, is it really no good for 56kb/s modem users?

-- Bucky (buckybuckster@hotmail.com), September 26, 2004.

is bittorent free?, i heard its long, will it make mehave viruses like kazaa? HELP ME

-- meow(joking) (meow@cats.org(joking)), October 04, 2004.

Yeah Bittorent is free, use a P2P program like Shareaza, it's the best P2P program.

I want episodes of Mighty Max but I never found it, even on Suprnova.org, bittorent is a good thing, when you have sources, and when you success to find what you want.

I want episodes of Mighty Max :'(

-- Hellcat (hellcat87@msn.com), October 12, 2004.

ALex, try running behind either a software or hardware firewall if you are not. Also change your port numbers a few thousand higher than the default bit torrent ports. Comcast does block common P2P ports in attempt to save node bandwidth in certain areas. When I had this problem I purchased a hardware firewall to fix the problem.

-- user27 (s_call@hotmail.com), October 16, 2004.