BitTorrent: A Tutorial

Scenario: You've heard the word "BitTorrent" but have no idea what it means
Solution: Keep reading....






The notion that groups are always more powerful than individuals is not just a tired old cliche that gets drilled into children at school. In some instances it is actually true.

Take downloading files for example. If you download a song or a piece of software then - for the most part at least - that file lives on a single server and the time it takes to transfer to your computer depends wholly upon the health, speed and traffic tolerance of that server.

But the concept behind BitTorrent is a little different. Rather than downloading a file from a single server, instead you download the file from a community of users from all over the world who have the same file already on their computer. Rather than downloading the entire file, you download little pieces of the file from different users and then these little pieces are re-assembled on your computer to complete the whole. The more users you connect to the faster the download - so a file downloaded from 100 users (or "peers" as BitTorrent terminology goes) will generally be faster than a download from only 10 peers.

Being able to break-up files into tiny pieces allows for really huge pieces of content - like TV shows and movies - to be shared in a really efficient way. But you have to play your part in the community too. Rather than simply downloading files from other people all day long and then disappearing down the pub for the night, BitTorrent actually rewards users who give back. As you download parts of a file to your computer BitTorrent will automatically re-upload those same parts so that other users can grab them - and thus you become part of the sharing community. If you play nice and let these uploads continue, BitTorrent rewards you by increasing the overall speed that you can download from the community. If you cancel uploads (or are a "leecher" to use BitTorrent lingo again) then you'll never see your download speeds increase. So it does pay to give back to the community.

You'll need to install a free application to use BitTorrent, which is explained in the video above. In order to find content you'll need to browse torrent tracker sites where you'll be able to find everything from movies, to music to games. Some torrent sites offer fully legal material while others contain copyright material - so use your own best judgment when deciding what to download.

Check out the video above for the BitTorrent tutorial.