Bittorrent

[Sansavarous]

The main advantage that I've found with BitTorrent is that it allows me to 
stop a download and restart it at any time. This can also be done with some 
FTP sites, not all.

BitTorrent is not meant to be a replacement for any existing protocols, simply 
a way to distribute files in a dependable way.

As long as there are people who "seed" the torrent the torrent will be 
available. You can even pull down the file from other people who are 
downloading. What it does is to break up the file into chunks and then share 
out those chunks. You can download the parts from anybody who has pieces you 
don't have. The key is to have as many people "seeding" as possable. Most 
torrents will reach a critical mass about one to two weeks after the initial 
seeding, then the quality declines from there. That's why you'll see many 
torrents reseeded.

As far as usability, error reporting, or stability that's not so much to 
protocol as it is the applications. I run Azureus on Gentoo and it suits my 
needs. I've not had any problems with it. Azureus is a resource hog, being 
Java.

IMHO BitTorrent has it's place, just as P2P sharing has it's place, like HTTP 
and FTP. The right tool for the right job.

-- 
Don't drink when you drive -- you might hit a bump and spill it.
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