Difference between revisions of "BitTorrent"
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== Legality == | == Legality == | ||
| − | File sharing through the use of BitTorrent applications is currently legal, however, the use of such applications in order to share material protected under copyright is illegal. Despite being illegal however, the use of torrents in constantly increasing in popularity due to the extreme ease with which one can obtain copyright material. | + | [[File sharing]] through the use of BitTorrent applications is currently legal, however, the use of such applications in order to share material protected under copyright is illegal. Despite being illegal however, the use of torrents in constantly increasing in popularity due to the extreme ease with which one can obtain copyright material. |
Many legal uses of BitTorrent clients include widespread distribution of open source software and media. | Many legal uses of BitTorrent clients include widespread distribution of open source software and media. | ||
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== External Links == | == External Links == | ||
Revision as of 14:03, 8 October 2011
BitTorrent refers to the peer-to-peer file sharing protocol used by many P2P clients.
Description
BitTorrent is also the file sharing client the protocol was named after. The protocol, widely used by many client programs, allows users to connect via the internet and share pieces of a file with many other users.
Torrent
A torrent file is the basis of peer-to-peer connection in that it hold a description of the location of various pieces of the file being shared. The torrent is not the actual file being shared, just a mapping of portions. Torrents are hosted by third parties online but made easily accessible and searchable by BitTorrent clients and torrent-specific search engines.
Sharing
In regards to the BitTorrent protocol, uploading is commonly referred to as seeding and downloading referred to as leeching. Torrent files allow a user to seed portions of a shared file without fully downloading the entire file. The fact that only portions of a file can be downloaded from multiple sources is a large factor in the popularity of BitTorrent applications. Since this method of file sharing aggregates pieces of files from many different locations, it also magnifies the risks and responsibilities associated with file sharing.
Legality
File sharing through the use of BitTorrent applications is currently legal, however, the use of such applications in order to share material protected under copyright is illegal. Despite being illegal however, the use of torrents in constantly increasing in popularity due to the extreme ease with which one can obtain copyright material.
Many legal uses of BitTorrent clients include widespread distribution of open source software and media.
