could someone please explain TORRENTS to me?

Wobbie

ok....i kinda get it but not really.

you sign in, right? then you download. after that, I'm a little lost...you have to offer it on or put up something of your own so that you're uploading and downloading in a somewhat one to one ratio :? ? are viruses a concern? you need software, right? whats good for a MAC :? ?

i'm a total newbie. newer than that, really. :shifty:

BinauralJam

:shock: :P ditto

tvismyfriend

Well normally you leave the file running until you get your ratio for that download to 1, but it's appreciated to do more. This really depends on where you're downloading from though. Some sites will ban you if you don't have a certain ratio, but other don't really care. Viruses being a problem depends on where you're downloading from and what you're downloading. I've noticed that you get more viruses from pirated software than you would other stuff.

I use uTorrent, but I have a PC. Supposedly there's a mac version for it though and I would give it a try.

lukin2006

imalive wrote:

ok....i kinda get it but not really.

you sign in, right? then you download. after that, I'm a little lost...you have to offer it on or put up something of your own so that you're uploading and downloading in a somewhat one to one ratio :? ? are viruses a concern? you need software, right? whats good for a MAC :? ?

i'm a total newbie. newer than that, really. :shifty:

I use transmission for mac, http://www.transmissionbt.com/ and I use this site, http://isohunt.com/. Just go to the site and just type what your looking for in the search field and download torrent.

fuck

download Transmission if you're using a Mac.

I personally no longer give a fuck about my ratio, in fact I stopped uploading altogether - reason for that being that I got caught torrenting on the university wireless network because I was uploading and it's a lot easier to track a bunch of information leaving from one port then it is a bunch of info coming in through diff ports which is what happens uploading vs downloading as far as I know.

anyway, torrenting is real simple, just download the file and put it into transmission and wait for it to finish before messing with the file. as for viruses, just use well-known torrenting sites and if it has a bunch of seeds/leechers then it's probably safe. lots of times people also comment on the site about the file so if you're not sure check some of the comments.

fuck

lukin2006 wrote:

imalive wrote:

ok....i kinda get it but not really.

you sign in, right? then you download. after that, I'm a little lost...you have to offer it on or put up something of your own so that you're uploading and downloading in a somewhat one to one ratio :? ? are viruses a concern? you need software, right? whats good for a MAC :? ?

i'm a total newbie. newer than that, really. :shifty:

I use transmission for mac, http://www.transmissionbt.com/ and I use this site, http://isohunt.com/. Just go to the site and just type what your looking for in the search field and download torrent.

isohunt sucks now cause of the lawsuit, I would recommend torrentz.com which is basically a site that links you to other torrent sites. also i'll be willing to give a couple (very few) demonoid invites to the first few people who PM me.

Wobbie

tvismyfriend wrote:

Well normally you leave the file running until you get your ratio for that download to 1, but it's appreciated to do more. This really depends on where you're downloading from though. Some sites will ban you if you don't have a certain ratio, but other don't really care. Viruses being a problem depends on where you're downloading from and what you're downloading. I've noticed that you get more viruses from pirated software than you would other stuff.

I use uTorrent, but I have a PC. Supposedly there's a mac version for it though and I would give it a try.

so, by saying "leave the file running," you mean you just leave whatever you just downloaded "up" (or whatever you would call it) until others get it from you? I guess this is one thing I don't understand....its already out there so what does me "leaving the file running" accomplish? i'm also clueless about the whole "seed and leech" thing. answers so far have been helpful, but any more illumination would be appreciated!

tvismyfriend

imalive wrote:

tvismyfriend wrote:

Well normally you leave the file running until you get your ratio for that download to 1, but it's appreciated to do more. This really depends on where you're downloading from though. Some sites will ban you if you don't have a certain ratio, but other don't really care. Viruses being a problem depends on where you're downloading from and what you're downloading. I've noticed that you get more viruses from pirated software than you would other stuff.

I use uTorrent, but I have a PC. Supposedly there's a mac version for it though and I would give it a try.

so, by saying "leave the file running," you mean you just leave whatever you just downloaded "up" (or whatever you would call it) until others get it from you? I guess this is one thing I don't understand....its already out there so what does me "leaving the file running" accomplish? i'm also clueless about the whole "seed and leech" thing. answers so far have been helpful, but any more illumination would be appreciated!

Correct, you just leave whatever program you use to download it running and people can seed from you when you're complete. Some people consider leaving it up as proper torrent etiquette. If you download the file from a site that doesn't care about ratio then it's your choice to seed or not. Leech is someone that hasn't reached 100% yet and seed is someone that has completed the download. The more seeds there are in a file the faster the download will be. If there are zero seeds in a file then you cannot complete the download. You can download from a leech, but you can only get as much as the person with the highest percent.

TravisTheSky

Several months ago, I very nearly almost took the plunge to try downloading a torrent. But I decided that it was still a bit over my head.
I think I was discouraged by the fact that I had just downloaded a show from guba, and copied it onto DVD- Only to find that the final product was in a compression format that my computer did not recognise. So it was useless.

But now, I am keen to see the two banned episodes of Judge John Deed. The BBC has promised that they will NEVER appear on DVD, nor be broadcast on any televisions anywhere. Eeek! Banned books are the most enticing... I MUST see the episodes! I searched Toudu, YouTube, guba, and veoh, but they only exist in torrents.

Who can make, lend, or send these to me? I'm happy to pay all shipping costs.

BlackThirteen

I actually bookmarked this article for to show a friend who was confused. Anyway here's the link hope it helps: http://lifehacker.com/software/ultranew ... 285489.php

gecko

BlackThirteen wrote:

I actually bookmarked this article for to show a friend who was confused. Anyway here's the link hope it helps: http://lifehacker.com/software/ultranew ... 285489.php

I just got reminded of Dark Ages - Kazaa & dial-up. You never knew what are you going to find in the morning. Also, I was always a thief.

Jo

imalive wrote:

ok....i kinda get it but not really.

you sign in, right? then you download. after that, I'm a little lost...you have to offer it on or put up something of your own so that you're uploading and downloading in a somewhat one to one ratio :? ? are viruses a concern? you need software, right? whats good for a MAC :? ?

i'm a total newbie. newer than that, really. :shifty:

Hahahaha, TPAMSBT.......but I'm like you :oops:

Apart from these forums I STILL have no reason to use a computer, but when I do I have to write a cheque out... :?

ask the hard questions


so, What is Torrents?

FrankieG

Jo wrote:

so, What is Torrents?

Torrents are just downloadable files.

For example, you can download a music file from limewire etc.
Torrents are the equilvalent but extremely bigger.

In some cases, you can torrent software (That costs thousands if you were to buy it), videos, computer applications, anything really.

Jo

[quote="FrankieGTorrents are the equilvalent but extremely bigger.

anything really.[/quote]

Hmmmmm, so I'm still no clearer on Torrents. They are a bit hard to describe AND illusive, yes?
:P

81

sounds like napster

FrankieG

Jo:

why dont you google it? :P

Wobbie

Jo wrote:

Hahahaha, TPAMSBT.......but I'm like you :oops:

FrankieG wrote:

Jo:

why dont you google it? :P

just like i had to google TPAMSBT.....and still don't know what that means. great.....now I'm clueless on two things :roll: . i'll have to check out the torrent explanation link....

DewieCox

download/install a torrent program like bittornado...
head to btjunkie or demonoid and start downloading

I don't think it can be explained easier than that

I've only ever had to worry about ratio on bootleg torrent sites, like dime or zomb

Kilgore_Trout

i was confused at first too... i know nothing about computers

i use utorrent and btjunkie.com

the seeding/leeching thing is just the uploaders:downloaders ratio... obviously one with alot of uploaders and not many downloaders is gonna go faster (right? )... and most sites have symbols for trusted users so you dont have to worry about viruses... just read the comment section to be sure before d/l

i personally never seed... i know its bad manners not to share the wealth, but i've heard thats how they track people down for those stupid lawsuits

FrankieG

imalive wrote:

just like i had to google TPAMSBT.....and still don't know what that means.

The Person Above Me Sucks Big Time

Flagg

Yeah, the torrent file is just the file that works with the software you are using to download/upload and allows for sharing.

I use utorrent. I just go find what I want and download the torrent file (only takes seconds), double-click it to open, then utorrent opens and starts downloading the actual file (usually in ZIP or RAR format and takes longer depending on what you are downloading). When done, I delete the torrent file and shut down utorrent. You no longer need it if you aren't seeding.

If you are on a site like demonoid though or somewhere else where ratios count, you should leave your torrent file alone and let it seed.

Its pretty easy.