P2P 2.0
I'm surprised at how many people don't yet realize that the P2P 1.0 is dead. Programs like Napster, Kazaa and WinMX are technologies of the past. Still, that hasn't stopped people from sharing files on the internet. In fact, its given way to more powerful technologies like BitTorrent (P2P 2.0).
One problem with P2P 1.0 was that, if you had, for example, five people all trying to download a file from the same place, then you would get one fifth of the bandwidth (at best). BitTorrent solves that problem. Instead of having everyone source the file from the same place, the people downloading the file each get a portion of the file and share it among themselves. In other words, the more people you have downloading the file, the faster it downloads.
Another problem with P2P 1.0 was that there were various copies of the same file but no way of finding out if the file you're downloading is any good. BitTorrent solves this problem by bulking files together into larger clusters and providing a unique way of identifying this new file. People can then download this unique identifier and use it to download the actual file.
Here are instructions on how to start downloading file using BitTorrent. It uses a small, 154K program. There is no installer to run and you can launch the program from anywhere, including a thumb drive.
1. Download utorrent.
2. Download a torrent file.
There are plenty of sites offering torrents. I've listed some at the end of this post. In this example, we're going to use www.ThePirateBay.com. If you go to the website, you can search for a torrent file or list the top 100. I typed "fedora" and hit the "Pirate Search" button. The resulting page listed "Fedora Core 4 x86-64 DVD Installation" as one of the results so I clicked on that. You can read about the file, to make sure it is in fact the file you're looking for. When you're satisfied, click "DOWNLOAD THIS TORRENT". Save the file onto your computer.
3. Start utorrent.
Sometimes, when there are updates available, utorrent will ask you if you want to update the software. Updates only take a few second and the program will start when the update is complete. It's a really streamlined process.
4. Drop the torrent file in utorrent.
Find the file you saved in step 2. Drag and drop this file onto the utorrent application window; anywhere in the window will work. You will be prompted for a destination for the file. Pick a folder somewhere and click "OK". The file should begin downloading immediately.
5. Remove the torrent from utorrent.
The utorrent program will continue "seeding" (i.e. sharing) the file, with other people even after it has been completely downloaded. You can now safely remove it from the utorrent program. Simply select it in the list and press the delete key. It will ask you if you're sure you want to remove it, say yes.
6. Enjoy your download.
At this point you should have the file you were looking for. You can delete the torrent file since it was actually only an intermediary in downloading the file you were actually looking for. Hopefully you know what to do with the file you downloaded. If it's an mp3 you can play it in your mp3 player, for example. Be careful of what you download. Some files, like executables, can turn your machine into a boat anchor.
Here are some other places to find torrent files.
The Pirate Bay |
Torrent Portal |
Torrent Spy |
Torrent Reactor |
ISO Hunt |
Torrent Portal
UPDATE: According to a study by CacheLogic Research, P2P makes up 60% of Internet traffic. Read more...