BitTorrent -> Is it safe?

[bob4432]

recently when i have downloaded demos of games, there is a link for a bittorrent file. i guess i am supposed to download some type of client and it is some p2p network? my question is, is it safe?

 

[screw3d]

Question is, safe from what?

 

[bob4432]

it seems like the other p2p networks, so i am wondering if when i d/l legit software and then people are getting it from me, are there a lot of hacks so they can access other folders/drives on my machine?

 

[onelin]

for game demos, definitely! It is not a p2p network, per say, but an upload while you download way of getting files. Instead of the server sending out 10,000 copies of a demo, it sends out small pieces of the demo to loads of different people, who, in turn, send them out to eachother...distributing the file to many people at once while dramatically decreasing the amount of copies of the file the server has to send out. It instead just acts as a traffic cop, telling who to send what pieces to who.

introduction

it only runs while you download a file and keep the window open, no spyware, etc.

 

[bob4432]

is there a certain client that is better than the others? there is no spyware? good

 

[onelin]

no there are no known 'hacks' so they can access other folders on your machine. All it shares is the very 'torrent' you are getting and no more...

 

[LuNoTiCK]

But there are some leechers who really suck. I don't know how they do it but there able to download like crazy and not upload anything at all, but it's really annoying.


Anyway I would recommend using Shadows Experimental.

 

[NEVERwinter]

I think they use some other BT clients which able to set the percentage and/or total upload speed...

btw, Bittorrent is not a centralized filesharing network... so you only share items which has the *.torrent seed file

 

[NightCrawler]

ABC or torrent storm small, clean and good. Bit spirit is nice to but very bloated.

 

[dpm]

azereus (sp?) is a pretty nice client - best i've tried so far.

If the demo you want to download is newly released, then bittorrent is often your best bet, as all of the web servers get overwhelmed.