For those who don't know - torrents are part of the filesharing web network. This is a peer to peer process - if you used napster , kazaa or a similar shareing site in the past then you'll understand the general idea. IF your completely new to this type of thing just think of networking computers together in order to share certain files. ( or you may want to think of it like kids trading comics on the playground.. ill let you read spiderman #1 if you let me read your Superman.. that type of thing. Although I guess it would technicaly be more like I'll Let you Xerox copy my comic if I can do the same to yours.) You need to have a program for downloading torrents such as bittorrent or
azureus (vuze) just to name a few - and then all you do is download the small torrent from a hosting site (such as
Pirate Bay ) and start linking to folks who already have it and are willing to share it (the programs mentioned above automatically finds these folks for you) there are many security programs also which will help - try 'Peer guardian' (you can download this program from pirate bay) For further Technical information on torrents try
wikipedia - bit torrent. (or just google torrent - youll find a good explanation on many sites)
Some stuff you should know about:
A few things to keep a eye out for.
Seeders - this term applies to folks who have the full file and are sharing it.
Leechers these are the folks trying to get the file. both of these terms are on just about every torrent site out there - pay attention to these numbers! Usually the more seeders there are on a torrent the easier and faster youll get it. (if theres 2 seeders and 50 leechers it will take awhile - wheres as 50 seeders and 2 leechers should be rather quick)
Share and Share alike - If you download a full file be one of the good guys and be sure to let others get it also. (seed it back for folks) - some torrent sites have rules that make you give back at least as much as you got (in mbs) but you should give back even if they dont make you - its just good curtousy. Someone else took the time to let you Download - pay it forward to the next person in need.
Don't ever pay for a torrent site or membership - there are way too many places for free.
My recommendations: Program for downloading:I use
Azureus/ VUZE - as the program for downloading files. Easy to use and figure out. Find the program and info on vuze at http://azureus.sourceforge.net/ This program has several 'levels' which make it easy for newbies to get started and also is great for folks who have used torrents for awhile because they can adjust many options (once you know what they do - dont run till you have figured out how to walk!)
Places to Download torrents at:For starting out I suggest
the Pirate Bay - movies,tv,comics,software and more. http://thepiratebay.org/. the Pirate Bay is open to everyone (no membership or anything) Just use the search function and away you go! - Note Pirate Bay is open to the general public so there are some flakes on the network - just read the descriptions and comments and youll be fine i think.
Heads up: Start with small files for your first few couple torrents to make sure you have everything figured out. Also make sure there are plenty of seeders.
Also it is a good idea to read comments that may be attached to any torrent - these will help you greatly! sometimes a uploader doesnt put all the information in a description (or maybe they failed to tell you the quality sucks) well a quick peek at the comments may help! Especially on newer stuff .
Pay Attention to the uploader.If you find a certain file you liked go back and look at the uploader - you may want to see what else they have posted. (and since the first one came out ok more than likely the other files from the same uploader will be ok also) Ex: aXXo is a common on many sites and usually aXXO torrents are superb.
More Torrent sites I recommend
Note these torrent sites ask for Registration ( Just a email and stuff - no $ needed)
I hope this primer helped! Look for further torrent info and recommendations in the future.
Did I miss something or get it wrong? Please comment!
