At our last class meeting, we brought up BitTorrent, and so I thought I'd post about my experiences using it.
BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer filesharing service that works by breaking up the files you're downloading into packets; while you're downloading from users who have the file (or have more of it than you do), you're simultaneously uploading what you have to other users. This way, it doesn't put a huge strain on the bandwidth of just a few people who have the whole file. One interesting thing about the way it works is that your download rate is directly proportional to how much you upload. The more you allow others to download from you, the faster your download will go, thus discouraging people from downloading without uploading in return. This seems to enforce quite effectively the essence of filesharing -- it's more difficult to take files without, to use a cliche, passing the favor forward. There are even certain torrent tracker sites that require you to maintain a certain download/upload ratio in order to download from that particular tracker. Of course, there are always ways to get around this, but given how popular BitTorrent is as a method of filesharing, it seems like the majority of users respect the "rules".
I'm certain than everyone has an opinion on the ethics of filesharing, but I'm more interested in how other people feel about various forms of Internet etiquette. How important is it to respect the rules when you may be using the service for extralegal purposes? Is it an example of "honor among thieves?" Am I reading too much in to this whole phenomenon (given that we're in a class about new media, I'm going to go with "no")?
1 comment:
Thanks for posting this. There's never enough time in class to talk about some relevant media topics and technologies. At some point later, we'll be talking a bit more about collective knowledge and participation which, I too believe, are at the heart of filesharing. Good one!
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