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BitRocket walkthrough
Just yesterday we wrote about BitRocket, a new open source BitTorrent client for OS X. We also wrote about the fact that some people think that something is rotten in the state of BitRocket, however, after looking at the code myself I can rest easy recommedning the app.Some of you, I am sure, were craving a few more screenshots than the one that I included. Our very own David Chartier has posted a very nice walkthrough of BitRocket on our sister blog, DownloadSquad. Head on over there for a step by step look at BitRocket.
Questions about BitRocket abound
News is coming in via digg commenters and posts on forum threads linked therein which seems to indicate and give evidence that BitRocket uses code taken from the Transmission.app source without giving any attribution as required by the MIT license under which Transmission is released. These accusations are further supported by the fact that the developer of BitRocket, Julian Ashton, previously developed XFactor, a P2P application, which was proven to take code from the Poisoned project, again without proper attribution. Update: Scott, our fearless leader, did some digging and found a post on the forum thread linked that I seem to have missed. According to at least one account, BitRocket does properly credit the source it uses.
BitRocket
Still having trouble finding a Mac bittorrent client that is to your liking, even after looking at this list? Perhaps BitRocket will be the app you have been looking for. It is a .1 beta release, but it does look promising (and very Mac like to boot).BitRocket is free.
Mac Torrent clients reviewed
We all love OS X, but any Mac user with half a brain will admit that there are some areas in which the Windows world has us beat. When it comes to BitTorrent clients, Windows users have a veritable cornucopia of options to chose from, while us Mac users have a paltry 5 choices. TorrenFreak, always dedicated to excellence in the peer-to-peer realm, decided to take a look at all of the dedicated BitTorrent clients for the Mac. The reviewer considered the whole package of features, interface, and speed. As some of the more torrent astute readers might guess, Transmission and Bits On Wheels came out on top, with Tomato Torrent, Azureus, and the official BitTorrent client trailing behind.
NetEnforcer now sniffs out encrypted BitTorrent activity
Looks like ISPs now have another weapon at their disposal to keep all that BitTorrent traffic under control, with Allot Communications updating its NetEnforcer traffic management devices to root out encrypted BitTorrent packets. According to Allot, BitTorrent traffic accounts for some 40-50 percent of ISP bandwidth, with many ISPs already taking steps to throttle it, but until now they've been unable to do anything about the encrypted torrenting that's been possible with the latest clients. To crack that nut, the NetEnforcer uses what Allot calls deep packet inspection technology, which they say lets ISPs "identify and analyze hundreds of applications and protocols, track subscriber behavior, prioritize traffic and shape traffic flows." So, simple traffic management -- we have no idea what else it could possibly be used for. Oh, and Sweden's Pirate Party definitely does NOT endorse this product; go figure.[Via Monkey Bites]
Culver City to install filters on its municipal WiFi network
They call Los Angeles the City of Angels. We didn't find it to be that exactly -- particularly when much like anywhere else, folks are accustomed to downloading pr0n and tons of illicit materials on BitTorrent. Fortunately for us, upright citizens of Culver City, an LA suburb, will be installing Net filters (Audible Magic's CopySense Network Appliance, to be specific) on its free WiFi municipal network, which covers 10 square blocks in its downtown area. Sadly funnier still are the hacks at the MPAA who praised the move (but of course), saying that this new filter will "help safeguard system users from being subject to illegal files" -- as if somehow all of these "illegal files" just come raining down out of the sky on innocent folks wanting to read, say, Engadget. [Via TechDirt]
Apple fires retail employees for downloading Leopard
Nobody touches Big Brother's Apple's OS until they're good and ready -- not nobody. Apparently not even Apple employees are beyond the long arm of the law, since a few Apple Retail employees have been sacked after being overheard by the Thought Police co-workers while discussing their evil deeds, and were subsequently reported to corporate. Their crime? Downloading the WWDC edition of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard that was handed out to developers at the recent keynote and has been popping up on file sharing sites of late. At least five employees have been fired so far, with "dozens" more facing electroshock therapy expulsion. When questioned about their actions, the employees fessed up to the crime, and they seemed to think Apple was in the right for giving them the boot, though they do wonder if they'd still have their jobs if they'd hadn't admitted to downloading Leopard. Guess you'll never know now, eh Honest Abe? Though you can assume with our BitTorrent habits that we wouldn't be blabbing about our recent acquisitions in front any Inner Party members Apple corporate types.
ASUS WL-700gE media server and BitTorrent client, whodathunk?
While it may not be as litigiously bold as that Dutch LamaBox peer-to-peer server, we're sure that ASUS' WL-700gE will catch the eye of the MPAA and RIAA all the same. Seemingly, the WL-700gE is just another digital media server packing 802.11b/g WiFi, a 3.5-inch 160GB internal disk drive, 4 x wired Ethernet ports, 3 x USB 2.0 jacks, a built-in firewall, and plenty of on-board apps to serve-up data via Web browser, FTP, Samba, and UPnP/DLNA. It'll even share USB tethered webcams, speakers, and printers across your net. But did you know that buried in the product details (which might explain how we missed the product announcement earlier this year) is support for computer-less BitTorrenting directly over the box's WAN port? That little nugget not only frees-up your in-home bandwidth but allows you to put your computer to sleep as that sweet, sweet media rolls in overnight. So go ahead, pick up the roughly $250 box as priced on-line, slap on a few 750GB drives and put down a retainer for a good trial lawyer, you know, just in case you get carried away.[Via dailywireless]
Aspyr finally gets a clue, releases Quake 4 demo
Forgive the bitter headline, but I'm sick of Mac game companies releasing games, especially ones as massive and significant as Quake 4, without a demo. This gripe is further compounded by the fact that the current state of Mac gaming is so demanding of hardware; yes, it's certainly improving, but many of these games require a PowerMac G5 or, now with the Intel switch, at least an iMac or a MacBook Pro to run them with any decent amount of detail and frame rate. Releasing $50 games without the ability for users to test them first is shooting oneself in the foot, and apparently, companies like Aspyr seem to have no shortage of feet.With that small bit of editorial out of the way: Aspyr has (finally) released a demo of Quake 4! Hooray! Both a torrent and a direct download link of the 536MB Universal Binary demo are available from MacGameFiles. Enjoy.[via MacMinute]
mariposaHD joins Instant Media
It seems appropriate that the internet's first HDTV show and the internet's first high-def network should pair up so they did. Our friends at mariposaHD have announced that you can download their shows in the iHD format via the I'M player, though they will also continue to be available via BitTorrent. Not to be confused with HD DVD's iHD, Instant Media's format is designed for viewing 720p content over the internet without requiring a high-powered machine. We considered reviewing Instant Media's HD platform when it launched a few months ago, but the high-def content was so limited and boring (think QVC + your local access channel in 720p and you've pretty much got it) we couldn't bring ourselves to watch, much less write about it at the time. Hopefully this is a sign of change for the better.
Democracy Player goes Intel (not quite Universal)
The Democracy Player is a cross-platform internet television viewer (or IPTV, for buzzword-compliance) that boasts over 500 built-in channels for your endless entertainment pleasure. It takes a bit of a different approach to internet television with support for a wide variety of aggregation services, including BitTorrent, and a full-blown channel guide.The player was recently updated to version 0.8.5 for all platforms, and there is now an Intel version of the app available - not to be confused with Universal. Their Mac OS X download page offers two separate downloads for PPC and Intel versions, stating that a Universal version is pending.Democracy Player is donationware and available from getdemocracy.com.
Skype w/video leaked, will destroy your Mac
According to a Skype developer, an old and unstable version of Skype for Mac has been leaked onto file sharing networks across the globe. If you spot this file, do not download it! "It is an internal unstable development version, and thus it is extremely buggy" and "it will destroy your contacts and other data". We wouldn't want that now would we?Since the Windows version of Skype gained video conferencing support in March, many Mac user have felt left behind and stuck with the non-video capable version of Skype. Fortunately, this warning also comes with some good news; Skype version 2.0 for the Mac is nearly ready for primetime. The screenshot of a video capable of Skype on the left of this post is the tantalizing proof.So, try and resist the temptation to go searching for a pre-release version that could potentially destroy your Mac, and wait a little longer for the official version. Remember what happened the last time someone bit the Apple?
Opera 9 goes Universal
Opera, the little browser that could (and did - go free, that is), has finished its beta and reached version 9, going Universal in the process. New features include: a built-in BitTorrent client adding your favorite search engines to Opera's search bar simply by right-clicking them site-specific preferences for cookies, pop-ups, etc. thumbnail previews of tabs when hovering over them widgets (hey, at least they didn't call 'em 'gadgets') customizable content blocker and more This version definitely seems snappier now that it's Universal, and (say what you have to) these new enhancements like a built-in BitTorrent client show that Opera is blazing a trail faster than its competition. Give this version a whirl if you haven't touched Opera in a while but are still curious about it. If you need help with a browser transition, why not check out some of the del.icio.us tools (like my personal favorite: Delibar) we've blogged that take the 'bookmarks bar' out of the browser and into Mac OS X's menubar, removing the need for worrying about which browser you're using.
Use Mail.app as a remote torrent client
An enterprising Mail.app user by the name of Matt Comi has ironed out a simple yet powerful trick for using Mail.app as a remote bittorrent client, of sorts. Basically, he set up a rule in Mail.app with a custom AppleScript that looks for torrent file attachments. This AppleScript then sends the torrent file to Azureus for downloading. Check out his site, Big Bucket Amusement, for instructions, screenshots and the script you'll need.[via Hawk Wings]
Warner distributing movies via BitTorrent
No mention of resolution, although they seem to compare only to DVD so high definition is probably out of the question, but digital distribution is getting a big boost this summer when Warner joins with BitTorrent to release day-and-date with their DVDs over the internet. The bad news is that the DRM will prevent any copying to DVD.We'll see how well this works out, as BitTorrent is still very much the Wild Wild West when it comes to content. A quick search for HD on the website brought up our good friends over at mariposaHD...and lot of HDRips. Good luck with that piracy prevention Warner.Disclaimer: Time Warner is the parent company of this blog and Warner Bros. Entertainment[Via Engadget]
Warner Bros. to team with BitTorrent for movie sales
It looks like BitTorrent has really cleaned up its act ever since it bowed to movie studio wishes and swore to remove pirated content from its search last year. Not only have they managed to send plenty of downloaders elsewhere, but have gotten friendly enough with Warner Bros. to start distributing movies and TV shows via the BitTorrent tech in the US. (Disclaimer: Engadget's parent's parent company is Time Warner, the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment.) Just like old Napster vs new Napster, this isn't your father's BitTorrent movie download, since the files will be saddled with BitTorrent's very own DRM tech that won't let you copy the file around, or burn it as a DVD. Luckily, Warner Bros. is claiming that they'll be offering content on the day of its retail availability. On the flip side, it sounds like pricing for TV shows will be similar to that of Apple and Google (though the Reuters mentions $1 per episode, so maybe there is hope for a BitTorrent discount), and DVDs will match retail prices. Seems kind of lame considering the fact that you're saving them bandwidth costs, and obtaining a file that you have less rights to than a traditional disc, but dems the breaks. The service should go live this summer, and provide around 200 titles at launch, including "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Babylon 5." BitTorrent says they're also in talks with other studios, but that's all they'll say about that for now.
Patoh's external P2P client / NAS
What do you get when you cross a 250GB Buffalo LinkStation network attached storage (NAS) device with some custom home-server software, a multi-protocol peer-to-peer client that supports FTP, Kad, BitTorrent, Overnet, FastTrack, and eDonkey? Well, for one you get a small device -- not unlike the LamaBox -- that can continuously download and seed your torrent data after you've shut down for the night, thereby keeping that ratio up and preventing you from getting booted from your fav invite-only tracker into the cold, harsh world of Scandieland downloads from less reliable anonymous sources. Do we sound like we know way too much about this stuff? Maybe so, which probably has something to do with the fact that we're a little stoked for Patoh's external RochiP2P 250, which should supposedly set you back €299 ($380 US) for the above features in that same familiar looking old Buffalo box shown here. Unfortunately it appears the Patoh uses desktop software to control all those torrents instead of a nice web interface, but we, um, never get our media online or do any torrenting ourselves, so what Patoh does or doesn't do with their products is really none of our concern. Ahem.
HDTV on BitTorrent: Soderbergh's next film
Everyone's favorite day-and-date releasing director, Steven Soderbergh recently spoke at the Tribeca Film Festival and had some sharp words for Hollywood's current distribution model as noted in Wired. What they didn't mention was that his next project, a short film for a DVD monthly, will be distributed via BitTorrent. Is he going to be able to redesign Hollywood from scratch one torrent at a time? We don't know but we'll keep our uTorrent client at the ready just in case.[Via digg]
Download BitTorrent podcasts in iTunes with iTorrent
A lot of people are clamoring for Apple to build support for BitTorrent into iTunes. Setting aside the greater implications and the major industry bridges Apple would burn if they were to do this, a man by the name of Michael Hobbs has developed a solution that might suffice for some of you who just gotta have your podcast torrents subscribed in iTunes.While it might not be pretty, iTorrent (is anyone else getting sick of the 'i' prefix?) is essentially a set of Python scripts for Windows or Mac OS X that will allow you to add those BitTorrent podcasts into iTunes and update them with the rest of your podcasts. Unfortunately, it isn't a simple drag, drop and double-click, so check out Michael's site for installation and running instructions for both Windows and Mac OS X.[via digg]
Widget Watch: BitSticks
VanillaSoap Design, the folks behind the slick Capture Dashboard widget, have released a public beta of BitSticks, their newest widget. BitSticks is a stand alone Bittorrent widget, and it works just as you would expect. Grab a torrent file in the Finder, invoke Dashboard and drop the file onto BitSticks. Next, sit back and relax as your download progresses. It's not a full-featured client, of course, but it gets the job done with those smaller files you simply need to grab.
