History of Computers - BitTorrent Protocol
BitTorrent Protocol
The BitTorrent Protocol is a Peer-to-Peer file sharing network created in 2001 by Bram Cohen.
Overview
The BitTorrent Protocol shares files through a P2P network that allows for higher download speeds at lower bandwidth. This is done through a "swarm" of downloads. Instead of downloading the entire file from a source, the BitTorrent Protocol downloads bits and pieces from multiple different people that already have the file at the same time. At the same time, the computer that is downloading the file is also sending the parts it has downloaded to other computers.
Currently, BitTorrent is used by companies like Facebook and Twitter to send updates to their servers. It's also used by companies such as Blizzard that send updates for their games through a BitTorrent system. [1] BitTorrent is the most popular way of sending large files over the internet and currently takes up over half of the world's bandwidth dedicated to file sharing.
With the release of BitTorrent, a debated issue has been is torrenting morally acceptable? Is taking things off the internet that are normally sold and copyrighted for free okay? Currently debates still go on over these problems and have been attempted to be stopped by acts like SOPA.
Significance
BitTorrent uses its P2P setup to obtain high file sharing speeds while diminishing bandwidth usage. The release of BitTorrent made file sharing much easier and allowed for the spread of software and social entertainment. Currently, according to BitTorrent Inc., there are over 150 million active BitTorrent users. [3]
