BitTorrent is a great way to spread around popular files, much preferable to fee-based systems such as FilePlanet and various other archives. BitTorrent files are popping up everywhere. It has a lot of things going for it, including some very compelling anti-leech technology that keeps any one person from being too greedy.

Like many of the open-source projects I profile on the show, BitTorrent isn't just for Linux, either. Clients are available for Windows and Mac OS X. Installation isn't simple for any platform, but it offers an interesting look at an up-and-coming technology.

Please note that I have not tried BitTorrent on OS X, but the Windows version works quite well. BitTorrent for Windows is likely the version I'll be showing off on the show.

BitTorrent isn't KaZaA

It's important to understand what BitTorrent is and what it is not. BitTorrent is not like KaZaA and its cousins, as it does not have a search facility. I use Google as a stand-in search function.

Linux users will also need to make sure that you have the wxPython library installed. Otherwise, you'll be stuck BitTorrenting in text mode.

Ready to give BitTorrent a try?

Download BitTorrent now

• A good place to start finding torrent files to download is Smiler's BitTorrent site.
  
  
• Are you looking for a comparison of BitTorrent and other P2P-sharing protocols? Here is a handy page with that information.
  

Chris DiBona is the co-founder of Damage Studios, a San Francisco-based game company. Damage Studios is working on Rekonstruction, which is billed as "the next-generation massively multiplayer online game." DiBona was formerly an editor for slashdot.org and the co-editor of Open Sources: Voices From the Open Source Revolution.