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Archive for the ‘Hot Topic’ Category

August 23rd, 2012 BitTorrent Network, Hot Topic Comments Off

Kim Dotcom: If I Was President of the United States….

Kim Dotcom makes no secret of the fact that he holds U.S. President Barack Obama personally responsible for the destruction of Megaupload. The outspoken Internet phenom is determined to uncover the political scandal behind Megaupload’s demise and wants Obama to be voted out of office. But what would Dotcom do if he was the most powerful man in the world? Let’s find out.

For five days in a row Kim Dotcom’s tweets directed at Barack Obama were the most retweeted mentions of the U.S. President, a sign that Dotcom’s vendetta against the Image is Loading.....forces that shuttered Megaupload is clearly being noticed.

And the Megaupload founder is not planning to go silent anytime soon. He’s busy using his online influence to stir up the hornet’s nest.

Talking to us, Dotcom says that the number of people siding with him is growing.

“Every day more people speak out and disagree with the U.S. government’s actions against Megaupload. Millions of users still don’t have access to their files. Internet users in the U.S. and around the world are outraged,” Dotcom says.

 

Dotcom’s latest Obama tweet

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As a result of the Megaupload shutdown 220 people lost their jobs and millions more lost access to their personal files. Dotcom believes that the U.S. is stifling innovation on the Internet and is urging President Obama to reverse his actions before it’s too late. He’s demanding the Change once promised by Obama.

That got us thinking – what would Kim Dotcom do if he was the President of the United States? What would he change aside from bringing back Megaupload?

Luckily Dotcom was happy to oblige. He made a list of 15 things he would do differently if he was President of the United States of America, changes that go beyond Internet issues.

1. Stop all wars the United States are involved in (offline and online).

2. Make peace and negotiate diplomatic settlements with all enemies.

3. Stop interfering with other nations unless help was asked for.

4. Stop supporting Israel’s aggression against Palestine and its other neighbors.

5. Cut military spending to the minimum required for a “defense” force.

6. Use military savings and other cuts to level the budget.

7. Stop sending trash to Mars and instead cure diseases on earth.

8. Focus on alternative fuel and energy strategies.

9. Keep the Internet open, free from censorship and stop spying on citizens.

10. Make lobbying and political donations illegal and fund political campaigns with taxes.

11. Tax citizens with the highest income the most and with the smallest income the least.

12. Increase the number of class rooms / teachers and pay teachers with the best results most.

13. Reform the justice and prisons system and reduce the number of prisoners.

14. Protect the environment and stop unnecessary pollution.

15. Fix all other problems.

While it’s “unlikely” that Dotcom will ever become President of the United States, there’s a more than a decent chance of him beating the U.S. Government in court. When that happens and as part of the process, Dotcom hopes to bring down the people who were responsible for Megaupload’s destruction.

Dotcom says he has evidence that Vice President Joe Biden was the one who ordered the shutdown of Megaupload. According to Dotcom the takedown is the result of a corrupt system in which Hollywood paid for Megaupload’s demise through political donations.

“The MPAA paid for this takedown with Hollywood’s re-election donations. Former Senator and now MPAA CEO Chris Dodd called in the favors he earned during his political career. The Megaupload story is one of corruption and abuse of power. Hollywood could not have written a better political thriller,” he says.

“Over the last few months many legal experts called the shutdown of Megaupload unlawful and unconstitutional. But the U.S. government is celebrating Megaupload’s takedown by handing out awards for example to the Hong Kong Department of Justice. Yet nobody has been found guilty of any crime, and nobody ever will, because Megaupload was perfectly legal,” Dotcom adds.

Like President Obama, Kim Dotcom is eager to go forward. In the coming months he will debut the music service Megabox and if all goes well Megaupload might just make a comeback too.

August 19th, 2012 BitTorrent Clients, BitTorrent Network, Hot Topic, uTorrent Comments Off

Top 10 uTorrent Alternatives/Replacement Considerations

For tens of millions of BitTorrent users, uTorrent is the immediate client of choice. However, a recent decision by its creators to include adware in the client prompted some users to question their loyalty to the product. After numerous reader requests for an overview of other BitTorrent clients, here is a rundown of ten possible alternatives.

Following the announcement last week that uTorrent will become ad-supported (and despite the subsequent change of heart on forced ads), some BitTorrent users have been reconsidering their options.

In response to reader requests for information on other clients, here are ten alternatives to µTorrent for windows (in alphabetical order).

BitComet v1.33

We begin with perhaps the most controversial of all torrent clients. BitComet has been accused of many negative things in the past, but most were without merit.

However, the one universally annoying aspect of BitComet – padding files – is still there, and is the default setting when creating torrents.

For torrent downloads it is an acceptable client but by no means the best. On one of our test torrents BitComet could not find or connect to any peers, so your mileage may vary in everyday usage.

On the plus side, the optional eMule integration could help resuscitate some torrents, assuming you can find a working eMule server that is. On the downside it was one of the heaviest clients on our test system.

BitComet also serves advertising links. Some features (such as VIP mode and anonymous downloading) are pay services, which is not always made clear.

BitComet website

BitLord v2.1.1

 

Another client that has been around for many years. Older BitLord clients were based on an old version (v0.54) of BitComet but for quite a while now it has been based on Deluge. Installation includes a Conduit toolbar, and the client opens to a browser window containing more adverts (through the integrated Chrome12 browser).

As a modified Deluge, it offers very little in the way of worthwhile additions to the basic Deluge client. In addition to all the adverts it also managed to ignore the global settings and left a Conduit installer behind when removed. A clear case of where the modifications are all for the worse.

BitLord website

BitTornado v0.3.7

A classic client, and the only one that doesn’t handle multiple torrents in a single window.

Despite the age of the client (this version was released in October 2006, and predates !) it still has a popular following with a certain type of user.

Similar to the original BitTorrent client, BitTornado is an instance-per-torrent client that was responsible for many popular developments, such as the ‘traffic light’ system for port forwarding and super-seeding to maximize the efficiency of initial seeding. However, it has no DHT facility, so magnet links are not usable.

BitTornado is best for power users who release torrents periodically and can make good use of the super-seed function. Various independent front-ends are available for the BitTornado engine (such as ABC and TorrentFlux), but use them at your own risk.

BitTornado website

Deluge v1.3.5

If you’re looking for a simple client with no bells, whistles or extras, then Deluge might be the tool for you.

It covers all the basics and has a clean interface, the simplicity of which is only underscored after seeing how BitLord butchered it. It’s also been remarkably resistant to traffic-shaping in the past; never a bad thing, especially if you’re on a frequently throttled ISP.

If there’s a downside it’s that the settings are perhaps TOO simple, and that the default settings are a little on the high side. There is also currently no support for µTP as the client uses an older version of libtorrent-rasterbar. However, its simple competence coupled with overall lightness on the system means that this is a recommended client for the regular user.

Deluge website

FrostWire v5.3.8

A client aimed at media-oriented users, FrostWire is laid out in a manner more reminiscent of a music player than a BitTorrent client, betraying its LimeWire origins (it’s been BitTorrent-only since June 2011). While there are no toolbars included, RealPlayer is offered during install.

Music is definitely the focus of the client, with featured artists downloads being offered since 2008 along with iTunes integration. Additionally, in tests it was the only client to detect a local peer on the same network, and use it.

On the downside, initial settings are a little high, and the layout is a little cluttered. It also didn’t uninstall cleanly, leaving a number of files behind.

If your torrenting revolves around music and iTunes integration is a bonus, then FrostWire is a good option. Likewise if you torrent on a large local network, the local peer discovery may improve things for you.

FrostWire website

MediaGet v2.01.1595

This client is very popular with Russian users, but has a few issues. The client’s options are limited and documentation – including the FAQ linked in the client – is in Russian.

Also, while the initial installer is uTorrent-sized, it’s a frontend for a web-based installer that can take a while to complete. The overall design of the client is, like FrostWire, aimed towards music users, with an integrated media player.

Despite our optimism last year, it’s currently not one of the best replacements for uTorrent.

MediaGet website

qBittorrent v3.0.0

The Windows version of this popular Ubuntu client is, like Deluge, based on the libtorrent-rasterbar engine. However, unlike Deluge, it uses v0.16 which has support for µTP.

Installation is simple and quick, with no adverts or premium options. System resource usage was the lowest of all clients tested, and handled all standard torrent tasks with quiet competence.

On the downside, initial settings are again rather poor and will need to be corrected on installation.

Like Deluge, this is a worthy alternative client to uTorrent.

qBittorrent website

Tixati v1.91

A client that has garnered a small, but vocal following in our comments section, it’s a client clearly aimed more towards the BitTorrent stats junkie than the casual user.

The layout is clear and uncluttered, with bold primary colors evoking memories of WinMX but getting the job done. It was easy to set up and run and is more customizable than most.

On the downside the homepage has some misleading adverts and you have to agree to the license twice, once when installing and again when first run, which can be annoying.

If you know what you’re looking for the additional information the client provides can be a benefit, but serious stats junkies will probably go for the plugin-flexibility of Vuze. In many ways it’s a midpoint between the heavy details of Vuze and the simplicity of Deluge and qBittorrent. Worth a try, but may not be for everyone.

Tixati website

Tribler v5.9.27

The Tribler client has been around for many years now, and we’ve covered it several times. Developed at the Delft University of Technology, it’s been promoted as the only true decentralized BitTorrent client, allowing content searches independent of websites.

The downside is that the installer is massive in comparison to the other clients listed here, and it also ends up being the most system-intensive, with some functions taking several seconds to respond.

It is one of the least configurable of the clients tested and the ‘channels’ are not as well implemented as they could be.

While it has its niche, Tribler doesn’t quite make it as a mainstream replacement for uTorrent. It’s still actively being developed and brough many innovations to BitTorrent over the years, so keep an eye on this client.

Tribler website

Vuze v4.7.1.2

Vuze is uTorrent’s main challenger. While uTorrent prides itself on its small size and speed, Java-based Vuze focuses on capability and the sheer breadth of supported devices.

It was the first client to feature DHT, albeit on its own network (a plugin is available to use the mainline DHT network) and with the enhancements offered by the plugin system it gives power users the ability to do things not possible with any of the other clients listed here.

On the downside, the client is Java-based and so is one of the heaviest consumers of system resources, and the layout is not intuitive to those coming from other clients. Additionally, the installer contains not one, but three pieces of software – a toolbar, WinZip registry optimizer, and WinZip driver updater.

However, for power users who can spare the system power, or who really want the intricate details or the flexibility of the plugin system, it’s hard to beat.

Vuze website

Conclusion

If you are looking for a straight alternative to the uTorrent client, there are a few alternatives. For the simple/everyday user the two libtorrent clients (Deluge and qBittorrent) are good options. If you are a torrent releaser, working on one or two torrents at a time, then BitTornado may be for you. For those that want more details, Tixati would be a good alternative, and for the ultimate power user, there’s always Vuze.

The Tribler client offers promise for the future and is certainly one to keep an eye on.

Did we miss a good client? Do you disagree with the above? Feel free to add a comment!

UPDATE: Before any go on about ‘transmission’, we only covered official released clients FOR WINDOWS. There is only an unofficial port abandoned in 2010 for windows, hence we didn’t look at it and are not going to. Likewise with rTorrent, not available for windows. We will be checking out clients for other operating systems soon.

July 11th, 2012 Hot Topic, News Bits, Tech News Comments Off

PCI-SIG Celebrates 20 Years of PCI I/O Leadership,More to Come

PCI-SIG DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE – PCI-SIG, the organization responsible for the widely adopted PCI Express (PCIe) industry-standard input/output (I/O) technology, today announced new updates to meet the evolving demands of a variety of computing markets from high-performance storage to ultra-thin and light mobile devices. Increased performance and new form factors frame the organization’s unique focus as it delivers new, innovative technologies built upon the 20-year legacy of the Peripheral Component Interface (PCI).

This year also marks 10 years of PCI Express specification development. As a leading standards organization, PCI-SIG is now turning its focus to driving I/O technology forward through advancements in PCIe-attached storage, new form factors and performance enhancements for the PCIe specification.
Increased Performance

  • PCIe 4.0 technology is being developed to deliver 16GT/s, doubling the bandwidth over the PCIe 3.0 specification with seamless backward compatibility to all previous versions of PCIe technology. The PCIe 4.0 architecture is designed to double the data rate, while maintaining its position as a low-cost, high performance I/O technology. With the increase in clock rate designers can implement narrower links, thereby saving cost through pin reduction.
  • PCIe-attached storage can achieve significantly higher bandwidth using processor-integrated PCIe 3.0 technology that is directly attached to storage sub-systems. The PCIe 3.0 standard is optimized for high performance solid-state drives (SSDs) in enterprise and client applications, and is well-positioned to address growing demands for increased storage I/O speeds.

New Form Factors

  • PCIe OCuLink, a small cable form factor supporting optical and copper optimized for internal and external enclosure usage, is being designed to offer bit rates starting at 8Gbps, with headroom to scale, and new independent cable clock integration. The internal and external connector supports up to four PCIe lanes, with all cables supporting 8GT/s. This provides up to 32Gbps in each direction within a four lane configuration; one lane and two lane configurations are also supported.
  • Next generation form factor that will be part of the Mini CEM specification is being designed for the emerging ultra-light and thin platforms. A natural transition from the existing Mini CEM specification, this form factor is more flexible, smaller in both size and volume, offers better scalability and supports multiple technologies including Wi-Fi®, SSD and wireless wide area network (WWAN).
  • The development of an electrical specification for the SFF-8639 connector which is intended for use in the growing PCIe-attached storage market.

“Each new technical innovation is a testament to the importance of PCI-SIG, providing our membership and the computing industry with future-focused technology, ensuring that increased performance is one of our top priorities,” said Al Yanes, PCI-SIG president and chairman. “We plan to celebrate 20 years of innovation by continuing to seek new ways to deliver PCIe technology across a variety of computing platforms.”

“The PCI-SIG has amassed a long-term record of technical innovation tempered by real-world requirements for backward compatibility,” said Bob Wheeler, senior analyst at The Linley Group. “PCIe 4.0 is poised to continue this market-savvy approach while keeping the technology on the leading edge of economical interconnects.”

July 7th, 2012 Hot Topic, Legal, Legal Issues, Special, The Pirate Bay Comments Off

Pirate Bay Founder Submits Emotional Plea for Pardon

After being convicted for his role in operating The Pirate Bay, site co-founder Peter Sunde should soon serve eight month jail sentence in a Swedish prison. Serving this sentence would be a disgrace to the justice system and a personal disaster, says Sunde, who submitted an emotional plea for pardon to the Swedish authorities this week.

After his sentence was made final earlier this year, Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde was due to go prison early May.

However, due to various delays, he has yet to be committed to confinement.

This week in a final attempt to maintain his freedom, Sunde asked for a pardon. According to his lawyer, Sunde is suffering from serious mental health problems and being sent to prison would only worsen them.

It is further being reported that the head of the company where Sunde works – believed to be micro-payment company Flattr – has informed the court that if Sunde is imprisoned as planned, he will lose his job with the company.

Of most impact to those who have been following the Pirate Bay case, Sunde wrote the plea himself. The full 4000 word letter was published earlier this week on Sunde’s blog and has been translated to English by Rick Falkvinge.

“I ask pardon for a judicial system that has been steamrolled over by lobbyism and ignorance. But ultimately, I ask pardon for our future culture and communication. My case has significant impact on these,” Sunde starts his plea.

What follows is Sunde’s view on the controversial case – how he got involved in The Pirate Bay and how he was dragged into the criminal investigation and subsequently punished for crimes that never occurred.

Many of the issues mentioned by the former Pirate Bay spokesperson have been covered here before, but when they are put together it makes all the more impact. According to Sunde Hollywood went to extreme lengths to make an example out of him, while abusing the Swedish legal system.

While he understands that there’s a slim chance of getting what he wants, he ends the plea with a request for clemency.

“I know that I’m at a point where I have less than a tenth of a percent’s chance of escaping punishment. Not having to go to jail for crimes I didn’t commit. Crimes that weren’t even committed in the first place. Crimes that surely aren’t even crimes to begin with, if they had been committed, and if they had been committed, hadn’t been so by me. It’s a bizarre situation with my distance to any real criminal liability,” Sunde writes.

Sunde’s determinedness to stand up for his ideals of free sharing and culture have left emotional scars, but also bankrupted him.

“And once I’m out of jail, where I’m certainly going to become increasingly bitter over the situation, I have a debt of 100 million Swedish Kroner (11 million euro). Money in fantasy numbers, supposed to ‘compensate’ for aiding and abetting the assistance of a theoretically possible crime I’m supposed to have done by doing things that didn’t happen.”

“An economic debt to some of the world’s richest corporations. A debt that practically means I don’t have a future in Sweden as a country, if I want to live off of anything other than breadcrumbs or the goodwill of my friends. This debt is equivalent to exile, to deportation. I will need to become an economic refugee from Sweden,” Sunde adds.

The Pirate Bay co-founder ends by noting that while his conviction may please Hollywood, it goes against the will of the population. A population where millions are active users of The Pirate Bay. The pardon is also for them, according to Sunde.

“This bizarre situation is one that authorities in Sweden close their eyes to. It is an insult to everything the judicial system is supposed to represent. It is a shame for the entire population. A population that doesn’t even share the opinions behind the laws I’m convicted of breaking. And it’s these things that I ask that all of us be pardoned from,” Sunde writes.

“They lost faith in the justice system with all the bias, all the obvious corruption, the unconstitutional orders across branches of government that was never investigated, all the ugly tactics that have been used to satisfy a trading partner high on its own power. Sweden’s judicial system has sold out individuals. That is not supposed to happen in a democracy.”

“Grant the people of Sweden pardon from this corruption,” Sunde concludes.

 

June 14th, 2012 BitTorrent Network, File Sharing, Hot Topic, Net Stuff Comments Off

Warez Download Site OneDDL Calls It Quits Citing Legal Concerns

Popular direct links download site OneDDL has announced its immediate closure. The site, which has been around for the best part of seven years, is the latest casualty in the ongoing cyberlocker and linking controversy. What was once a legal gray area – the indexing and linking of copyright works – has now become a matter of black and white, the site’s owner reports.

With the rise and rise of cheap hosting with masses of available bandwidth and endless Image is Loading......cloud storage, cyberlocker hosting sites have become the weapon of choice for many file-sharers.

Of course, in January the cyberlocker market had a rude awakening in the form of the Megaupload raids, and ever since the release scene has been shuffling around and reorganizing. Several file-hosting sites decided to call it quits and with their demise many so-called indexing ‘release’ sites couldn’t find the strength to carry on.

Some, however, such as the hugely popular Rlslog.net, carried on regardless but in the last 24 hours perhaps the biggest indexing/release site casualty of 2012 has been announced.

OneDDL, a site that in one form or another has been around for the past seven years, has decided to call it quits. The announcement comes as quite a surprise, since only 24 hours ago the site was still posting popular US TV shows and movies. The fact that it did so regularly has not been lost on the studios.

The site has operated two domains (OneDDL.com and OneDDL.eu) since Google started logging rightsholder takedown requests against the site in May 2011. During that time Google has received 544 takedowns, of which 356 came from NBC Universal.

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Although OneDDL have offered no concrete information, between the lines of their shutdown statement reads a familiar story.

“The legality of websites, such as ours, has always been a rather grey area. I had believed that this ambiguity would work to our advantage and originally, that is what lawyers told us (yes, we went to see lawyers),” says the site owner.

“Lately however, the landscape has changed, and it appears the grey is gradually becoming black and white, unfortunately not in our favour.”

OneDDL’s owner continues by stating that the site always operated within the law by responding to takedown requests from copyright holders, but that even that couldn’t save the site.

“For some people, this is simply not enough,” he adds.

When contacted by us, the site’s owner would not be drawn on the exact reasons for the shutdown. As usual though, the Internet rumor mill is churning with stories of the site being “under investigation” and threats from US entertainment companies and their UK proxies. We have been unable to confirm any of the claims.

What seems completely certain is that from a downloading perspective OneDDL is no more. That has saddened the site’s considerable userbase – Alexa has OneDDL ranked as the 4,419th most popular site in the world – but perhaps inevitably the main discussion point in the site’s goodbye statement has quickly turned from farewells into where to find OneDDL alternatives.

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