Users of the BitTorrent file-sharing protocol* on Mac OS X might be interested to know Xtorrent 1.1 is out. It boasts improved stability and increased download speed, among other features. I tested it out last night and I’m really impressed, so much so that I’ve already bought a license. It downloads faster than either Bits on Wheels or Azureus in my anecdotal test, and doesn’t eat up my system resources the way those two clients always did (after running either overnight I usually had to restart my computer before it was usable again).
The interface is simple and easy to understand, and the settings are plentiful and easy to adjust. It’s not really missing any features I feel like I need, though I’ve yet to figure out how to check the percentage done on a specific file (though it does show when a file has been completed). That might just be me being an idiot though, so I’m not going to count it as a negative. even if it’s not a supported feature, no big deal. It’s more of a convenience than anything else. Without a doubt, it’s the easiest to use, most Mac-like BT client I’ve used.
And what can probably be said to be its killer feature is the built in torrent search functionality. Out of the box it simultaneously searches Google and Yahoo, though it’s possible to easily add more engines easily. Results are presented in an application window, and all it takes to download one is a double-click. The .torrent file itself is downloaded in the background and the information is loaded into the program automatically. The .torrent file itself is deleted as it is no longer needed.
It also supports torrentcasting, which is a way of using bittorrent to automatically download files embedded in RSS streams.
*This protocol has plenty of legal uses. I’m not advocating piracy. Please don’t sue me. Thank you.
I should note that by blogging about this software release, I will be allowed to participate in the NewsFire 2 private beta. So in essence, I’m participating in a benign (in my view) viral marketing venture. I am not making any money off this arrangement. I would still mention Xtorrent even if I wasn’t, though, because the software is that awesome.
[tags]macintosh, mac, software, bittorrent, bit torrent, torrentcast, torrentcasting, xtorrent, mac os x, os x, azureus, bits on wheels, newsfire, rss, really simple syndication[/tags]
I’ve been using xtorrent for a month or so. There is NO documentation, and repeated requests to Dave Watanabe have been ignored. Although it is a GREAT program, and most of it is very intuitive. I cannot figure out how to do an individual download from a group of files.
In particular, I want to download one one song, or file, in a folder of 300. Can anyone tell me how to do it. Thanx…..
There is a way to do this.
I’ve poked around a bit and found what I believe are two techniques. If you’re using Xtorrent to search for torrents, you can just pick the torrent you want (represented as a folder), use the little triangle to expand the folder, uncheck the ones you don’t want, and click download. Or, since you just want one file, select that file in the list and click its individual download button. Alternatively, if you get a torrent file by some other means, as soon as it’s loaded into Xtorrent and before it starts downloading, uncheck the individual files you do not want.
Note that I’m using the paid version of Xtorrent. I assume this functionality is in the free version as well, but I have no way of being certain.
I hope this was helpful.
As a follow-up if anyone runs into a similar situation. Somehow my copy of xtorrent, was not fully functional, although I had purchased a activation code for it. The individual file download feature, wasn’t working.
I used AppZapper to uninstall xtorrent. I then re-installed it, and it works fine now. Xtorrent is a great program