File sharing to become more responsible
downloading files from Internet will be easier now. But users have to be more responsible. Tribler, a new file-sharing software, enjoins users to upload as much as they download from a peer-to-peer network (p2p).
The software will treat bandwidth as a form of currency to ensure this. The system helps users who allow others to use their bandwidth to download files (seeders) to get faster downloads. They will in fact get a credit for future downloads. Those who log out once downloading is over (leechers) will be penalised.
Data transfer File-sharing networks help people download extra large files. When a heavy file is downloaded, it is split up into small packets of data, and then streamed into the user's computer. This increases the download speed. However, the packets are streamed in sequence due to the limited bandwidth that such servers can provide.A file-transfer software allows users to utilise the bandwidth of their fellow users to download many packets of the same file simultaneously.
In a sharing network, once a user has finished utilising other people's bandwidth to download her file, she should allow other users to use her bandwidth to download the same file as well. Unfortunately, most downloaders ignore this principle which Tribler is said to be trying to fix.
When a user starts Tribler it automatically starts searching for other Tribler users. A connection is established and it starts exchanging information about the user and the files. These can be personal or shared files. Tribler gives more information on the files available which the user can download in a responsible manner.
Television broadcasters looking for a way to combine television and the Internet have welcomed the idea. The European Broadcasting Union (ebu) is considering Tribler as a mean to provide Internet through broadcasting systems, using its sharing characteristic. ebu has already tested a number of other p2p systems for this purpose.