Dependent entirely on how you feel about piracy, it will either tickle you previously undefined shades of pink or break your heart to learn that BitTorrent has reported that its tools BitTorrent, Mainline and µTorrent now have an active userbase of 100 million per month.
It seems like only yesterday we were forced a peek at Bram Cohen’s attractive* face as he panhandled for donations every time we closed the original BT client. Flash forward and 20 million are logging on per day from 220 nations to share files. Legally, of course.
What makes these figures ever-more impressive is that they don’t include the users of the nigh-countless unofficial clients, of which many of you likely are.
It’s a wonder BitTorrent is comfortable even revealing these numbers (especially considering the aforementioned hundreds of millions more users), considering the service’s reputation as the essential piracy tool. BitTorrent does have initiatives to promote the legal sharing of files (via its Artist Spotlight Program and such), but let’s be honest… what’s in your BT queue right now?
A few linux distributions and security tools are in my seed queue. Nothing illegal.
I see it as a good thing for them to release the info. It’s yet another figure to show that this is the future of entertainment industry, and once again they need to adapt to it or go under.
logic 9 pro
some music albums.
Actually if not a BT networks, i would never buy some music/games/apps
the change to digital distribution of movies/music is going to probably be like the reformation of the drug war here in the US. Filled with misconceptions, lies, and the dragging of the feet of the “establishment”. I’m not sure it will be torrent though. Soon TV’s will have apps to directly watch/download movies directly from the publishers. this will be the best way for consumers, and no, if you are reading this, you are not a regular consumer, think of your parents, grandparents. pops up on the tv, and one click of something that looks like a redbox interface. Click, and is directly taken from a credit card or prepaid account. this way consumers never actually own a physical copy of the content, and the company never has to make, ship, produce media. Wait til they get a taste. Think microsoft system discs. Can’t sell a used dvd, trade, give it away, if you never got one.