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BitTorrent Closes Source Code
An anonymous reader writes ""There are two issues people need to come to grips with," BitTorrent CEO Ashwin Narvin told Slyck.com. "Developers who produce open source products will often have their product repackaged and redistributed by businesses with malicious intent. They repackage the software with spyware or charge for the product. We often receive phone calls from people who complain they have paid for the BitTorrent client."
As for the protocol itself, that too is closed, but is available by obtaining an SDK license."
"There are two issues people need to come to grips with," BitTorrent CEO Ashwin Narvin told Slyck.com. "The genie is back in the bottle, and the cat is back in the bag."
Sorry, I just thought that was funny. If you RTFA, though, it sounds like the sky isn't falling just yet. The client, which was closed source before, is still free (as in free beer), and the protocol is available to anyone who asks for it.
Via Bittorrent.
Wouldn't it be great if someone could create some kind of license that allowed free access to the source code, but provided grounds to sue malicious companies that attempted to take that code and include it in closed source proprietary products without giving anything back to the community!
Oh, wait...
So I wonder how long it will be before the source is out on the Pirate Bay...
Try to hack my 31337 firewall!
"Welcome to obscurity, gentlemen. We hope you enjoy your stay. To ease your transition, we've assigned a personal guide for the both of you. Heidi, please call Mr. Fanning and let him know his group is here."
Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
Ryan Fenton? That's a strange name for a protocol...
Maybe, but that's just to throw off the authorities.
GPL: Free as in will
This is very off-topic, but, about your sig: The last time I clicked on a .cx link on Slashdot was a long time ago, and it's going to be a long time until I do it again...
Talk about closing the gate after the source has bolted!
Sorry about that. Truly, deeply sorry.
OpenRyanFentonKabuke.
And rather than going from version 0.9 to version 1.0, it will go from 0.9 towards 0.9.1.16rc(NaN-Inf) without ever getting to 1.0. Just you wait...
I don't therefore I'm not.
This guy probably thinks that computers are just for porn and that college is just for drinking.
They aren't??? It's not???
/. zen: Imagine a Beowulf cluster of Beowulf clusters...
Where can I find the .ryanfenton for the latest Heroes episode!!?!?111@!!
> Q: How will this impact the BitTorrent open source development community as a whole?
A: Once word gets out about our RIAA backdoor, Azureus is going to kick our ass. Ummm... you better not print that.
Maybe you use it for piracy but I use it to download my linux distributions, you tube files, etc. so please put things in proper context! Remarkable amount of FUD going around lately along with theft. More prosecution for violation of GPL needs to happen.
Arghhh! You're missing a closing bracket!
)
Aaaahhh. That's better. *breathe again*
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Oh big deal. In a big fit of irony, the SDK will hit Bit-torrent within minutes. At the end of the day, Bit-torrent is mostly used for piracy, so Bit-torrent, Inc, of all organizations, should realize that this is an absolutely useless attempt at who-knows-what.
No, you completely misunderstand, Bittorrent's management are absolutely brilliant. If they keep bittorrent open source, then it's impossible to pirate. By "closing" it, they are actually making it possible for people to get bittorrent as god intended. By pirating it.
Personally I find that GTorrent is the best. But somehow I just can't get over the nostalgic value inherent in JTorrent and STorrent. Anyone feel the same like this?
And do you still remember the old ATorrent and BTorrent? Ah those were the days. I stopped enjoying the torrent thingie around the time GTorrent arrived, I think.
How about DumpTruck?
You must be new here
"Evil will always triumph over good, because good is dumb." - Dark Helmet (Spaceballs)
uTorrent is so lightweight that I've left it running in the background and downloaded After Effects and Premiere without noticing.
Really? My wife loves her G-Torrent. Although personally, I prefer my P-torrent, but I guess that's just how marriage goes.
Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory