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BitTorrent Tries To Appease Users By Making Torrent Ads Optional

Posted by timothy on from the readers-have-long-memories dept.

hypnosec writes "BitTorrent has backtracked on their stance that uTorrent ads cannot be 'turned off,' following a user revolt. They announced that users can opt-out of sponsored torrents if they don't wish to see them. Last weekend BitTorrent announced it would make uTorrent ad-enabled and that it would have a 'sponsored torrents' feature which couldn't be disabled. As one would have imagined, this didn't go over well with many users, and they let out their anger on the uTorrent forums. 'You seriously think that uTorrent is going to survive now? The Admin/Devs are seriously deluded. Pure greed has turned your once loved app into a bloated and buggy cash cow,' said one user."

17 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. Kickstarter by Ginger+Unicorn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A better approach would be to set up a Kickstarter campaign outlining all the work that needs to be done and who needs to be paid for their efforts, and how much money it will take to support this for 6 months or 12 months or something. They would sail past their reqested amount long before the deadline. Vaguely similar to the humble bundle approach in a way.

    They could make a big deal out of how this approach means they avoid needing advertising sponsors.

    --
    (1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
    1. Re:Kickstarter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The typical torrent user gets their content there because it's a more convenient, higher quality product, as well as free. IE, to avoid unskippable ads, DRM virus-infested always-on games, and the ability to use on any device they want with a minimum of bullshit. Torrent users also spend more on legal content than non-torrent users; not sure where you're getting your FUD.

      Not saying the price isn't part of the selling point, but when the only legal alternatives are ten years behind on quality and convenience how can you honestly expect people to pay more for it?

    2. Re:Kickstarter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Torrent users also spend more on legal content than non-torrent users;

      Legal fees and settlements don't count.

    3. Re:Kickstarter by 0111+1110 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do all people in the world have to have the same motivation in your world view? Some pirates download stuff because it's free. Some download stuff because it's convenient and would be willing to buy content with an equally convenient system. This is why iTunes and other similar systems are profitable despite the availability of the same content for free elsewhere, often in higher quality forms. The same person can have different motives depending on the content.

      I typically buy blurays that I like when they go on sale and cost somewhere in the $10 - $15 range. I only do this however after I have watched the movie and like it enough to watch again. I don't actually own a television or bluray player. So in order to watch my purchased content I have to run AnyDVD HD and rip the disc to an MKV file with the help of Eac3to and other programs. Of course if/when the DRM gets sufficiently good to prevent ripping I will not buy content at all. This is what happened with software a decade ago. If you prevent me from making backup copies you also permanently lose me as a customer. For every movie that I purchase there is always a corresponding download that prompted the purchase. I can't speak for everyone, but if the industry manages to somehow stop all illegal downloads they will lose at least this customer. I don't watch films in the cinema at all anymore because most theatres are using video projectors now anyway. So the quality difference between video and projection is no longer significant and I avoid all the rude people that prompted the killing in Bobcat Goldthwait's excellent God Bless America. I've always wanted to do something like that, but instead I just wait for the bluray torrent releases and stay away from the cinema.

      As far as software goes I also use torrents for try-before-you-buy, but I refuse to encourage DRM, especially the insanely intrusive stuff around nowadays with limited installs and internet connection requirements. I refuse to give 1 cent to a publisher that does that. So I almost never buy anymore. My last software purchase was around the turn of the century when most "copy protection" consisted of CD keys or whatever. When the DRM became sufficiently advanced to thwart me in making a backup copy sometime around the new millenium that was the last straw. Now I only buy software if it is 100% DRM free and I like it and can afford it. Which means I almost never buy software anymore. I will nearly always contribute to promising kickstarter/indiegogo software projects however.

      As far as music goes, I do tend to buy CDs from artists that I like. The RIAA is even more evil than the MPAA and I don't like to reward the record companies. So I try to buy used whenever possible. My taste in music is sufficiently narrow that this is a rare occurrence.

      For books I support my favorite authors by buying the paper version in hardcover as soon as it is released. I don't buy ebooks however. I believe they are overpriced and I won't support price gouging. Although this is also something of a middleman issue. If all of my money or even most of it went directly to the author I might be willing to buy both the paper and electronic version. I'd like to see authors experiment with kickstarter to cut out the fat middleman. Although direct sales through Amazon also seem viable for ebooks.

      So there you have it. The actual thought process for one individual pirate. There are no doubt millions of variations.

      --
      Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
  2. Re:LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Or use any of the multitude of other clients.

  3. I Completely Agree With the Outrage! by Revotron · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's not like BitTorrent is a widely-known standardized protocol with a handful of existing open-source clients...

    ...Oh. Wait.

    1. Re:I Completely Agree With the Outrage! by ceoyoyo · · Score: 3, Informative

      How is TCP supposed to survive, as a company and... Oh, wait.

  4. Re:Or pay for... by bbecker23 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    *continues seeding the ArchLinux iso*

    Pay for your what now?

    --
    cat /dev/random > sig.txt
  5. free = you are the product being sold by hierophanta · · Score: 5, Insightful

    nowadays "free" all too often means you are the product being sold.

    1. Re:free = you are the product being sold by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "its free, stop complaining".

      no. because I am not paying cash money for something does NOT mean its free.

      "hey, I just have to give my email and fill out this survey and I get $10!"

      its also not free.

      people, please learn what you give up for so-called 'free things'.

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  6. Re:Or pay for... by serviscope_minor · · Score: 3, Funny

    *continues seeding the ArchLinux iso*

    You goddam thief. You've not just stolen a stolen a sale from an honest hard working corporation, but you've probably enabled the theft of thoudands of sales. I don't know how you can sleep at night when you steal so much from honest corportations working hard to make quality proprietary operating systems. I know your type. Next you'll be killing babies.

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.
  7. uTorrent 2.2.1 FTW by Freddybear · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Besides the increasingly intrusive ads, uTorrent 3.x.x just sucks. It randomly consumes 100% of one cpu core and is highly unpredictable on bandwidth usage when downloading. I'm sticking with 2.2.1 until hell freezes over.

    1. Re:uTorrent 2.2.1 FTW by blahplusplus · · Score: 3, Informative

      Just for those who don't know you can find old versions of programs at...

      http://www.oldversion.com/

  8. Re:Or pay for... by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Funny

    Next you'll be killing babies

    or puppies:

    # rm -f puppylinux.iso

    --

    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  9. Who gives a damn? by cpu6502 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't understand why people get all PMSey over advertising. It's easy enough to ignore (go get a drink, go pee, go update your facebook status, glance at your magazine, et cetera). I'd sooner ignore an ad then have to pay ~$250 a year per network (example: BBC) or per program (~$70 for LimeWire). Advertising gives me 40+ channels of freetoair TV, plus thousands of free websites and dozens of programs.

    --
    My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
  10. Re:LOL by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yes. Things that are free are magically exempt from criticism. People's negative feelings about free things simply don't exist, and so they're unable to express them.

    --
    Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
  11. Re:Torrents users are spoiled and ungrateful by Luckyo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Torrent users are emotionally invested in one product in a very competitive field. Product makers figured they could screw torrent users over as if they had a monopoly. Torrent users reminded product makers that there are many competing products that are on par or better then their product, and that the only reason they're staying with their product is because of sentimental value. Product makers chickened out.

    Not entirely sure how you went from "vigilant customers" to "spoiled and ungrateful customers". Unless you're a type to whom these two are synonyms.