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Popular Shuttered Torrent Site Demonoid Returns

Posted by timothy on from the there-and-back-again dept.

First time accepted submitter AudioEfex (637163) writes "Demonoid has emailed all registered users that it is back online — at its original site — in a new "cloud based" back-end. There have been various attempts in the past (including one accused of simply being malware), but so far this appears to be the original site admins and a legitimate resurrection. User registrations are also open at this time, but as a semi-private tracker, it's unknown how long that will continue."

80 comments

  1. Great site, if one is a warez hound... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    In the past, have had to be on the scene, probably with your own releases, before you get admittance in order to use any resources on it.

    Pointless unless one is a 24/7 warez person and can get 0-day stuff before anyone else can.

    Hopefully it has changed, so it is actually useful.

    1. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by CRCulver · · Score: 3, Informative

      Those private, invite-only torrent communities don't usually require you to provide brand-new stuff. It's often enough if you upload old stuff that no one else has made available yet. If you e.g. have a collection of classic vinyl and a means to rip it to FLAC, or can upload a few arthouse films that got a limited DVD release a decade ago, then you're in.

    2. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Actually, the biggest thing I missed about Demonoid was archival stuff like complete ROM sets and entire runs of vintage comics. Laugh if you will, but having virtually the entire run of Wonder Woman, for example, from the 1940's on is very valuable to someone like me that does research in popular culture studies. They simply don't make that stuff commercially available - small runs here or there, #1's, etc, but not like that. And that stuff is available to torrent elsewhere mostly, but it's spotty - you can find chunks but not those curated archives. I thank goodness I downloaded what I did before it went down the first time. Curious to see how much of that stuff is reseeded.

    3. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I managed to get in, and have never been "on the scene". Granted I had a very specific interest, and was part of that community, and got my in through a friend-of-a-friend.

      Demonoid was awesome though. At one point I felt like I was missing something not having seen Un Chien Andalou, and had a hard time finding it anywhere until I did a little search on demonoid and a few results finally came up. It even had a decent number of seeders, unlike all the other places.

    4. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      You have demonoid confused with something else.

      Demonoid has always been full of duplicates, and crap.

    5. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Demonoid was never an exclusive club, they always had open signups once a week.

    6. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by jones_supa · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I thank goodness I downloaded what I did before it went down the first time. Curious to see how much of that stuff is reseeded.

      Well, if you have some of the original content, hop in and help.

    7. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by wisnoskij · · Score: 1

      Deomonoid? At least for years and years before it was simply by invitation and you could be a complete leach.

      Other sites I have seen simply keep a limited number of people, with normal registration, and force you to keep a decent ratio.

      --
      Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
    8. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      Old comics? You want DC++ for that - there are a few hubs that specialise in that sort of thing.

    9. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by nurb432 · · Score: 2

      They were ( are? we will see ) also good for obscure books that you couldn't buy even if you wanted to, after the 'library' closed.

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    10. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Decent?" Most other sites, in my experience, force you to keep at least a 1:1 ratio, and just meeting it was considered bad. I understand, they need to add incentives to keep torrents seeded, but if one actually thinks about it for more than a few minutes, they should realize that strict ratio restrictions actually hurt more than they help. It makes popular torrents more popular, and unpopular torrents less popular. It's a nice idea, giving incentives to seed and to upload new content, but there has to be another way to do it.

    11. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by Trax3001BBS · · Score: 1

      Laugh if you will, but having virtually the entire run of Wonder Woman, for example, from the 1940's on is very valuable to someone like me that does research in popular culture studies.

      Wonder Woman! lol, it's made it back to TV (MeTV) I just won't watch it. I remember reading the comics, the invisible jet, the lasso of truth, and the bracelets did something.

      Now your turn, my vintage comics are Donald Duck, the best works were by Carl Barks who was both writer and illustrator. The new stuff is junk so I just stick to Carl Barks era comics, which I have almost all.

      jones_supa has a point, I should start scanning what I've got. That's a lot of work for me though, scanning one page at a time. :}

    12. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have no care for the story, but what's with the use of word 'shuttered'? It's a horrible word. I hate it.

    13. Re:Great site, if one is a warez hound... by fuzzywig · · Score: 1

      It means to close the window shutters on something, like when a shop closes that metal grate over the entrance, it is being shuttered.

  2. Guys, it's totally not a honeypot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Really!

    1. Re:Guys, it's totally not a honeypot! by Karmashock · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah... I'd be happier if they just released the source code for the site so that everyone used the same format. Demonoid had the best organization for files... no one has gotten close to it.

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    2. Re:Guys, it's totally not a honeypot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe, maybe not.
      My old log/pass from 2004 works on this site.

    3. Re:Guys, it's totally not a honeypot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Technically the servers were seized so it could potentially be a honeypot. But that seems unlikely, I can confirm the files themselves are not malicious, and if people are worried about the torrents being monitored, keep in mind they don't need control of the tracker for that, they simply need to load up any torrent they want to watch.

    4. Re:Guys, it's totally not a honeypot! by thejynxed · · Score: 1

      I concur, and they used their moderator staff to actually take care of wrongly filed torrents as well. They didn't just take a back-burner approach when it came to keeping everything organized the way it should be.

      Most torrent sites out there you'll find shit like lame-assed Pokemon torrents filed under Sci-Fi or other such stupidity.

      --
      @Mindless Drivel: 100% of Twitter posts ever Tweeted.
  3. seems functional by X0563511 · · Score: 2

    Granted, I'm not a moron and the passwords I use for sites are unique, so there's not much to be gained from my attempting to log in.

    Interesting.

    --
    For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    1. Re:seems functional by X0563511 · · Score: 2

      Huh, hosted in France. See how long this lasts...

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    2. Re:seems functional by richy+freeway · · Score: 5, Informative

      The old user accounts database is still there. I just logged straight back in with the account I set up in 2005.

    3. Re:seems functional by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      My old password still works. I have no intention of actually using it to download anything mind you, mostly because I trust it as far as I can throw it.

    4. Re:seems functional by ac666 · · Score: 1

      This. I was able to do the same. So, it's likely the original admins, as indicated in the OP.

    5. Re:seems functional by Gallomimia · · Score: 1

      Is it really back this time or is it another trick to grab logins like before?

      --
      Sadly, a Libertarian cannot force his views on another, and freedom cannot spread as does the cancer known as religion.
  4. Fuck those guys. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    demonoid is so 00's

    give me kickass anyday.

    1. Re:Fuck those guys. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Kickass has never had the seeder community for old and archival stuff that demonoid had.
      Kickass is pretty damn good, but I doubt you would find half the pre-internet-age stuff on it that you could on demonoid.

  5. PARTYVAN! Where everyone drinks from the firehose by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    nt

  6. Old news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Demonoid has been back since March...

    1. Re:Old news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then why did I just got an email from them last week?

    2. Re:Old news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because they're slow to email? Who knows, all I know is I've been using demonoid for over a month already.

    3. Re: Old news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They were sorting things out. It's been back for quite a while and working just as it was before (without looking under the hood). Maybe they decided to use the email method to raise numbers; the forums are active but kind of empty compared to what they were.

  7. Slow News by Oronar · · Score: 5, Informative

    It came back two months ago, in March. I know Slashdot is slow with news but this is a little ridiculous.

    --
    1 4/\/\ 1337
    1. Re:Slow News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      It is beta you should blame, not the editors

    2. Re:Slow News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      How is the beta to blame here?

    3. Re:Slow News by nurb432 · · Score: 1

      That was my thought too.. this ISN'T news at this point.

      "Demonoid has survived 2 months after returning and is going strong" might have been a better story line.

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    4. Re:Slow News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well /. relies on contributors. Why the fuck didn't you contribute? If you don't contribute, don't bitch.

  8. Reopened since April 15 by sir-gold · · Score: 1

    Looking at the complete torrent list, the oldest torrent was uploaded April 15 2014, which means that the site has been running for the past month and a half without anybody finding out about it.

    1. Re:Reopened since April 15 by BloodAngel_Au · · Score: 1

      Anyone finding out ? Strange, I have been using it since ~20th April, so its not exactly a state secret folks, and before the 'successor' tracker using the same code that vanished just before its return.

      But to repeat, old news is old.

  9. Fuck beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    It starts again, after a week or so break, they started pushing the fucking beta again, why?
    what is not clear when one say: FUCK the FUCKING BETA

  10. Repeat after me. HONEYPOT! by Chas · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    I trust this about as far as I could shot-put a lead-filled Buick after you've torn off both my arms and legs, superglued me to a bed and put me into a coma.

    Sounds Too Good To Be True? = IS!

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  11. totallynotnsa.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey, they have a new host!

  12. ... a new "cloud based" back-end... by SeaFox · · Score: 1

    What the hell does that mean? Where else would an Internet website be hosted but on the Internet?

    1. Re:... a new "cloud based" back-end... by viperidaenz · · Score: 2

      The Outernet?

    2. Re:... a new "cloud based" back-end... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A self-hosted server?

      The Cloud typically means an external entity between 2 or more groups, separate from both the company and clients.
      Traditionally that just meant some other people hosted it for you and they did the hard work.

    3. Re:... a new "cloud based" back-end... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ^mod funny

    4. Re:... a new "cloud based" back-end... by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      Traditionally that just meant some other people hosted it for you and they did the hard work.

      So... exactly how websites have been done for any company that doesn't have their own in-house web development team and servers.

    5. Re:... a new "cloud based" back-end... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I believe it means that that it's being hosted using "cloud" based servers versus physical servers in one location (that can be seized and shut down more easily). Critical thinking/context FTW!

    6. Re:... a new "cloud based" back-end... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, jackass, it means that instead of having a physical server in one place that can be shutdown, unplugged, and/or seized by authorities, they are using cloud-based hosting which is distributed among many different machines in different locations and isn't dependent on a single box sitting in a single location. Get out much in the last five years or so?

  13. I didn't get any email by Zedrick · · Score: 4, Informative

    "Demonoid has emailed all registered users"

    No, they have not.

    1. Re:I didn't get any email by BloodAngel_Au · · Score: 1

      Seconded

    2. Re:I didn't get any email by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You suck because I did receive an email.

    3. Re:I didn't get any email by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      check you spam folder

    4. Re:I didn't get any email by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      Who signs up for something like that with their real email?

    5. Re:I didn't get any email by aliquis · · Score: 1

      I came here to wonder whatever original users had got their stats back.

      Suck when they go away or remove old users - I'm looking at you gc-tracker!

    6. Re:I didn't get any email by nurb432 · · Score: 1

      Who doesn't have a "throwaway" email they use for sign up verification notices?

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    7. Re:I didn't get any email by Zedrick · · Score: 1

      ...eh,what's your point? I didn't use my "real" email if that's what you're implying. Ever heard of catch-all? I use/used demonoid@one of my domains.

      Not that it matters, "real" email or not, I haven't received anything from them.

    8. Re:I didn't get any email by gbjbaanb · · Score: 1

      like mailinator or spamgourmet any other throwaway email addresses.

    9. Re:I didn't get any email by Xenna · · Score: 1

      Neither did I on my catchall. I was able to login (after resetting my PW) and revive my 8 year old account. Second time they went through this rebirthing thing me thinks.

    10. Re:I didn't get any email by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh Christ do folks need to treat you like one of those old ladies who calls into tech support because she doesn't get the email a company sends even though 99% of everyone else did?

      Did you check your spam folder, dearie?

      Are you using the same email you originally signed up with?

      Do you use AOL email?

      In most cases where a special snowflake doesn't get the same email everyone else does, one of the above three is almost always the culprit.

    11. Re:I didn't get any email by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What is your definition of 'real email' ?

  14. Welcome back, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The saddest thing about all this is all of those dead torrents.

    Demonoid used to be a great place for me to grab folk music from around the world for my collection, but it's like a wasteland now, and most of it's probably not coming back.

    1. Re:Welcome back, but... by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      And it would stay that way if everyone had your attitude.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  15. I'm a Marvel. -- And I'm a DC. by tepples · · Score: 2

    But what about Marvel fans? Do they have their own counterpart to Direct Connect?

  16. It may be back... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but all the good seeds are gone. So why bother now.

    It has been dead too long. Everyone has moved on to find a new seed box or tracker.

    1. Re:It may be back... by Larryish · · Score: 1

      It would be nice if Demonoid removed all the dead torrents and went private with a user limit. The best trackers I am on are all private. Public trackers (hi KAT) are toooo slooooowwwwwww and it seems like hit-and-run is more prevalent.

    2. Re:It may be back... by neminem · · Score: 1

      It's unfortunate, but hit-and-running makes a lot more sense on public trackers: not only do you have no positive incentive for seeding, because nothing is tracking your ratio, but you also have a stronger *negative* incentive to seed, in that you're more likely to get caught the more you seed something.

      So yeah. Private trackers are all kinds of better.

    3. Re:It may be back... by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      It's unfortunate, but hit-and-running makes a lot more sense on public trackers: not only do you have no positive incentive for seeding, because nothing is tracking your ratio, but you also have a stronger *negative* incentive to seed, in that you're more likely to get caught the more you seed something.

      So yeah. Private trackers are all kinds of better.

      Only if you can afford a seedbox, because seeding a private tracker can mean to even get a 1:1 ratio requires seeding for years. Yes, years because all the seeders are using seedboxes on GigE links and thus get big-ass ratios while you struggle to just get 1:1.

      Perhaps what private trackers need is to stop counting uploads beyond say, 4:1 or so to give everyone else a chance to get some upload going. Or to give the excess to other participants in the swarm

      I quit participating in a lot of private trackers that were like this - the only way people could actually get ratio was during periods of "upload only" events or free 5 GB deals.

    4. Re:It may be back... by neminem · · Score: 1

      Or you just need to find a private tracker that isn't dumb? I only really participate with any frequency in one, but between the occasional site-wide freeleech holidays, the fact that full-season or full-show tv packs are always freeleech, and the bonus for idling in their irc channel, I don't have any problem maintaining a proper ratio even though, sadly, most of my torrents haven't reached 1:1, even the years-old ones. Doesn't change the fact that there's still an *incentive* to seed as much as possible, as a better ratio is still better.

  17. Re:Repeat after me. HONEYPOT! by Voyager529 · · Score: 2

    I trust this about as far as I could shot-put a lead-filled Buick after you've torn off both my arms and legs, superglued me to a bed and put me into a coma.

    Sounds Too Good To Be True? = IS!

    By that definition, *you* don't trust it, but Chuck Norris would be able to trust it for about twenty kilometers.

  18. Re:Repeat after me. HONEYPOT! by Chas · · Score: 2

    Well yeah. Even if you COULD cut one of Chuck's legs off before he killed you horribly, the dettached limb could STILL roundhouse kick you to death.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  19. It has the most awful captcha I've ever seen... by Ogi_UnixNut · · Score: 2

    Since the US shut down Lavabit I don't have my old email for Demonoid, so I'm trying to create a new account.

    I've spent 40 mins trying the damn captcha, and I just can't read any of them. I so far got it only once, and then the site came back saying my username was invalid.

    They have successfully thwarted any bots from registering, by successfully preventing humans from registering as well :-/

    And their audio option doesn't even work, most annoyingly. Am I the only one having trouble with it?

    1. Re:It has the most awful captcha I've ever seen... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I managed. It took about 15 attempts.

    2. Re:It has the most awful captcha I've ever seen... by Bob_Who · · Score: 1

      Its like shampoo. Lather, rinse, repeat.

      Its either a clunky authentication process or an attempt to discourage those with the correct login information that, in fact, actually belongs to someone else.

      I can't ever decide whether its broken or social engineering when that happens...

    3. Re:It has the most awful captcha I've ever seen... by Dartz-IRL · · Score: 1

      I was beginning to think I'd been replaced by a robot copy of myself without even knowing it.

      --
      So there I was, scribbling down some notes off the PC screen by hand, when I reached for the keyboard and Ctrl-S'd.
  20. Just logged into my old account by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have been a Demonoid member for many many many years and heard about them being up awhile ago. After seeing this slashdot reminder I decided to log in. The site remembered me, my password, and my start date. It didn't have my share ratio which was quite high with high volume. I never got an announcement email of their return. The forums still require another login which I never understood but mimics a funny foible of the old site. Their forum html is readable but the formatting is bad. This might be from the old code not being compatible with the newest browser (Firefox 29 in my case).

  21. Demonoid blocked by Firefox as "high risk" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Firefox says:

    High Risk Website Blocked

            Location: http://www.demonoid.ph/
            Access has been blocked as the threat Mal/HTMLGen-A has been found on this website.
            Return to the page you were previously viewing.

  22. Obviously not a honeypot by petteyg359 · · Score: 1

    demonoid.ph is running on IPv6. Those MAFIAA guys are technophobes, and we all know they wouldn't touch IPv6 with a ten foot pole.

  23. so, where have you been by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the past few months? it was there for you.

  24. No magnet links by Demonantis · · Score: 1

    While its full of nostalgia. They don't have magnet links implemented. The site kind of shows its age.