Believe it or not, the bit torrent protocol is not old, not even in the standards of computer where you processor is out dated the minute you buy it. The protocol itself was originally conceptualized in the earl 2000’s and was released in the first working bit torrent client application in 2005.

Of course the first bit torrent client was the one that shares the name with the protocol itself. BitTorrent is the owner of the bit torrent protocol that can be seen almost anywhere and in virtually every possible programming language. There are some exceptions to this of course. Firstly, JavaScript cannot in any way shape or form be used to build a bit torrent client, it just cannot happen due to the rules of the programming language itself. HTTP cannot be used to make a bit torrent client neither since the client needs the ability to read and write. When discussing the possibilities of programming languages that can be used, the first thing that comes to mind are the web based programs. Since the protocol requires access to read and write, the only web based languages that can be used, are the ones that can access and write to databases. These include PHP and ASP as well as many other, but in no way can you use Java or JavaScript.

On the other hand, bit torrent clients for use on your computer is even more broad as virtually any program running on your computer can also read and write to directories on your computer.

Although the history of the bit torrent protocol is fairly short, it is in no way empty as there have been a number of important advancements in the development of the bit torrent protocol since its inception.

From simple to complete overhauls, the bit torrent protocol has come a long way in a short time period. New advancements in encryption capabilities as well as new languages to build the code on. Needless to say, as long as there is a want for file sharing, the bit torrent protocol will continue to be developed and advanced well into this century and hopefully then some.

To discuss the entire history of the bit torrent protocol, one would need a lot more space to do it in, but most of it can be found at the designer’s website. The BitTorrent program is the original bit torrent client and therefore almost all parts of the bit torrent history can be traced to various updates and releases of this particular bit torrent client application.

The bit torrent protocol as well as the many number of bit torrent client applications is vast and will continue to advance as new problems arise. Every time there is an attempt to stop the bit torrent protocol, it is redeveloped. ISPs want to stop bit torrent traffic so they attempt to throttle it, in response, new encryptions are made. This is the story of the bit torrent protocol, and as time goes by, it will continue to adapt to its surroundings and the needs of the network’s users.

Popularity: 24% [?]

The first generation of peer-to-peer file sharing died leaving room for the second generations to come forward and take its place in the world of P2P file sharing networks. Originally, the first generation of P2P networks focused on a centralized server that maintained the data to be down load, while the second generation made room for a decentralized structure in which the files would be maintained on the clients personal computers then transferred others through a redundant virtual network.

The first such attempt to decentralize the network was done by the Gnutella right after the fall of Napster. Gnutella was developed by Justin Frankel who was part of the Nullsoft development company. The fist working model ended up being an almost complete failure as the entire network would bottle neck due to the onslaught of ex-Napster users who came looking for a place to share their files.

The main reason why Gnutella, at first, bottle necked was due to the simple fact that Gnutella made all the nodes equal. Soon FastTrack would create a new development that allowed certain nodes to be more equal than some of the other nodes on the network.

Gnutella picked up this development and implemented it into their own system which then created the Gnutella network that we all know of today. It was this development by FastTrack that allowed for the true decentralized peer to peer networks. In the network, some nodes become super nodes and have higher priority over others. They do this because they then become basically indexing nodes that maintain a track of the less than equal nodes attached to them.

Later, the second generation peer to peer networks also added the Dynamic Hash Tables to allow for file transfers without the need of the tracker file even further decentralizing the file sharing networks.

With over 10.3 million users, not including the bit torrent protocol, world wide, the FastTrack developed method of file sharing in the second generation has grown a quite respectable reputation.

The bit torrent and various other file sharing networks are not going anywhere, nor are they just going to disappear. As long as there is a need to share virtually any type of file with a complete stranger on the other side of the world, the file sharing networks are only going to grow in size.

The file sharing and especially the bit torrent network is quite literally the largest community in the world with hundreds of million members in virtually every county world-wide. How do you join the world’s largest community? You can simply download any bit torrent client software for free. Sit back and let the program bring the file you want directly to you. The faster your connection and the more you share, the faster you can get your files. It basically that simple!

Popularity: 27% [?]

There are two major forms of the 4th generation of peer to peer file sharing protocols, both of which conform to the ideals of live streams. Whether you are talking about the RSS syndication of broadcatching, or the broadcast of the iPod (podcasting), the general consensus is that your are talking about the 4th generation of peer to peer file sharing networks.

Broadcatching was first brought to realization by Fen Labalme back in 1983, when he described the term as being an aggregated feed of data. The aggregator could then automatically receive and filter this data based on a set of variables determined by the independent user from multiple sources. Again in 1987, the tem was used again in a book by Stewart Brand as a means to help describe the concept of artificial intelligence and its interaction with the world. But it would not be until 2003 when Steve Gillmor came up with the idea of combining the concepts of the bit torrent protocol with an RSS feed as a means to continuously subscribe to media files from a given source. After many years and theorization, it would not be until 2004 when Andrew Grumet would officially integrate an RSS feed with a bit torrent peer to peer file sharing client.

The other form of live streaming peer to peer file sharing protocols is that of the podcast. The podcast actually derives its name as a conjunction of the iPod and broadcast, but that does not mean that you have to own an iPod. The concept of podcasting is very similar to broadcathing but it does not require a bit torrent peer to peer file sharing client rather it can accept the RSS feed straight through a website. The major difference is that accessing a podcast through a website allows one to download the media and place it on virtually any type of portable media device.

Regardless of the forms that are available, the 4th generation of peer to peer file sharing networks is here and you may have used one without even knowing it. For example, if you have ever used You Tube, then you have used one of the more basic forms of this generation of file sharing networks. Although you cannot actually download the file unless you have a download helper like one of the many add-ons available for Mozilla FireFox. But the entire You Tube network is available via an RSS feed right to practically any place you want it and that includes right to your desktop if you wish it to be so.

The point is that the peer to peer file sharing networks, regardless of which generation you prefer, are here to stay. As long as there is software and media files being made for the general public, and as long as the costs are too high, the file sharing networks will not be going anywhere other than up. As each new technology is created to prevent these programs from working, another technology is created just to counter it. It is a never ending battle between the copyrighters and those who believe that data should be shared freely amongst the others of the world.

Popularity: 6% [?]

The concept of the swarm structure of a peer to peer file sharing network has stayed a constant since the 2nd generation of peer to peer file sharing protocols. When a use wants a file, they will go to a website and look up the file that they are in search of and download the tracker or .torrent file. From this point, the peer to peer file sharing client then connects to the URLs in the torrent tracker files and begins to make connections with various nodes around the world who have part or all of the file in question. The minute the client starts to make connections to other nodes or computers, then then join the swarm for that particular file. In general, the peers in the network, or leechers will trade file parts until they both have all of the pieces, or until they both are lacking certain pieces. It is only at this point that a client or node will begin to download directly from a seed.

It is for this reason that while downloading a file, you may be connected to multiple seeds for the file in question but may not be downloading directly from them. It is the basic hierarchy of the protocol which states the rarest files first. The main reason for this is the simple fact that seeds, especially the original seeder, should by now already shared a substantial amount of the file during the download itself. Because they have most likely met the basic share ratio of 1.5 to 1 they no longer need to be part of the general population of the swarm and instead, only give out pieces when there are none available, which technically should never happen.

This type pf hierarchy on the network is usually very efficient, except in the cases where certain nodes may choose o download certain files in certain orders. Although by default, a user is forced to download based on the rarest first protocol, due to the customizability of the particular peer to peer file sharing client, any user can choose which files to download in which order. A use can even decide to not even download certain portions of a file, or may choose to give higher priority to certain bits of file data based on how the file was broken down by the original seeder.

When we talk about the swarm structure of the 4th generation of peer to peer file sharing networks, we have to go no farther than the previous generations. The previous generations of peer to peer file sharing networks have mainly focused on perfecting the structure of the file sharing networks, while the 4th generation began its focus on the one request that has been asked for since the 2nd generation which is the ability to preview the download as it is happening. Since newer technology and faster internet connections have become available, the ability to live stream a video of virtually any size has now been available making it a priority to the file sharing networks.

Finally the out cry for a previewable download in the peer to peer file sharing industry. This is not the first time that previews have been available as it was actually introduced in clients like Ares back in the 3rd generation, but was not very efficient at the preview process as it had a habit of jumping from piece of data to another piece leaving a virtually indistinguishable preview especially on smaller files.

Popularity: 16% [?]

A very short launch of Yahoo was introduced. A new video-streaming service which immediately crashed. Live.yahoo.com lets you use your web-cam to stream live video to Yahoo! It is similar to the services of startups Ustream.tv and Justin.tv. Apparently, the company was only capable of handling 500 people watching 40 live video streams.

Yikes! The whole world was watching not a good move! (Yahoo calls the problems “intermittent outages” that require “tweaks.”) Live.yahoo.com short life took place and on their developer network blog, they described as “an experiment in personal live video broadcasting.”

They let you combine several feeds into one session, turning the service into a chat room or virtual conference tool. As many as five participants can do video and audio on one page together. An API is already offered.

Apparently, users can set up their own profiles and get statistics of how many people are watching their feeds, even the number of broadcasts etc.

Popularity: 7% [?]