In preparation for 1.0 - How to use Bittorrent

[bovi]

HOW TO USE BITTORRENT
You may be confused by the new flashy tech stuff we (or, to be more precise, I) have been touting the last few days. What is this Bittorrent of which you speak, I hear you ask?

Very briefly, Bittorrent is a protocol for sharing files. Its principles involve chopping up a file into tiny pieces, which those who want to download can get from any source. Once all the pieces are collected, the file is reconstructed and can be used. All the people downloading EB will upload the pieces they have to others at the same time as they're downloading, making it faster the more people are downloading at the moment, as opposed to other ways of distribution where more people downloading means they queue up. For more information, check out this Bittorrent FAQ

Even more confused now? Then this is for you.
You want to:

• Download a Bittorrent client, for instance uTorrent, BitComet or Azureus.
• Install the client of your choice somewhere on your disk.
• Click the torrent file that we will make available. Open this file with your torrent client. It should be the default choice of action when clicking it.
• Choose the location where EB should be placed!
• Play the old EB you've installed until the download finishes!

But it downloads really slow, or not at all!
Some of you will probably have an impediment in your network, and this is the symptom. For instance you could be connected to a university or military network which blocks this kind of traffic (you're screwed), or your own Internet Service Provider does (this can be remedied in most cases but might be tricky). You could want to find a random torrent to experiment on before EB comes out so you're ready when the time comes. The internet is crawling with these links, but be careful not to download something illegal.

If you fail, there will be other mirrors eventually. But if you want to be among the first to get EB, Torrent is your bet! You are encouraged to learn how to get around these network issues. Here's a how to. The Bittorrent FAQ mentioned above will also be helpful.

Back to the techy stuff:
Please consider seeding EB, for a couple of weeks if not indefinitely. This means allowing others to keep downloading pieces from you after you have finished downloading them all. The way to do this varies from client to client, but usually involves looking at the properties once it's being downloaded. Find a checkmark or the like denoting something like "Initial seeding", and make sure it's checked. Leave open the Bittorrent client after downloading and it will keep serving it.