Soft District

Azureus is a BitTorrent client that was built using Java, and while it's compatible with multiple operating systems (Linux, Windows, Mac OS X), we're going to talk only about the Windows version, and there's no need to explain why.

Before running the application for the first time, make sure your system has the latest JRE installed. If not, you can download it from the official Azureus homepage, so let's move on...

Once you have downloaded the program, the setup process won't be as easy as expected, because the settings chosen now can have a major impact on the download speed and amount of memory taken up by Azureus. Anyway, don't expect it not to be resource hungry, because this is an application built using Java, after all.

These being said, let's run the setup package and follow the steps required to complete the installation process, and have Azureus up and running, shall we?


As you can see in the image above, I am installing Azureus Vuze 3.0.5.2. Needless to say what needs to be done at this stage...
Once the next setup window opens, you will see the License Agreement. If you're not familiar with the GPL license, you can take your time to read it, but we're sure that in most cases people simply click "I Agree" and move on, so do as you wish. The time you spend reading the License Agreement doesn't have anything to do with your experience as a user, so let's move on to the next step, but don't forget to click the button saying "I Agree," first!
Now that the License Agreement is behind us, we have to choose the location where to install the program, set the file association(automatically opening Torrent files with Azureus), and then wait for a little, while the files are copied.
<-customad->Next, I ran into a little problem. Two, in fact, so I advise you to pay attention here, if you don't want to curse later. Now, depends on the type of user you are, of course, because some people that I won't ever understand like to have their browser full of toolbars, and the default search option to be one they are never using. Considering these, I guess the screenshot above should explain it all - be sure to uncheck both options on this screen, and then press Next to move on.
Look! Now, you can run Azureus Vuze, but before starting to download anything, you should carefully adjust the settings to match your Windows version, Internet connection, and - if your computer isn't powerful enough, some of the choices you make now can have a great impact on the program's performance.I don't know about you, but I am a bit tired, so I'll leave the configuration part for tomorrow, or better said, "starting tomorrow," because when we're talking about settings, this program really has a lot of them. In the meantime, be sure to get ready for next round, all right?

Hello again, and welcome to what I will try to turn into an stream of articles regarding the installation and use of some notorious BitTorrent clients, and maybe even some additional Torrent-related tools, if you'll ask. The idea is pretty simple - I have a plan written down, which I won't completely reveal now or later, because there's plenty of time to hit each subject as we move on, but if you want to know more about some program, just name it, and if it's not on my list, I'll add it. Now, let's talk a little about the big things to come...


Contrary to what most people may think at this time, the BitTorrent communications protocol was not created to help pirates distribute illegal copies of movies, music and games, but to lower costs of hardware, hosting and bandwidth required when dealing with large files, and the first to use this were various Linux distributions.

Since I am sure you're not crazy about technical details, let's check the highlights I have prepared for you already, shall we? As I said, nothing is final, so I will say it again and again: don't hesitate to stand out and shout what you want!

First of all, we'll talk about Azureus, considered by many users to be the best torrent client software available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Since Azureus has a classic version and a new one, called Vuze, and there are some differences between them, we'll also see what Vuze can do and the classic version can't.

Next, we'll cover the same topics for BitComet - installation and initial settings, downloading torrents, creating new torrents and uploading them to a tracker, setting speed limits and using BitComet's search feature.

The third program we'll talk about is uTorrent, a tiny yet powerful piece of code that only requires you to download it and run the executable, without any boring installation and setup steps needed.

Since most downloaded files are disc images using the ISO format and others that are similar, you'll learn how to handle them, using some of the best tools available to get the job done - Daemon Tools for mounting disc images, PowerISo and UltraISO for editing them, and Nero to burn your CD or DVD discs using these images. These are extra-tools, and if you say "no," I can easily push them aside.

Last step of our Spotlight on Torrents series will be to talk about the father of all torrent clients, the first program from this category that has seen the light of day, BitTorrent.

Of course that the list is open - and this is the last time I say it. Since there are a lot of individual torrent tutorials on the Web, but I didn't run into such a thing as this one I am planning now before, I am sure we'll end up with some nice articles in the end but, more important than anything else, I want you to interact with me. Don't be afraid to ask questions, that's why we have the Internet at our disposal, and don't forget: knowledge is power!

Yesterday, we were able to notice that Microsoft's chief software architect, Ray Ozzie, thinks there's still a chance for them to buy Yahoo, or at least a part of it. Now, it's Jerry Yang's turn to talk about the matter, by going in the open and speaking his mind. Finally, it was the time to do that, after all, there are 4 months already since this whole deal has started!


According to Yang, "Microsoft is no longer interested in buying the company, and we are talking about other things. We definitely have to understand what they're proposing...they clearly have an interest in Yahoo, and we need to understand more."

Come ooon!!! Four months! I guess it was enough time to make things clear so far... but I can't say I feel sorry for the current situation. Yahoo can keep it all together, and must push forward as it is, that's what I think, and I am sure most Yahoo users feel the same.

Regarding a partnership with Google, Yang said "It makes a lot of sense, but if we do something, we will talk about it. The level at which Yahoo can fully partner with Google has not been fully appreciated by the marketplace."

Finally, there's one more thing to add - according to Yahoo's CEO, price has been the only problem stopping them from linking with Microsoft - "We never got through the price door ... once we could have gone through it, then other issues could have been discussed."

These being said, I can only hope for the best for Yahoo. What do you think? Do they have what it takes to pull this off?