RSSBitTorrent to Remain in Opera Browser
By Ed Oswald | Published February 6, 2006, 4:23 PM
Opera released details of a plan Monday to further integrate BitTorrent capabilities into an upcoming version of its Web browser, saying integrating the technology would allow for faster and more efficient downloads of large files. The move could also anger intellectual property holders however, who see the network as a boon to piracy.
The two companies recently signed an agreement that would allow Opera to integrate the file-sharing technology into version 9 of the browser. A technical preview would be available soon, the company said.
Users would either be able to search for files on the BitTorrent network through integrated search functionality, which then would use Opera's Transfer Manager software to handle the download.
BitTorrent first made an appearance in the browser last July when Opera released a technical preview with the technology included, version 8.02. Customers responded positively to the change and thus Opera decided to maintain the relationship.
"With BitTorrent Search, Opera will be offering its users a seamless experience for discovering and downloading large files from the thousands of BitTorrent publishers around the world," BitTorrent president Ashwin Navin said in a statement.
The file-sharing network will also soon announce that Opera would be the first to qualify for a program that would allow the company to use the BitTorrent trademark.
"Implementing BitTorrent is a natural choice, considering its efficient use of bandwidth and worldwide popularity," Opera vice president of engineering Christen Krogh said.
BitTorrent has come under increasing fire by intellectual property holders for illicit file sharing between its users. Hollywood threatened BitTorrent with legal action, forcing founder Bram Cohen to strike a deal with the MPAA in late November.
Under the terms of the deal, Cohen added technology to the search engine used by bittorrent.com that effectively removed content owned by the studios that make up the MPAA.
However, the deal had no effect on BitTorrent search engines not controlled by the company, which still list hundreds if not thousands of illicit files.
BitTorrent is not a P2P program like Kazaa, it's a protocol like FTP. You can use FTP to download music and software but you don't see anyone out there trying to make FTP illegal.
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|Leeches.
They cure everything.
...except blood loss.
...or fear of leeches.
...or lag.
Just thought you all might want to know.
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|What do y'all think? Awesome, no?
Yo, PP: don't peepee in the teepee.
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|If you're ever teaching remedial biology in Junior High-School...
Don't tell the kids to enter "zoo pictures" into the search engine.
Or at least be prepared to make a mad dash to the main power switch.
(I assume we're using the new widgets in opera to post paraphrased Bash.org quotes, right?)
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|It's up, go get it: http://labs.opera.com/downloads/
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|...or by clicking this link: http://snapshot.opera.com/windows/o90p2_8212.exe
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|The file-sharing network will also soon announce that Opera would be the first to qualify for a program that would allow the company to use the BitTorrent trademark.
I wonder if that means that there will be a built in filter to prevent you from downloading copyrighted files.
For the paranoid users this browsers will allow you to download anything you want and just report the details to the RIAA/MPAA so they can sue you into the ground with minimal effort:)
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|although its not true yet but it can be true in the future since they are in a deal with someone who opened up to RIAA/MPAA
Opera is my fav browser, hope they don't change my feelings on it by following a wrong path
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|I think this is a risky move by Opera. With all other P2P programs being sued and removed, I can see the same happening to them.
Opera, may even be going to Cohen to block more content.
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|Opera is my favorite browser, and I'm sure this will push FF to make a similar move.
It's just nice to see browser developers try to outdo each other in an area where development has been stagnant for so long.
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|I don't think that FF will integrate bittorrent, but there is nothing stopping a plugin author from making a plugin with bittorrent downloading support now.
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|There already is one
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|Interesting file sharing extension:
http://www.techcrunch.co...-the-firefox-killer-app/
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|Firefox had a BitTorrent extensions before Opera even announced that it will integrate BitTorrent technology into the client. The extensions were in beta though.
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|The coolest thing in the new release of Opera is IMO its widget engine. Really nice thing!
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|I love Opera but I am not so sure about BitTorrent Company/Cohen since he has accepted everything MPAA said, so I have my doubts about what may lie within the agreement betweeen the two and what might be the outcome
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|i dont wanna use a new broswer firefox 1.5.1/IE7 are enough :-/
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|Firefox 1.5.0.1.
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|Guys: Firefox sucks-- a big one. Maybe v2 or 3 will triumph, but as of right now it's not yet ready for primetime by a longshot. And by primetime i mean for folks who actually have a life-- unlike you or i willing to fritter away a whole lifetime or two or three in front of a glowing pc screen.
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|I hate to say it, but IE isn't ready either. As you just said, most people don't want to 'fritter away a whole lifetime or two or three in front of a glowing pc screen.' As such, the browser that comes most ready and secure is for the person who doesn't want to spend much time on the computer.
That is Opera. IE is ok for knowledgible users, but that's a very small % of those that actually use it. At least with Firefox you can concentrate on customizing the interface rather than your hosts file.
If you're interested in less memory leaks and more speed, try SeaMonkey. I installed it on a 333mhz/256mb IBM Thinkpad 390e(w/ WinXP) recently, and was shocked that it started in 4 seconds!
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|Totally agree re Opera.
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|A post depicting in true fashion, how *not* to win an argument.
"Firefox sucks..."
because
"...unlike you or i willing to fritter away a whole lifetime or two or three in front of a glowing pc screen."
What.
The.
Hell?
How about backing that up with something other than gibberish that could apply to *anything*? If you want to say something sucks....at least back it up with *why* you think it sucks. Otherwise, you just look like an ass.
Do we need a "posting 101" class?
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|"fewer" memory leaks, not "less".
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|You win, PC_Fool.
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|Get the v9 tp release here in a few hours(the beta9 has been out for coupla months; but this new release tomorrow will blow your mind): http://labs.opera.com/
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|Great news. I hope this becomes standard in all major browsers. Bittorrent is great for saving bandwidth on commonly downloaded files.
"The move could also anger intellectual property holders however, who see the network as a boon to piracy."
=/ I think bittorrent is used for legitimate distribution of files a lot more than illegitimate, but that might just be my experience.
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|It'd be a pity if such a great distribution technology were quashed just to protect the musical geniuses behind Grillz and Laffy Taffy.
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|"I think bittorrent is used for legitimate distribution of files a lot more than illegitimate, but that might just be my experience."
That'd be your experience. yes, legitimate uses are becoming more popular, but just do a search on Torrents in any search engine to get a feel for it's more popular use...
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|What's illegal all depends on your country. :P
In some places it's illegal to download stuff you can watch free on TV. In other places it fine unless the company/studio complains(and then you must stop).
Hey, I have 3 legit copies of PSP 8 that I don't use....I wonder if it's illegal to use PSP 5?
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|I've never actually used a torrent search engine. I always just download them directly from Linux distro sites.
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|Sadly? Probably. Though I doub't they'd take you to court overit.
Even taking television out of the picture, the scales still tip heavily towards illigal use.
I'm not saying BitTorrent is bad, it's just the current state of things. Until Big Media gets a clue, P2P will mainly be used to pirate digital media.
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|wooo, great idea, by me. a FF plugin to make uTorrent use a tab in FF as its main GUI.... :-)
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|I would like BT as a separate program instead of it intergrated into a browser. I close the browser all the time.
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|Most browsers have the option to be running in the background all the time anyway (some do it by default). The bittorrent client could just be a part of that.
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|Yes, they should separate transfer engine from browser (into service or something like that), so we can download even with browser closed.
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|That works too. I like that idea.
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