BitTorrent News Roundup: Birdtorrent Coda.fm and Transmission Updates
There's more going on in the tech world than we've been able to keep up with recently, so we've compiled some important BitTorrent news that's fallen through the cracks bypassed the firewall. Here's a roundup of changes to Open Media Boston's favorite BitTorrent applications and services from the past couple weeks. Birdtorrent handler for Songbird media player reaches 1.0; Coda.fm music torrent site faces legal threats from Amazon; Transmission torrent client adds port randomization and more. Read on for details.
Happy 1.0 Release, Birdtorrent!
Birdtorrent is our favorite little torrent handler that, together with the open source Songbird media player, may just force Apple's iTunes music store out into the open. Birdtorrent reached version 1.0at the end of April. With an updated UI and support for Songbird's watch folders, this add-on is a must have for any Songbird user. While version 1.0 is only officially supported under Ubuntu, developer Anthony Hughes has indicated he plans to "get this working soon" on Windows and Mac OS X.
Amazon Tells Coda.fm "We Don't Want Your Money"
When Open Media Boston first reviewed Coda.fm in February, we called it "the future of music torrent sites." The site offers an attractive layout and detailed information for music torrents, including links to preview and buy albums on Amazon. Coda.fm offered the links to Amazon so "everybody wins." [...] "The artists and Amazon gets some money (oh, and the labels too, most of it), and we get a small commission that help us to cover our hosting expenses. A great idea that every torrent site should implement." A great idea, that is, until Amazon starts to worry their association with a torrent site might look bad to the RIAA. Amazon demanded Coda.fm remove "any links to them" and closed the site's Amazon Associates account. While Coda.fm no longer receives a percentage of sales on Amazon (they've made several hundred to date, according to their blog), the site still has preview and purchase links, and the administrator promises to "adapt (and fight) to keep Coda.fm running."
Transmission Update Understands Life Is Random
Transmission is one of the easiest (and most attractive) torrent clients available. That it's open source is a major plus. Version 1.60 adds port randomization on launch and improved UPnP support to help users avoid overzealous network administrators or ISPs attempting to block common BitTorrent ports. This version also adds greater automation and customization for OS X, better UI visual cues on GTK+, and new features to the app's useful and iPhone-friendly web client. Mac, Ubuntu, FreeBSD and Solaris users who haven't tried Transmission have more reasons than ever to check it out now.
Got Torrent News? Let Us Know!
Have you got big news or tips regarding BitTorrent? Do you have a favorite client or tracker that we've overlooked? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
