On Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 1:23 PM, Macs R We <macs...@macsrwe.com> wrote: > >> On Jan 9, 2018, at 10:53 AM, Michael <keybou...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Can you please explain how downloading a bit torrent file from a known good >> seed is any different than downloading a file directly from a known source? >> >> (I seriously thought it was effectively equivalent, other than speed issues) > > The question is similar to asking why buying a known good Rolex from a guy on > a street corner is any different than buying it from a storefront jeweler. > The answer is that while it's theoretically possible that street-corner guy > has a genuine, warrantied Rolex, it's socially unlikely. Torrenting is a > technique used to minimize the originator's hosting costs by mooching off his > other customers. It's the turf of students and fly-by-nights. Legitimate > suppliers tend to make the minimal storefront-level investment needed to > carry their own weight.
I read this example less like buying off a street corner and more buying from Amazon. Further, the original scenario was a file from a "known good seed". I read that like downloading from a good source, like the perennial downloading a Linux ISO. That known good seed would have been something like Ubuntu.org. There have been other companies that use bittorrent to distribute legitimate software or updates as well. (Blizzard?) The problem with downloading software from bittorrent is the implication that it is not coming from the original source. It's presumed that the software is pirated or cracked in some manner. But unless there is some ready exploit to generate the hash collisions necessary to alter the payload, there is nothing inherently dangerous about downloading anything via bittorrent. The issue is what you are downloading. Pirated software or un-authorized distribution of audio-video media may indeed come along with or be entirely composed of malware. But that's no different whether you're downloading via bittorrent, file-locker, web forum, hotline, ftp, or newsgroup. A shady software source is going to risk supplying shady software. Then again, presumably trustworthy sites like SourceForge and MacUpdate have been known to alter the software payload or installation mechanism to provide nefarious wares as well. It's a dangerous network out there. -- arno s hautala /-| a...@alum.wpi.edu pgp b2c9d448 _______________________________________________ MacOSX-talk mailing list MacOSX-talk@omnigroup.com http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/macosx-talk
