vissha Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 uTorrent Will Move to The Web Browser BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen has unveiled plans to move the popular client uTorrent to the web browser. The next revision of the application will run in users' default browser, complete with a revamped interface and a significantly improved streaming experience. With around 150 million active users a month, uTorrent remains the leading torrent client, by far. Despite its popularity, the introduction of new features has stalled in recent years. In fact, some of the more prominent changes date back five years, when uTorrent launched its long awaited 3.0 version. However, according to BitTorrent creator and BitTorrent Inc founder Bram Cohen, this will change in the near future. In an interview with our Steal This Show podcast, which will be released this weekend, he promises some interesting updates, both for uTorrent and its owning company. Firstly, BitTorrent Inc. is coming out of a rough period during which outsiders took the helm and burnt through millions of dollars in cash. According to Cohen, however, things have calmed down again and the company is getting back on track. There are about 50 people working at BitTorrent Inc. right now. Former CTO Ro Choy came back to the company as well and has taken the role of CEO. In the future the company will refocus on products that have proven to work, including uTorrent. Initially, the application generated most revenue from toolbar installs, but after web browsers started to frustrate this business, they successfully switched to in-client advertising, which is the main revenue source now. “The plan is to consolidate the business and focus on revenues. We have actually a fair amount of expertise in client application advertising, which is kind of a pain to do. So leverage that and bring that to other applications as well,” Cohen says. While it’s clear that the advertisements will keep their prominent role in uTorrent, there is a major change coming. The future version of the client will be running directly from the browser. “We’re also taking the opportunity here to actually clean up our client experience. So, from a product standpoint, the new revision of uTorrent is going to run in the user’s default browser. That’s just a nicer experience,” Cohen notes. By moving uTorrent to the browser it will be able to use modern widgets, and the developers will also integrate a greatly improved streaming experience, based on new technology. The new uTorrent will allow users to stream torrents directly from their browser, much like regular streaming sites. This is also reminiscent of BitTorrent’s own browser project, Maelstrom, which was quietly killed despite various positive reviews. According to Cohen, Jeremy Johnson, one of the two CEOs who briefly ‘hijacked’ the company, decided not to ship Maelstrom because he thought he could do better. “What came of Maelstrom is that Jeremy just decided not to ship Maelstrom because he thought he had some genius idea that would be so much better. And he is so utterly incompetent at doing product he couldn’t even put together an actual product out of it and just killed the whole project.” While Maelstrom will not return, many of its features will be present in the new uTorrent, including streaming. The main difference is that users won’t have to install a separate browser, but can use the one they already use to browse the web. “The features behind it that people really want, being able to see torrents in the browser, we’re basically going to be shipping with the new uTorrent. It’s going to be your browser instead of a separate browser,” Cohen says. Traditionally, end users are very conservative when it concerns major changes like this. That said, the Internet has changed quite a bit since uTorrent first came out over a decade ago. Most applications now live in the browser and BitTorrent Inc. is confident that uTorrent has its future there as well. In any case, BitTorrent Inc. will be very careful not to force a new version onto users before they know that people are going to be happy with it. “We’re very, very sensitive. We know people have been using uTorrent for a very long time and love it. So we’re very, very sensitive to that and gonna be sure to make sure that people feel that it’s an upgrade that’s happening. Not that we’ve just destroyed the experience.” “We’re going to roll it out and get feedback and make sure that people are happy with it before we roll it out to everybody,” Bram concludes. —- The full “Steal This Show” interview with Bram Cohen will be available this weekend. Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven36 Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 LOL p2p is bad enough using standalone apps without them adding them to browsers and causing more privacy and security issues than it already has . There is already p2p in browsers for years and none of it is very much used except for Torrent debird sites were you're not really using p2p were the site uses p2p for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTJB Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 What is this? Extension for the browser? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdawg334 Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 Is this even possible?? Browsers get so many updates especially for security and I would think connecting to multiple computers for downloads/uploads through a browser would not work well. Torrent programs have way too many settings as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiliarou Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 1 hour ago, jdawg334 said: Is this even possible?? Browsers get so many updates especially for security and I would think connecting to multiple computers for downloads/uploads through a browser would not work well. Torrent programs have way too many settings as well. Torrents in browser are already existing, whether by a simple web UI or by an extension, and it doesn't mean you can't configure them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galaxyquestor Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 13 hours ago, steven36 said: LOL p2p is bad enough using standalone apps without them adding them to browsers and causing more privacy and security issues than it already has . There is already p2p in browsers for years and none of it is very much used except for Torrent debird sites were you're not really using p2p were the site uses p2p for you. This was EXACTLY my first, second and third thoughts. There is NO browser secure enough to maintain your anonymity - without DNS changing and IP altering (VPN) extensions and applications. TOR browser may work, but the actual transfer and/or streaming would be much slower, and may compromise your anonymity, depending on its implementation and coding. (ie scripting, JAVA use, flash use, etc.). Utorrent works, and works well - why tamper with something that works that well? $$$$$$$$..., as always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven36 Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 6 hours ago, tiliarou said: Torrents in browser are already existing, whether by a simple web UI or by an extension, and it doesn't mean you can't configure them... I dont care how much you configure a browser that dont get rid of holes in them we dont know about yet also they are some holes like changing you're timezone we do know about that only thing that can change it is a addon in Firefox witch will soon stop working and it never has worked in Chrome or IE. The only other thing you can do is change you're system clock ,a browser VPN would be too slow to download with .Already every agency in the world can see you when you go on p2p and by using a browser you open yourself up too being exploded and exposing you're real ip.if you use a vpn. I hate browsers I only use them because I have too because there designed by a rule set without privacy in mind really. and I dont even .use them too download from Filehost very much i been using a download manger since the early 2000s If utorrent want too commit windows suicide let them there are plenty of other clients to take it's place on Windows . Most every Linux Distro I ever installed already have a client installed out of the box . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator DKT27 Posted April 23, 2017 Administrator Share Posted April 23, 2017 While it's good to see these guys getting their company back, but this is a crappy idea I think. As mentioned above, all those issues with the browsers, to add to that, even stability. Think about it this way, they will have to rely on the browser to fix certain things. People on the article keep talking about original versions being free and open source. Making money out of it is their wish, but caring more about money than other things is not right. I know they are trying to innovate, but innovate in the protocol, innovate in ways that basic issues are fixed, do not innovate such that you forget your roots. That is why I keep insisting people to use alternatives of this torrent client, we have two good ones listed on FP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straycat19 Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 This should do something the RIAA, MPAA, and SBA have been trying to do for years, end large scale sharing. There is no security in using a browser, far from it, in fact it is just the opposite. It will be so easy for those tracking who is downloading/sharing that we may see the end of lawsuits and instead see a rise in criminal arrest warrants since the information they are able to extract from using a web browser is much more definitive and has an excellent track record in judicial circles. The offended parties could provide data to the police for a search warrant, confiscate the equipment, and then use the data forensically obtained from the equipment to charge and convict an individual. Along with a jail sentence will come fines and restitution as stipulated by the courts. Failure to pay just results in more jail time and more fines. They can also take your tax refunds and garnish your wages. Much worse case scenario than now exists. But uTorrent will get their revenue from the embedded advertisements, so what do they care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlston Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 Browser, schmowser... uTorrent 2.2.1 will be used here for as long as it still works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macnavarra Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 I´m hearing about these for years and until now nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrisRender Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 Torch browser already integrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven36 Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 Torrent Tornado for Firefox have 9,325 users https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/torrent-tornado/ The technology have been around for years Opera was the 1st ones too ever too add BitTorrent too a browser 6 Ways to Download Torrents with your Web-Browser June 17, 2007 https://torrentfreak.com/6-ways-to-download-torrents-with-your-web-browser/ updated list 5 Ways to Download Torrents if You Can’t Install and Run a Torrent Client https://www.raymond.cc/blog/how-to-download-torrent-if-you-cant-install-and-run-bittorrent-client/ Nothing is new under the sun there just trying too reinvent the wheel . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryrynz Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 On 4/23/2017 at 9:34 AM, BTJB said: What is this? Extension for the browser? No.. it won't be an extension. Maybe a service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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