BitTorrent Sync (version alpha) is now available for all to use (for free). Prior to this a pre-alpha version was circulating, but the access was limited to 20,000 users. If you are not familiar with BitTorrent Sync, it is a software that allows private file-sharing between your computers, and it is of course based on BitTorrent’s distributed technology.
You may associate BitTorrent with distributed public file-sharing, but while this is using the same technology, no other BitTorrent Sync can see your files since they are not publicly accessible, and even if they were, they are encrypted. Because you are hosting the files on your private computers storage and use your own internet connection, there are no fees associated with the use of the software. In essence, this is free (and should remain free), but BitTorrent may add premium (and optional) features down the road.
For example, one such feature could be a version tracker for files. The company has hinted that it is planning to add a “time machine” that would let you go back to previous version of files. I’m not sure if it will be a free or a paid update, but that’s something that people may be willing to pay for (I would!).
BitTorrent hasn’t just opened the access to the public, they have also added a number of features since January, and I find these to be the most interesting: One-time secrets (temporary access key), Support for additional types of NAS devices, One-way synchronization (I would use it for backups). To know more about BitTorrent Sync, read the official online FAQ, and to try it, follow the download link. To get help, the BitTorrent public forum is the best place to go.
Filed in . Read more about Bittorrent, File Sharing and Storage.