The following is a general comparison of computer programs designed for peer-to-peer file sharing using the BitTorrent protocol. The BitTorrent protocol coordinates segmented file transfer among peers.
Bram Cohen, author of the BitTorrent protocol, made the first BitTorrent software application, which he also called BitTorrent. He published the application in July 2001.
Many BitTorrent programs are free and open-source software; others are adware or shareware. Some download managers (such as Xunlei and GetRight) are BitTorrent-ready. Opera, a web browser, can also transfer files via BitTorrent. A small number of BitTorrent programs—such as BitRoll, GetTorrent, Torrent101, and TorrentQ—are actually Trojan horses that attempt to infect the host with malware.
It's worth noting that the client term here is somewhat a misnomer since Bittorrent has a peer-to-peer architecture. It however does differentiate peer software from trackers and companion web sites that do play "server" roles.
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