BC Announcement: BitComet Released: V. 0.98!

Jan 11, 2008, 01:21 PM [Reply]

BitComet Announcement:

Finally, BitComet Version 0.98 got released yesterday, but due to the delay of the release log from the BitComet staff, I chose not to write about it here until today.

Yes, BitComet V. 0.98 got released - and which goodies do this version offer?

Well, when you have installed V.0.98 it doesn’t look different from V.0.97. HOWEVER, the core has two very important bug fixes, as I wrote in Inside BitComet Issue 1.

The fixes I'm talking about here are: "Core Bug fix: tasks in recycle bin should not upload for Long-Time Seeding (persistent seeding) And Core Bugfix: tasks, which disable Long-Time Seeding download, should not upload for Long-Time Seeding.

It's two problems regarding LT-seeding. The latter is a bug, which did so you uploaded HTTP tasks without your knowledge!

The rest of the change log is as following (with explanations, if anything too technically):

GUI Improved: start downloading torrent file while show the task properties dialog of new opened BC link.
    GUI Improved: search box in toolbar remains in the same row of the toolbar buttons when resize main window
    GUI Improved: HTTP task properties dialog support query file size and server resume-supported ability for HTTP/FTP link with password authentication. (Basically, this means that BitComet can resume downloads from HTTP/FTP servers with password authentication (e.g. FTP servers which require log-in) using the HTTP/FTP client.)
    GUI Improved: improve display effect of peer download statusbar in BT task peer list. (Explained later in this blog-entry)
    GUI Improved: BT task peer list support sorting.
    GUI Improved: BT task peer list display download statusbar of each peer
    GUI Improved: HTTP task connection list display download statusbar of each source. - (All three related to the "download statusbar")
    GUI Improved: new command in HTTP task context menu: Verify MD5 checksum. (This is usefull. This feature checks the HTTP/FTP task for errors using the MD5 hash. If the file is corrupt, it'll redownload the required chunks.)
    GUI Bugfix: ESC key donot work in download all links dialog
    GUI Bugfix: task remains in queue after deleted into recycle bin. (Mostly related to the HTTP/FTP client. It's another important bug fix.)
    Core Improved: improve HTTP task download algorithm to avoid download speed decrease near finish. (Another improvement to the HTTP/FTP client. Now there are no reasons to keep your old HTTP/FTP manager or using IE for downloading large files. BitComet handles everything.)
    Core Improved: HTTP task support redirect to FTP url
    Core Bugfix: preview unfinished HTTP task may cause program crash
    Core Bugfix: tasks which disable Long-Time Seeding download should not upload for Long-Time Seeding.
    Core Bugfix: tasks in recycle bin should not upload for Long-Time Seeding (persistent seeding)"

--

But its not only the core, which has been improved - there is a new small GUI feature. In the peer-tab, a bar shows peer-status. Actually its just another "bell" that makes BitComet even more informative. It dosn't change anything regarding the upload- or download speed.

BitComet still has two important problems - The wrong "announce wire" it sends to the tracker, where it announces itself as Browser instead of a BitTorrent client. Moreover, the second issue is that BitComet dosn't fully respects the bandwidth limiting. (A workaround to this problem is to limit your upload connection, then minus the formerly used limit with 4kB/s.) It dosn't harm the swarm or your overall down- and/or upload connection though. More information about these two issues in: "Inside BitComet - Issue 02". Overall, I really recommend updating.

This was just a little announcement.
Thank you for reading this blog.

Always remember that you can ask any questions regarding BitComet, if you have any on your mind. That could e.g. be if there is something you don't understand, or if you want to get a good explanation of something related to BitComet (or the torrent scene). I'll respond within 2 days (or faster), if I'm not extremely busy.

Until next time,

- XSTREM.

The Unofficial BitComet Ambassador. - Your guide, Your allied.

XSTREM

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Jan 11, 2008, 03:25 PM [Reply]

Yo thanks man for the info..I've just downloaded and installed it and I've noticed some addition to this new release under peers section. But there is something weird with it, in the "Peer status" it show that I've downloaded 89.3% of the file while in the main task it show only 31.5%..?? what's happening?? Is this what you describe as bitcomet sending "wrong-completed-message" data?? or is it a new "function" which indicate new purpose??

Reply

2008-01-12 11:39:57

XSTREM

(Copy of my post I posted on umai's guestbook)
--1st message--
Hey!
That sounds weird. "Myself" and the %-finished downloaded task "tab" should show exactly the same.
Are you sure you looked at the right column?
No, the "Incorrect" Completed-message is what I explained to you earlier.
The wrong "Announce Wire" is another "bug". It's a bit technically, but every networkapplication has an "user-agent". This "user-agent" tells the server which kind of software you're using, e.g. if you're using a browser, your useragent would be "Mozilla/4.0 (IE Compitable)" (nomatter if you use Internet Explorer, Firefox or a whole different browser.) If you use a BitTorrent application, nomatter which application you use, the user-agent will be: "BitTorrent 3.4.2" or "BitTorrent x.x.x" (Where "x" referes to the version number.).
When a BitTorrent application sends a user-agent called: "BitTorrent....", it tells the server: -"Hello! I am a BitTorrent application, and want to be granted access to the peer-database"
The server will then respond:
"Hi! BitTorrent application? Which kind?
And BitComet will respond:
"BitComet V.x.xx
If BitComet isn't banned, the tracker will respond:
"Welcome BitComet! Access granted!
But BitComet (0.91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98) does something different.
It tells the server (1st. announce):
"Hello! I am a Browser, and want to be granted access to the peer-database"
The server will then respond, if it has an anti-cheat module installed:
"Browser?! You're a ratio-cheater! Access denied, connection closed!

The Unofficial BitComet Ambassador. - Your guide, Your allied.

2008-01-12 11:40:17

XSTREM

(Copy of my post I posted on umai's guestbook)
--2nd. Message--
So what is the reason for this "answer", you might ask?
Well, it's an excellent way to "cheat" your ISP to believe you aren't using a BitTorrent application - but a browser.
That way, your ISP wont suspect you're using a P2P application, just a HTTP/FTP downloadmanager.
Now, I reported this directly to the developers (Translated my bugreport to Chinese) before the release of V. 0.96, since there were no respond on my English report.
They fixed this problem by making a "Hybrid Announce".
So the conversation (2nd announce) would look like this:
"Hello! I am a Browser, and want to be granted access to the peer-database"
The server will then respond, if it has an anti-cheat module installed:
"Browser?! You're a ratio-cheater! Access denied, connection closed!
10 secs. later, BitComet will say:
"Woops! Did I say a browser? I meant a BitTorrent client.
And the tracker will respond:
"Sounds better. Access granted!"
But the server has still reported BitComet as a ratiocheater on it's first announce, and this might do, so the tracker "thinks" you're a ratiocheater. But this only complies with trackers wich has an anti-cheating module installed. With any other trackers, it dosn't matter much.
Still it's a problem, but I'm not sure if it'll ever it's old behavior back. I'll keep noting the developers about the issue, so sooner or later it should be fixed. ;-)
Good regards
XSTREM.

The Unofficial BitComet Ambassador. - Your guide, Your allied.

umai

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Message

Jan 15, 2008, 03:37 AM [Reply]

Nice this version but I`m still wainting for the GREAT (hopefuly) 1.0 ! It`s incredible how they delayed this one > The id versions are all 0... I want to see something with weight (about 100 kg)! 1.0 WHEN ??

"Fragile. Do not drop." -- Posted on a Boeing 757

Lucy20Stryker

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Jan 23, 2008, 10:47 PM [Reply]

Hmm thanks for the info, what does it mean when i'm download from Myself? and yes the % is different, it's more on the Peers section "Myself" abit less in the Download list

Reply

2008-01-24 16:46:39

XSTREM

You're very welcome!
"Myself" simply indicates how fast you're downloading/uploading from peers.
You're not actually downloading/uploading from yourself, as it might seem. (That'll be extremely mysterious if that was the case, ha ha.)
About your other question, I answered that earlier in the guestbook. But the explanation will be included in "Inside BitComet Issue 02" which'll get released on Saturday.
Good regards
XSTREM

The Unofficial BitComet Ambassador. - Your guide, Your allied.

2008-01-29 03:06:34

notosapien (Notorious)

HMM I see, i don't see any other peers i'm connecting to that justify that download % and usually it's the fastest i get :x
Not that i mind of course! but although the speed is great, it doesn't feel like it's downloading that fast, the % and file size go up very slow compare to even when i'm having moderate speed, i can see the % go up on half an hour basis, but now even in that high speed, i see only 0.1% increase after 5 hours, hmm just weird. Also the seeds/peers shows zero.
I agree it will be weird if i'm downloadin from myself haha but this is also weird..