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µTorrent
Screenshot of µTorrent
Maintainer:	Ludvig "ludde" Strigeus
Stable release:	1.5 (Build 437)  (March 8, 2006) [+/-]
Preview release:	1.4.2 BETA (Build 435)  (March 07, 2006) [+/-]
OS:	Microsoft Windows
Genre:	BitTorrent client
License:	Freeware
Website:	www.utorrent.com

The correct title of this article is µTorrent. The initial letter is capitalized due to technical restrictions.

µTorrent is a BitTorrent client currently for Microsoft Windows only. The entire program is included in a single 153 KiB executable (as of January 2006). It was designed to use as little of the computer's resources as possible while offering most, if not all nor more, of the functionality as expected from the heavily featured clients, such as Azureus or BitComet. Its title is frequently abbreviated as "µT" or "uT" (as it is difficult to type "µ" using the US keyboard layout). The source code of µTorrent is written in C++. While µTorrent is freeware, it is not open-source.

Pronunciation

Due to the program using a non-English letter in its name, there is some confusion over its pronunciation. As the program was created with a small footprint in mind, it stands to reason that the name should probably be "micro-torrent", as µ is used in SI to represent the "micro" prefix (one millionth). However, the author has stated that he calls it "you-torrent". [1] One other accepted pronunciation is "mu-torrent", for the way that µ is typically pronounced when used in mathematical formulae.

Features

µTorrent implements many of the features introduced by much larger clients such as Azureus, BitComet and BitTornado, while retaining a very small footprint in system memory. The program's typical memory usage is less than 6 MB, and the CPU use is low enough for the program to run on very old computers (including 486s). It also contains Unicode support for Windows 95/98/ME embedded in the single executable without the need for the Microsoft Layer for Unicode (which is several times the size of µTorrent).

Some of the more notable features present in µTorrent include:

• Unicode support
• UPnP support (Windows XP only)
• Super-seeding
• Protocol encryption (PE)
• Peer exchange (PEX)
• RSS Broadcatching
• "Trackerless" BitTorrent support, using DHT compatible with the original BitTorrent client and BitComet
• Configurable bandwidth scheduler
• Customizable search bar and icons
• Localized to different languages, the program can also be localized by any end user through modification of a text file
• Tetris (as an Easter egg)

Planned features

• Web interface (currently in alpha) [2]
• RSS 1.0 and 2.0 support [3]
• HTTPS and UDP trackers [4]
• Magnet links [5]
• Linux and Mac version (currently deferred) [6]

Size

Operating as a single executable of approximately 153 KiB (this refers to the current, stable version 1.5), thus not requiring installation, μTorrent is an extremely compact BitTorrent client. Its small size was achieved by avoiding the use of many heavy libraries (notably, the C++ standard library and stream facilities) and, in their place, by creating substitutes written specifically for the program. The executable is also compressed to roughly half of its original size using PECompact2.

Development

• Ludvig Strigeus (aka "ludde", from Sweden) is the developer of µTorrent.
• Giancarlo Martínez (aka "Firon", from Puerto Rico) maintains the µTorrent forums and FAQ.
• Timothy Su (aka "ignorantcow", from Malaysia) is the current website designer.
• Serge Paquet (aka "vurlix", from Canada) previously coordinated releases and maintained the µTorrent website and forum. He is no longer affiliated with µTorrent.

History

In general discontent with the predominance of bloatware, Serge Paquet suggested to Ludvig Strigeus that he make a small, yet efficient, BitTorrent client. Strigeus began to conceptualize the plans for the program's development, which, at the time, did not include nor preclude making the client feature-rich. After initially working on it for about a month during the autumn of 2004 (the first build of the client was dated 17 October 2004), mostly during his free time before/after work, Strigeus ceased coding µTorrent for a year. Work on the client resumed on 15th September 2005, and on 18th September 2005 the first public release (version 1.1 BETA) was made available.

Trivia

• µTorrent version 1.3 or below will show a Christmas eCard when launched on Christmas day.
• Clicking the µTorrent logo in Help > About will play Deep Note.
• Pressing the T button on the keyboard when viewing Help > About will start a game of Tetris, from beta 1.4.2 build 432 onwards.

See also

• Comparison of BitTorrent software

External links

• Official site
• IRC channel

Reviews

• Can great software live in 130 kilobytes? by George Ou
• µTorrent 1.2.2 review by PC Magazine

Articles

• p2pnet uTorrent interview by Alex H (Google cache)
• uTorrent Sign Six Month PeerFactor Agreement by Michael Ingram