Administrator DKT27 Posted August 15, 2012 Administrator Share Posted August 15, 2012 BitTorrent Inc, the parent company of uTorrent, is backpedaling on its decision to force advertisements on users of the popular file-sharing client. While the upcoming uTorrent release will still include “sponsored torrents”, users will have the option to turn these off if they don’t wish to see them. In a statement the company stresses that they will continue to experiment with new revenue models to support the development and innovation of file-sharing software. Last weekend we broke the news that uTorrent will soon become ad-supported. The ads will come in the form of sponsored torrents through which advertisers can reach uTorrent’s user base of 125 million active users worldwide. Along with the announcement BitTorrent Inc. asked users to voice their opinions on the decision, and in the days that followed dozens did just that. While these commenters represent a minuscule fraction of the total number of uTorrent users, their feedback was both negative and fairly unanimous. “An absolute disgrace. uTorrent used to be an excellent lightweight client with some great features, now its just a bloated and buggy piece of crap which is now going to be bundled with adware,” one user said. “You were great until a short time ago. Now you are just turning into a bloated mess like all the others. Whoever the genius was to think including ads in your pretty GUI would be a good idea should be gently hung with barbed wire,” another added. Although these sentiments might not necessarily represent those of the majority, it did motivate BitTorrent Inc. to rethink its decision to force ads onto users. Today, the company announced that they will give users the ability to opt-out of the sponsored torrents when the initial version is released. “We’ve long contemplated an opt-out mechanism for the new offers and advertisements we will be experimenting with. Given all that’s been said here, we’ve decided to release the initial version with an opt-out mechanism. Users should have the choice to opt-out, and we will provide them with ways to do so,” said BitTorrent CEO Eric Klinker. According to Klinker it was never their intention to merely cash in on ads. The extra revenue will be used to improve current and future file-sharing technology. “Opt-in offer experiences also help us bring new levels of investment; not just to the uTorrent client, but also to future iterations of peer-to-peer technology. In other words: experiments like this can help prove to the world that there is a legitimate third way in digital distribution.” “Experiments like this help us give the distributed technology that we all believe in a fighting chance,” Klinker adds. BitTorrent Inc has grown explosively in recent years, both in terms of revenue and employees. Current annual revenue is estimated at somewhere between $15 and $20 million and the company is backed by millions in venture capital. By adding sponsored torrents the company will be able to expand even further in the years to come. This is not the first time that a group of uTorrent users has lashed out against BitTorrent Inc for changes the company made to their flagship software. As is the case for all software, there will always be people who reject change. However, this hasn’t stopped new users from adopting the company’s products. With its uTorrent and BitTorrent clients the San Francisco company currently has a dominating market share of over 75%, which translates into more than 150 million active users a month. uTorrent has experienced the most spectacular growth by multiplying its active monthly users fivefold to 125 million in less than 4 years. :view: View: Original Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyko666 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 As expected... <_<Us pirates don't let anyone mess with our turf!I'll click on the ads, but no one should be forced torrents onto them.For people new to the scene, they are more prone to downloading those torrents, and getting everything messed up...It happened with me and usenet... :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyn Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I say check out other alternatives anyways qbittorrent (open source, which is nice), tixati, anything that doesn't contain ads optional or not, because you know they'll be turned by default, like the nice optional toolbars. Take action and send a message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SacredCultivator Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 LOl at the least they've listened to their fanbase, so that's good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micky Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 What about the old age method!................send stuff by post!..... :lol: :D :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanana1 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Thinking of ditching uTorrent when the ads are in. :wtf: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator DKT27 Posted August 16, 2012 Author Administrator Share Posted August 16, 2012 Thinking of ditching uTorrent when the ads are in. :wtf: Start - today. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Win7nerd Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 LOl at the least they've listened to their fanbase, so that's good. unlike Microsoft :P (off topic i know, sorry :P) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiyl Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Eh, that didn't come totally unexpected, did it? I mean, it was quite obvious people just weren't going to let this happen without creating a big fuss about it. In any case, I am not planning on updating my µTorrent client anytime soon either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizin Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Phew! i guess utorrent will be a lot better than it is without those annoying ads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olexijl Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 http://www.oldversion.com/download-uTorrent-2.2.1.25110.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanana1 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Thanks, guys, tried qBittorrent (portable version) and looks very good ! No ads. :lol: When uTorrent makes their move, I'll make mine. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesiPirate Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Ok then me also revert my decision of ditching mutorrent. :evil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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