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Comment by killerpopiller | Hacker News Reader

what is with the wining that bittorrent isn't open source? most of the software you use isn't FOSS.

they came up with great tech.

Why is Sync such a let down? It works very well for me. Not knowing what a software might be doing is problematic but isn't it the standard?

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> most of the software you use isn't FOSS.

> Not knowing what a software might be doing is problematic but isn't it the standard?

This sounds so bizarre after using Linux for so long. Most of the software I use is indeed FOSS.

As far as BitTorrent Sync alternatives go check out Syncthing[https://syncthing.net/].

Does Syncthing work well?

I've been using it for about 6 months and I've been very satisfied.

It has some serious limitations compared to Bittorrent Sync. E.g. BTSync can relies on a tracker to find peers and uses relay servers in case port forwarding cannot be set up. Syncthing does not have anything like that yet, meaning that it cannot traverse many firewalls that you don't have under control. E.g. at work, all incoming connections are blocked unless they are initiated from within. So, Syncthing wouldn't work. It's pretty much the same with many hotels, etc. So, if you are on the go, it may not be any good.

Another problem that I have with Syncthing is usability. With BTSync I can be pretty sure that if I send a sharing link to family, that they will be able to install the software and use the link. Syncthing would be too difficult to set up for most family members or friends.

So, if you are looking for syncing some machines on a network under your own control, Syncthing is great. If you are looking for a Dropbox replacement that works everywhere with good sharing capabilities, BTSync is clearly the winner of the two.

As a matter of fact, how can we even know it does peer discovery in a distributed manner when we can't review the code?

Proprietary software is adequate for a lot of things, but when the main competitive advantages of your software is privacy and security, not being able to review the implementation makes it a non-starter for anyone who cares enough about privacy and security to want to use it over the competition.

I don't use mostly closed source software. I am more a Linus than a RMS but I use very few closed source programs.

1) Lightworks video editor on Linux and a open source project will happen soon with it.

2) I play closed source games

3) Outlook at work :(

4) Bittorrent Sync

5) Yeah that's all I got seriously

I guess mobile apps and websites aren't often open source, but just about everything else I use is too.

Only because it's standard are you not supposed to complain with something problematic?

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