Some people, mostly those new to the Mac OS, aren’t aware of the wide array of P2P software that is available. OS X i would say is just as good if not even better then Windows in a file sharing sense. With the relatively small amount of virus and exploit issues that Mac experiences, it is a much more safe environment to dabble in file sharing with. In this article, i would like to discuss a couple P2P options available for OS X, and some of my favorite clients for each. Of course, we only condone legal downloading of data, how you use this software is up to you.
BitTorrent
Most likely the largest and most widespread form of file sharing on the internet at the moment, BitTorrent allows users to find Torrents on specially designed Torrent Search engines and download software from users sharing that Torrent. Very simple to use, and our personal favorite. Here are our favorite BitTorrent Apps for Mac.
µTorrent
µTorrent is a tiny easy to use powerhouse of a BitTorrent client. Seriously, it is so light weight and fast that you will probably never want to use anything else. Get it here.
Tomato Torrent
A Torrent client that is built on the original BitTorrent client, Tomato Torrent is very small, and allows customization of nearly all of the available Torrenting options. Get it here.
Transmission
Transmission is an open source client written entirely from scratch. Its popular among the community and has a great support base, with clients available not only for Mac, but for *nix as well. Get it here.
Our favorite Torrent Trackers: isoHunt and TorrentBox
Gnutella
Available originally from Nullsoft, Gnutella has been around since early 2000 and is technically the largest file sharing network on the internet, with an estimated market share of over 40% (figure from 2007).
Acquisition
A much more noob friendly App for file sharing on Macs. Once connected to the Gnutella network you will have access to literally billions of files. This client has been around for a while, is constantly updated and is a true Mac App, being elegant, simple and fast. Get it here.
FrostWire
A simple, free and open source Gnutella client for Mac. Integrates with the OS very well, and provides all the features a user would want when browsing the Gnutella network. Did we mention its beautiful too? Get it here.
If you have any suggestions for this list, let me know in the comments.
