Happy 20th Birthday, BitTorrent!

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It was 20 years ago today that BitTorrent helped the pirates play! Yes, folks, it was July 2, 2001 when the BitTorrent protocol was officially released to the world.

For the past two decades, this genius protocol has allowed people all over the world to more easily download pirated content, such as software (warez), music, and movies. It was a real game-changer. Heck, it is how many people recently downloaded the leaked version of Windows 11. In other words, yes, BitTorrent is still relevant in 2021.

Before you get mad at me, let me state quite clearly that no, the BitTorrent peer-to-peer communication protocol is not only used for piracy. Actually, it can be used for legal purposes too, such as distributing Linux-based operating systems.

For instance, rather than have everyone hammer a server for an ISO, BitTorrent can allow users to essentially distribute the operating system to each other. You can download a torrent of Ubuntu, for example, right here.

To mark and celebrate this monumental occasion, we are sharing some older news stories about BitTorrent, which are linked below. Reading these news stories from the past can be a fun trip down memory lane.

What is your fondest BitTorrent memory? Do you remember the first torrent you ever downloaded? What is your favorite BitTorrent client nowadays? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Photo credit: yurakrasilShutterstock

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