Post by Kathy on Jul 9, 2005 11:05:38 GMT -5
I've consolidated several different posts into one to make things a little easier -- thanks very very much to GtrPlyr and Cottonwood for pulling this info together and everyone who posted helpful hints!
The Basics
1. Weeds
Weeds are a way of distributing shows via the old-fashioned method of mailing out CDs.
Person A posts a message saying " I have 3 copies of Show X, pm me if you're interested". Person A then picks 3 people and send each of them a copy. Those people get their copies and then post messages offering up 3 copies and so on until everyone who wants one has one.
Most important thing to remember is if you promise to re-weed asap….RE-WEED ASAP. The second most important thing to remember is not to burn and share shows as TAO (Track At Once aka tiny gaps btw songs). Doing so will cause other weeders and traders great consternation. Always burn shows as DAO (Disc At Once).
As more and more copies of a show are offered up, people will generally offer a copy/ies to people without the ability to re-weed ("the burnerless").
2. BitTorrent
BitTorrent is a way of distributing shows online. The 10,000 feet view on this is that you download shows from a network of other computers, from users of the same site aka P2P file sharing (we mostly use dimeadozen.org). You need to download free software to do this and you also really need broadband, unless you have 18 hours to d/l a show. After you complete your download, etiquitte is to remain logged in and continue to share the show. That's the only way this thing works, people need to keep sharing.
Once you download a show, you need to decode it. To learn more about the how to's and where fore's on the technical workings of BitTorrent, here are some links:
Brian's BitTorrent FAQ and Guide
btfaq.com/serve/cache/1.html
EZTorrent
www.dimeadozen.org
Feel free to post questions in this section if you're still not clear on how something works.
For a vareity of reasons, some people on here do not get shows via torrents. If you do and you find that you have sownloaded a show that hasn't been weeded out via the conventional manner here, you could do a good deed by offering up the weed - help your fellow boarders who are stuck in dial-up land!
3. Trades
This one is pretty simple, if you're looking for someone to trade with or are seeking a specific show, just post a message. When someone says "PM me", it means send them a private message on the board, which you can do by clicking on their name and then "Send this member a private message."
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Cottonwood's Handy-Dandy Guide to Torrents
1) Read Brian's BitTorrent FAQ and Guide - btfaq.com/serve/cache/1.html
I found this page to be pretty useful for understanding torrent speak- btfaq.com/serve/cache/23.html
2) Create a Temp folder on your comp., you’ll need it to download and save the files. Create a subfolder in the Temp- for saving the actual torrent files.
3) Get winzip, if you don’t already have it, you’ll need it for opening .zip files- www.winzip.com/
4) Go to Dimeadozen.org-http://www.dimeadozen.org/ read the FAQ and sign up for an acct., the first time I tried this was on a Sunday afternoon, PST - I wasn’t allowed to join because too many people were using the site. I tried again Sunday night- w/ no problems.
5) Go to Brians BitTorrent Guide- btfaq.com/serve/cache/1.html
6) Go to the ‘Installing BitTorrent page- btfaq.com/serve/cache/6.html and download the appropriate BitTorrent client to your Temp folder. For me it was Windows- btfaq.com/serve/cache/8.html
8) Open and install BitTornado
9) Go to the FLAC Frontend page- members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm And download the FLAC Frontend 1.7 freeware. members.home.nl/w.speek/download/FLAC_frontend.zip to the Temp folder.
10) The FLAC codec [code/decode program, so your media program can play the files] is not included. You can download from the FLAC website- flac.sourceforge.net/
11) Choose Download - flac.sourceforge.net/download.html
and select your platform. Save to Temp folder, then install.
12) Torrent downloading time. Off to EZTorrent:
Home Page - www.dimeadozen.org
Search Page - www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-search.php
Westerberg Search - www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-browse.php?search=%22paul+westerberg%22&cat=0&incldead=1
13) Find a torrent you want to download. If you've already signed up and have everything installed, you should be all set to start downloading the torrent.
14) Save the download to your subfolder, which you created in your temp folder.
15) When the dl completes, torrent etiquette dictates that you leave the connection/BitTornado open, so that you continue to upload the files for others to share, you should maintain your upload for 12-24 hours at minimum. You want to keep your share ratio above 1.0.
16 Next- Open the FLAC Frontend program and chose ‘Add Files’, which should be in your Temp subfolder. They will be listed as ******.flac
17) Click the ‘Decode’ button and let the program do its thing.
18) Use the burning program of your choice to create your CDs. The decoded tracks are usually named to indicate disc# and trac# and a .txt file is also usually included with the tracks and recording info.
19 Listen & Enjoy!
Xtras:
I know it looks like there are a lot of steps to getting this thing down, it always takes longer the 1st time reading, dl’ing, installing etc. but I found the whole process fairly easy.
Broadband is a must. 3 easy hours from logon time ‘til listening bliss.
Beer made the process easier.
This post took me longer to write than actually doing the steps. (My typing/recollection skills.)
No endorsements of any of the programs/players etc., just to say everything worked for me.
So, grab your ear of corn. Be Brave. Concentrate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
GtrPlyr's Trading & Weeding Etiquiette Guide
- When copying a disc, use EAC to extract the songs to your hard drive. This software is free and can be d/l from here www.exactaudiocopy.de/
- Always burn discs in Disc-At-Once mode unless otherwise noted.
- Don't burn discs faster than 8x, and don't run other applications when burning discs.
- Don't share MP3 encoded bootlegs. If you want to have an MP3 source for your own use that's fine, but please don't share it with others.
- Use decent media when trading such as Taiyo Yuden, or Japanese made Fuji or Verbatim discs.
- When mailing discs use Bubble Mailers and CD Sleeves with one disc to a sleeve.
- Don't write anywhere on the disc surface including the hub. Instead leave a post-it note on the disc or envelope with the description of its contents. Alternately, you can also write on the CD Sleeve.
- Let the person you're trading with know when you send out the discs.
- If you're waiting for discs in the mail, let the person know when you receive the discs.
The Basics
1. Weeds
Weeds are a way of distributing shows via the old-fashioned method of mailing out CDs.
Person A posts a message saying " I have 3 copies of Show X, pm me if you're interested". Person A then picks 3 people and send each of them a copy. Those people get their copies and then post messages offering up 3 copies and so on until everyone who wants one has one.
Most important thing to remember is if you promise to re-weed asap….RE-WEED ASAP. The second most important thing to remember is not to burn and share shows as TAO (Track At Once aka tiny gaps btw songs). Doing so will cause other weeders and traders great consternation. Always burn shows as DAO (Disc At Once).
As more and more copies of a show are offered up, people will generally offer a copy/ies to people without the ability to re-weed ("the burnerless").
2. BitTorrent
BitTorrent is a way of distributing shows online. The 10,000 feet view on this is that you download shows from a network of other computers, from users of the same site aka P2P file sharing (we mostly use dimeadozen.org). You need to download free software to do this and you also really need broadband, unless you have 18 hours to d/l a show. After you complete your download, etiquitte is to remain logged in and continue to share the show. That's the only way this thing works, people need to keep sharing.
Once you download a show, you need to decode it. To learn more about the how to's and where fore's on the technical workings of BitTorrent, here are some links:
Brian's BitTorrent FAQ and Guide
btfaq.com/serve/cache/1.html
EZTorrent
www.dimeadozen.org
Feel free to post questions in this section if you're still not clear on how something works.
For a vareity of reasons, some people on here do not get shows via torrents. If you do and you find that you have sownloaded a show that hasn't been weeded out via the conventional manner here, you could do a good deed by offering up the weed - help your fellow boarders who are stuck in dial-up land!
3. Trades
This one is pretty simple, if you're looking for someone to trade with or are seeking a specific show, just post a message. When someone says "PM me", it means send them a private message on the board, which you can do by clicking on their name and then "Send this member a private message."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Cottonwood's Handy-Dandy Guide to Torrents
1) Read Brian's BitTorrent FAQ and Guide - btfaq.com/serve/cache/1.html
I found this page to be pretty useful for understanding torrent speak- btfaq.com/serve/cache/23.html
2) Create a Temp folder on your comp., you’ll need it to download and save the files. Create a subfolder in the Temp- for saving the actual torrent files.
3) Get winzip, if you don’t already have it, you’ll need it for opening .zip files- www.winzip.com/
4) Go to Dimeadozen.org-http://www.dimeadozen.org/ read the FAQ and sign up for an acct., the first time I tried this was on a Sunday afternoon, PST - I wasn’t allowed to join because too many people were using the site. I tried again Sunday night- w/ no problems.
5) Go to Brians BitTorrent Guide- btfaq.com/serve/cache/1.html
6) Go to the ‘Installing BitTorrent page- btfaq.com/serve/cache/6.html and download the appropriate BitTorrent client to your Temp folder. For me it was Windows- btfaq.com/serve/cache/8.html
8) Open and install BitTornado
9) Go to the FLAC Frontend page- members.home.nl/w.speek/flac.htm And download the FLAC Frontend 1.7 freeware. members.home.nl/w.speek/download/FLAC_frontend.zip to the Temp folder.
10) The FLAC codec [code/decode program, so your media program can play the files] is not included. You can download from the FLAC website- flac.sourceforge.net/
11) Choose Download - flac.sourceforge.net/download.html
and select your platform. Save to Temp folder, then install.
12) Torrent downloading time. Off to EZTorrent:
Home Page - www.dimeadozen.org
Search Page - www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-search.php
Westerberg Search - www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-browse.php?search=%22paul+westerberg%22&cat=0&incldead=1
13) Find a torrent you want to download. If you've already signed up and have everything installed, you should be all set to start downloading the torrent.
14) Save the download to your subfolder, which you created in your temp folder.
15) When the dl completes, torrent etiquette dictates that you leave the connection/BitTornado open, so that you continue to upload the files for others to share, you should maintain your upload for 12-24 hours at minimum. You want to keep your share ratio above 1.0.
16 Next- Open the FLAC Frontend program and chose ‘Add Files’, which should be in your Temp subfolder. They will be listed as ******.flac
17) Click the ‘Decode’ button and let the program do its thing.
18) Use the burning program of your choice to create your CDs. The decoded tracks are usually named to indicate disc# and trac# and a .txt file is also usually included with the tracks and recording info.
19 Listen & Enjoy!
Xtras:
I know it looks like there are a lot of steps to getting this thing down, it always takes longer the 1st time reading, dl’ing, installing etc. but I found the whole process fairly easy.
Broadband is a must. 3 easy hours from logon time ‘til listening bliss.
Beer made the process easier.
This post took me longer to write than actually doing the steps. (My typing/recollection skills.)
No endorsements of any of the programs/players etc., just to say everything worked for me.
So, grab your ear of corn. Be Brave. Concentrate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
GtrPlyr's Trading & Weeding Etiquiette Guide
- When copying a disc, use EAC to extract the songs to your hard drive. This software is free and can be d/l from here www.exactaudiocopy.de/
- Always burn discs in Disc-At-Once mode unless otherwise noted.
- Don't burn discs faster than 8x, and don't run other applications when burning discs.
- Don't share MP3 encoded bootlegs. If you want to have an MP3 source for your own use that's fine, but please don't share it with others.
- Use decent media when trading such as Taiyo Yuden, or Japanese made Fuji or Verbatim discs.
- When mailing discs use Bubble Mailers and CD Sleeves with one disc to a sleeve.
- Don't write anywhere on the disc surface including the hub. Instead leave a post-it note on the disc or envelope with the description of its contents. Alternately, you can also write on the CD Sleeve.
- Let the person you're trading with know when you send out the discs.
- If you're waiting for discs in the mail, let the person know when you receive the discs.