Why does Transmission get good reviews when it appears to be crap?

[gallet]

I have checked the Transmission forum and it appears that the problem I have with it is a very common problem. That is, when it is downloading at maybe 10kb/sec it still somehow manages to suck up all my bandwidth so that nothing else works.

I thought it was just a problem to do with me until today.

Yet Transmission still seems to get good reviews? Why is this.

I've done all the usual port checking and ISP block checking and all is fine. Sometimes it downloads at a brisk clip but whatever it is doing it manages to stuff every other app up.

Is there another p2p that would solve this problem?

i'm with tpg who don't appear to be tampering with anything, imac g5 2.1GHz 2.5GBram etc...

[Geoff3DMN]

I don't have your problem with Transmission but If I'm using a windows box instead of an OS X box I use uTorrent which is very small and doesn't use much in the way of system resources.

There is an OS X version now which you might give a try.

Download - Torrent - a (very) tiny BitTorrent client (http://www.utorrent.com/downloads/mac)

[Goodbye]

Yet Transmission still seems to get good reviews? Why is this..

Maybe because the people writing the reviews don't have the same problem? I have been using Transmission for years now and have never experienced what you are. Therefore if I was to write a review about it, that review would be a good one :)

[gallet]

There is that. Which build are you using?

@Geoff, I'll give that a go. Do you know if I could direct utorrent to the partially downloaded files that Transmission has half finished?

[Goodbye]

I'm using 1.76 (9392)

[entropy]

Of course it could be that the builders couldn't care enough about the PPC version to optimize it.

I have the same problem and figured that might be the reason. My gertie G5 is pushing towrds five years old in April.

[Geoff3DMN]

At the point of making this post I am using Transmission build 1.76 (9392) and I have a download going in Transmission limited to 100.0 K (on a 1.5Mbit ADSL1 link) and I'm browsing the web fine with the remaining bandwidth.

If I can do it on a slow ADSL 1.5 link it should be easier on faster connections.

[gikku]

I switched to uTorrent Mac, faster d/l, upload limit seems the same (my connection limit).

[gikku]

Do you know if I could direct utorrent to the partially downloaded files that Transmission has half finished?

this works.;)
drop the torrent file in uTorrent and it will inspect the download.
ensure the download location is set to be the same.

[stevekicks]

funny i just saw this...

my mate was running utorrent on his macbook at work today and complaining about speeds. i chucked on transmission and kicked off a torrent. was peaking at 1.8MB/s

its not transmission

[gallet]

@gikku, I'll give that a go.

Just to clarify, it's not so much the download speeds it's that Transmission sucks all the bandwidth, however I can see that it prolly is the the no optimised PPC version, that sort of makes sense. I'll report back on how µtorrent goes, with regards to letting other apps access the interweb at the same time.

[torana355]

Get the U-Torrent beta for mac. It wipes the floor with Transmission (I used it for a while when i first got my mac) Faster Dl's and uploads and it uses less resources. Ive maxed out at 4.1mb/s (averages 3mb/s) with U-Torrent though a private tracker :D

[El Guardo]

I recall reading somewhere about TPG and torrent speeds being throttled - not to mention nasty letters thereafter as well...

[seagate]

I've been having the same problem with Transmission for the last few versions. Whilst I get good speeds out of it, my MBP and network become completely unresponsive.

No problems with uTorrent.

[Gerbils]

Download Transmission 1.34 (old version)... fixes the peer problems.

Old Version of Transmission for Mac Download (http://mac.oldapps.com/transmission.php)

I find uTorrent for Mac sucks.

[maghemi]

I think I'll be going back to the older versions. I have the same problem.

If I read the OP correctly it's something similar to this scenario.

Transmission is off, check the internet traffic - None.
Turn on Transmission, limit uploads to leave at percentage of upload bandwidth free for other internet applications (ie in my case 18kb/s max for transmission to leave 7kb/s for everything else) Transmission displays that it is indeed limiting itself to that.

However when checking the internet traffic, transmission is actually taking up all the bandwidth, as a result web browsing is like using dialup.

Turn off transmission and web browsing is fine.

This never used to happen in previous versions.

I'd go with utorrent, if it weren't for the fact that the mac version does not have scheduling. Because I've got very limited peak usage everything large must be scheduled. That is the only reason I personally stick with Transmission.

[seagate]

I find uTorrent for Mac sucks.


The interface yes, but it's lean and it works without bogging down the system or network.

[gallet]

@El Guardo you can check your tpg with this Glasnost: Test if your ISP is manipulating BitTorrent traffic (http://tinyurl.com/yaxk8vs)

I have just downloaded 1.34 and while it is still a little bit slow on my other app, I am finding that my mail client is connecting fine and I am not getting any more error messages in Safari telling me I'm not connected to the interweb.

So I would say that 1.34 is a solution.


Also regarding the previous advice about dropping the old torrent files onto µTorrentt, can I just clear this method up because when I tried it it seemed that µTorrent did not inspect the file and register the already downloaded content.

Is it possible to quit transmission, then open µTorrent and point it to the same download folder as Transmission downloaded files (not the torrent file) already exist in? Hope that made sense.

[~Coxy]

Is there even a uTorrent for PPC yet?

Anyway, I have never really had luck with Transmission either. I suggest trying Vuze.

[Geoff3DMN]

Is there even a uTorrent for PPC yet?

I thought it was a universal binary...

[supermariobothers]

I've been using the Utorrent Beta on a G4 for months now - unless they've changed it since I downloaded, it should still work fine.

[mitty]

My only problem with Transmission is that for some reason I have to click on "update tracker" a few times before a Torrent will start. Never had to do that in Utorrent on a PC.

[gallet]

It must be a UB because it works on my g5 imac.

Update, Transmission 1.34 is downloading at a normal speed, better than 1.76 and lo and behold, I thought it was closed because browsing, and mail is working perfectly. 1.34 has definitely solved all the problems I was having (with Transmission).

[torana355]

I thought it was a universal binary...

From the U-Torrent Website. Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6 Intel and PPC

[ementis]

I've also been having the same problems with 1.76. Just downgraded to 1.34 and everything appears to be back to normal.

Transmission seems to constantly battling bugs, but its my favorite client, so I might stick with 1.34 for now, and see if they can sort their shit out with the next few releases.

[Gerbils]

I think I'll be staying on 1.34 forever!

[Angsty]

Download Transmission 1.34 (old version)... fixes the peer problems.

Old Version of Transmission for Mac Download (http://mac.oldapps.com/transmission.php)

I find uTorrent for Mac sucks.

OMG!! Thank you so much for the link to the "old mac apps" web site! Divx 6.7 here I come!

Ang

[El Guardo]

@El Guardo you can check your tpg with this Glasnost: Test if your ISP is manipulating BitTorrent traffic (http://tinyurl.com/yaxk8vs)

Nice resource. Thanks for the heads up gallet.