Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> - I have ADSL. That stands for ASYMMETRIC Digital Subscriber Line. In 
> laymen's terms, by download rate is about 5x faster than my upload rate. 
> I can download at the speedy rate of around 310 KB/sec, but I can only 
> *upload* at a maximum of about 46 KB/sec.
> 
> - This means that it is physically impossible for me to upload 
> particularly fast. That should hypothetically result in low download 
> speeds.

The download speed isn't tied to the upload speed like that.  They are 
independent.

Besides, the system works well for asymmetric connections like yours. 
If a typical ratio of upload to download speed is 10x, then with 10 
seeds you can top out your download speed, despite each seeder's upload 
speed being low.

> - But wait! This torrent has 450 seeders and 3 downloaders. And I 
> sometimes see 200 KB/sec from a single seeder, so... why THE HELL is any 
> peer going to download from me at a piffling 40 KB/sec when there are 
> peers out there at least 5x faster?

The file is broken up into blocks, you know, rather than transferred 
sequentially.

So, the client will download one block from you, while downloading other 
blocks from other seeds.  You'll still be helping.

...Chambers

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