I’m pleased to announce the immediate release of Xtorrent 2.1. This new version of Xtorrent comes after months of extensive testing, and contains substantial performance and stability improvements.

This is a free upgrade for registered users.

Xtorrent 2.0 (v133) is now available for download. This release is an optimization release targeting some minor memory inefficiencies. Additionally, Xtorrent 2.0 is now compiled with LLVM.

Xtorrent 2.0 (v96) gains some new search display options today, to help users more easily understand search results.

“Cluster results by search site” presents your results in a tree view that structures results by the search sites that delivered the result.

“Highlight search keywords” visually emphasizes the search keywords you used for your search.

These new display modes are entirely optional and easily toggled on and off using keyboard shortcuts. In addition to these changes, Xtorrent 2.0 (v96) brings some search-related memory optimizations and a slightly de-cluttered tab view.

Download Xtorrent 2.0 at the website.

Xtorrent 2.0 has been under intensive development recently. There have been over 40 releases since the first 2.0 builds in August. I’ve tended to mention each update to the fans on the Xtorrent Facebook page rather than on this blog, but for the sake of keeping everyone informed, I thought I’d highlight some of the more important changes made in the last few days and months.

Xtorrent 2.0 v94 is the latest feature release, bringing Quick Look support to Xtorrent. Just like in the Finder, you can hit the spacebar on any selected file in a download and it will pop up a Quick Look preview of the content. If it’s an image, you’ll see the image. If it’s an audio file or movie, it’ll start playing right within Xtorrent. Naturally, this works best when the file is completely downloaded, but for many file types it can still present a reasonable preview even if the download is still in progress.

Xtorrent 2.0 v90 saw the introduction of support for magnet: links, an emerging standard that some websites are starting to use. These are convenient because with a single click you can have Xtorrent open immediately, ready to start downloading the torrent. The problem is that these links lack any torrent metadata (the description of the files and content of a torrent), so it’s necessary to find the torrent first before any data can start to flow. However, Xtorrent’s clever design means that in most cases the torrent can be located and started within seconds.

Xtorrent 2.0 v88 added a randomize port preference and saw an overhaul of the port-mapping system, meaning the last remnants of open source code in Xtorrent (the miniupnp port mapping library) could be swept away.

Xtorrent 2.0 v85 saw the addition of a DHT (distributed hash table) system for finding peers based purely on the torrent’s unique identifier, without needing to talk to a tracker. This supplemental system for finding peers means more peers for everything – normal torrents, trackerless torrents, and torrents whose tracker is unresponsive.

Xtorrent 2.0 v77 was the first 64-bit release of Xtorrent and brought big performance benefits, especially for users on Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Since then, additional optimizations for 64-bit have been added.

All along the way there has been a constant attention to performance (CPU usage, memory usage, and network speed), with the goal of having an app that runs incrementally faster every release.

Xtorrent can be downloaded from the Xtorrent website. Be certain to purchase Xtorrent Pro to get the most results and fastest downloads.

I’ll keep this short. Xtorrent 2 is now available as a public preview from the Xtorrent 2 preview website. This has been extensively tested over the last two weeks by private testers (many thanks!) and is in good shape for wider testing.

That said, I’m sure there are bugs. There’s at least one important feature yet to come in the coming days. Constructive feedback is appreciated at feedback@xtorrentp2p.com.

The last year has been crazy busy – Inquisitor got bought by Yahoo! and became the focus of my attention in the following months. It was eventually ported to two new browser platforms (IE and Firefox), and was also re-conceptualized as an iPhone app (all of which I’m proud of). For those months my time was under contract to Inquisitor, with side projects like Ski Lodge, NewsFire 1.6, and Safari140 squeezed into the weekends.

The consequence was that my core projects received less attention than they deserved. The good news is that time pressures have changed. Xtorrent is now my priority and after many months of teardown and reconstruction, the next major release of Xtorrent is imminent.

Let’s dive right in… Xtorrent 2 features a brand new torrent engine named Xcore. This engine has been designed exclusively for Mac OS X and written in 100% Cocoa. The result is a lightweight, powerful, and very stable download engine that supports torrent extensions such as encrypted message streams. I made the choice to use the very latest in Cocoa technologies, hence Mac OS X Leopard is now a requirement.

Xtorrent 2 opens up the search feature. In Xtorrent 1.x, search was a closed box over which the user had no control. Xtorrent 2 changes this by letting the user opt in or out of specific search providers, and even extend it by adding their own.

In the user experience department, Xtorrent 2 is more refined than its predecessors. One improvement is a super simple downloads queue along with inline controls that make it easier to pause and resume downloads. Other changes include better search suggestions, refined graphics, Twitter support for sharing torrents, and significantly improved performance in key areas.

Xtorrent 2 will be released initially as a private preview in the coming days. As soon as any rough edges are smoothed out it’ll be released more widely.

Feel free to check out the redesigned website for more details and screenshots. Also, follow us on Twitter or Facebook for news updates.

Thanks!

As I mentioned previously, there are some obscure issues with Leopard that have become apparent. In my continuing effort to ensure the best user experience for all Mac users, I’m releasing Xtorrent 1.1 (v53) today to address these issues. This release also has some non-Leopard improvements, so it is recommended for all Xtorrent users.

Save $20 – Mac OS X Leopard, just $109 – amazon.com

I’m pleased to announce today that after weeks of testing, Xtorrent 1.1 is now available for download. This is a fantastic release that brings many significant features, including:
  • individual file selection, so you can pick only the files you need
  • file priorities
  • a refashioned downloads pane

For the speed-obsessed, Xtorrent 1.1 brings:
  • significantly faster searching
  • faster downloads

All in all, this is the most feature-packed, stable, fastest, and easy to use release of Xtorrent ever. I hope you enjoy it. I know I certainly enjoyed designing it. Thanks!

Attention bloggers: If you write a story about this Xtorrent 1.1 release, you will be invited to join the NewsFire 2 private beta later this year. This will be your chance to try out NewsFire 2 ahead of everyone else.

Xtorrent 1.1 (v48) is now available for download. This is a minor release that addresses some issues found in 1.1 beta 2.