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| uTorrent is available for Linux as a .tar.gz download |
Transmission everywhere
Most Linux users will find Transmission preinstalled in their Gnome, Xfce, or LXDE distribution. Transmission is a lightweight torrent application. It's not fancy but has all the essentials for hardcore file-sharing. For many years, Transmission was the torrent client of choice for most Linux users (particularly Ubuntu fans) and remains popular.
User observations:
1. Fast and lightweight
2. Triggers torrent and magnet links
3. Small and unobtrusive interface (doesn't require a maximized window to use unlike Deluge and KTorrent)
4. When the application is closed, Transmission exits completely. Transmission doesn't "hide" or revert to the system tray. This can be annoying for users who prefer to have their torrents running all the time - one mistaken click of the close button and Transmission closes.
KTorrent - underappreciated
For years, I uninstalled KTorrent along with many superfluous KDE apps that came with openSUSE. KTorrent comes off as a cluttered application especially on a small netbook screen. The utility looked even busier than older applications in Windows such as Bitcomet. It also felt slower compared to Deluge (which I used for years). Recently, however, I gave it a shot and realized it was no slower than Deluge and worked just fine. Despite the power of KTorrent and the number of setting a user can fiddle around with, KTorrent will run on default settings. It works great on my openSUSE 12.1 machine to this day.
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| KTorrent System Tray menu |
User observations:
1. Like most KDE applications, KTorrent has tons of settings to fiddle around with even when it's minimized to the System Tray. Queues, Proxies, Ports, and MTUs can all be configured separately.
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| Numerous plugins |
2. The Group View can be somewhat confusing. Downloads, uploads, "passive torrents" and "active torrents" are all sorted out in a file tree. There is an option to close the view though.
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| Group View |
3. KTorrent certainly has more features than Transmission and Deluge. A power user can import Torrents from other applications, run pre-written scripts, automate shutdown, access torrent Plug-ins, configure speed limits for each torrent running, and search torrent sites from within the interface.
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| Searching for torrents in KTorrent |
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| Speed limit per torrent |
Deluge of files
Deluge isn't as popular as Transmission and isn't found in most distributions. However, it's one of my favorite Linux applications and I've used it for years on Ubuntu and openSUSE. Unlike some KDE apps, Deluge works perfectly with Gnome 2 and installs very few KDE libraries. Deluge is a bit more advanced than Transmission but isn't as comprehensive as KTorrent.
I've used Deluge to download most of the Linux LiveCD ISOs I've used in the last 5 years.
Torrent in Linux
Torrent fans aren't deprived in an Linux environment. In fact, torrent downloaders are somewhat safer in a Linux environment due to Linux's impervious state against Windows malware. Moreover, power users can erect safeguards that protect from attackers.
I recommend Deluge for users of non-KDE and KDE Linux distributions that require more user involvement. KTorrent is for power users running KDE. Transmission, which comes with just about any distribution out there, is great for the casual torrent downloader.
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