pristine2

I get that, and no one is blaming you. In my my experience, however, VIP is (or I should say, was) worse than useless. I tested it rather extensively, using a variety of connections and configurations. Aside from not functioning as advertised, it was riddled with interface flaws. That was 18 months ago, but I've read nothing to indicate that there's anything but marginal improvement in functionality, and some three years after launch it is still marked "beta". No solution is offered to those who complain of the same problems, only a refund. I have to question, even, whether the underlying premise is valid -- that even a purpose specific p2p node can really provide preferential delivery using the bittorrent engine. I suppose it is possible, if the target market is those people running 56k modems. Some substantiation would be nice. But if someone is running even standard 128 VSL in a developed country, can VIP possibly provide any perfromance enhancement in torrent share? I think the answer must clearly be NO. The absence of most network prerogatives (aside those built into the software) is what makes the torrent system possible in the first place. It's more readily possible with KAD. If the assertion is that it will help people still using dial-up in less developed countries, it isn't unreasonable to expect a little proof. My mind is still open. But come on. Three years? Anyway noone is losing their shirt and it's really just a matter of ethics. Does the marketing make clear that under many or most circumstances, VIP will not "accelerate" anything? No. And I'd have to re-iterate that things are changing quickly, and any debate over VIP will soon be moot. Those changes require an embrace of anonymity technology, and the i2p platforms, like iMule, are already miles ahead.

The correct word isn't "Scam", but "failure". No one's fault, of course -- not every endeavour succeeds -- but its been long past the time that "VIP acceleration" should have been put to rest, and a new revenue stream developed. That's something we should all want -- we want bitcomet to have revenues so it can support and develop the core product into the future. It's free after all, and by far the best clearnet torrent software. For at least two years, the overwhelming majority of people posting on this and other forums note that Bitcomet itself is an earth-shatteringly great product, but that VIP simply doesn't work. Occasionally someone chimes in with a success report, but it's always unsubstantiated. If you buy VIP and it doesn't work -- which appears to be pretty much always for almost everyone -- you can ask for and receive your $5 back. But one has to assume most of this money is simply written off by the consumer. I don't write code anymore, so I can't solve the problem. I can suggest a development course, though -- real iMule type anonymity over i2p. That's the future of filesharing, and I hope bitcomet is part of it. But one thing for sure, Bitcomet should stop marketing VIP acceleration.

I noted the control file because my testing could not have been valid without it. In all cases I used a variety of high volume shares as well, though of course not the same one each time. "If someone purchases vip not knowing it may have problems, they can easily get a refund, so no harm done, and as you can see we are getting a little tired of replying to public "rants" from demanding members, many of whom come here and ask about it, are warned it's not a stable release and they buy it anyway, then instead of simply getting a refund, they come here to complain." I really do get this. If you look back a few months, you'll see I've pointed all this out myself to other posters, encouraging them not to be hostile, and reminding them that Bit Comet is absolutely free. What changed my approach (although I have never been hostile) was the elapse of several months' time, during which nothing changed in the functionality of the software, but the sales and marketing of it continued apace. "Unstable" is not the same as "useless", and selling a useless service raises serious ethical concerns generally, not only for the shareware, p2p and open source communities. In the absence of any real information about VIP, the only correct stance that can ethically be relayed to users by ANYONE is this: "VIP Acceleration does not work. Do not purchase VIP acceleration." That should take care of anyone ranting about getting ripped off. And if you are sure BitComet is issuing no-hassle refunds, it is fine to say so. But disgruntled users will continue to arrive here looking for answers for as long as Bitcomet continues to sell a service that does not function. The fact that BitComet is offering refunds mitigates, but does not excuse, the fact that it is now knowingly selling a service it cannot provide. That's not the same as soliciting donations. Your colleague attracted my attention because, while acknowledging that the paid service was unreliable, he continued to post ambiguously about whether it works at all -- which it clearly does not -- kindling unwarranted expectations. He also continued to insist that there's no problem with selling the service, despite the utter lack of functionality or development. He also defended the marketing lit as if it makes the lack of functionality clear, which it does not. There's nothing in the least "entitled" or unfair in challenging that approach -- unless of course I am wrong in my assessment that VIP acceleration is entirely non-functional (almost certainly in ALL circumstances), and that development has been abandoned though marketing has not. If so, that should be pretty easy to clear up. Instead, his only reply has been a personal attack and a threat to purge my voice from the forum. That alone speaks volumes.

"As for substantiation, I don't owe you any. I don't have to show you anything, or prove anything to you." Actually, that *would have* been true, had you not been, for more than a year actively perpetuated the entirely false notion that this software actually functions. The point is that you've done this from a position of authority, not whether or not you've been paid. You've chosen to post under the title of "BitComet Tech Support," remember? With that accrues at least a measure of responsibility to provide information. You write: "VIP acceleration is what it is. Many people, apparently including you, jump into it without understanding it, and with unrealistic (not to say impossible) expectations of it." Those expectations obviously do not exceed the marketing literature on the VIP bitcomet page that you not only refuse to repudiate, but also defend, "I have had it work for me a couple of times, before I got my current connection." Then why not simply post a sticky explaining precisely the conditions under which it might work, and underscore to everyone that it will be "seldom"? All of us takes accountability for what we say. Given your influence on this board, all that is expected of you is to do the right thing. Under the circumstances, that means explicitly and unequivocally steering all users, new or old, away from VIP until there is some verifiable functionality to the software. There isn't any functionality. VIP does not work. As far as I can tell, that means never, for anyone at any time. Marketing it, even as "beta", is simply dishonest. That would be true whether the cost if five US cents or $5. Incidentally, after I purchased VIP and had my first dialogue on this board some months ago, I tested the VIP under these conditions: * From Hong Kong, using a legacy 128kkps DSL connection. * From Hong Kong, using dial-up service with a 56k modem * From Hong Kong, using wireless with nominal 5mbps service. * From Paris, using a crowded cable service with nominal 6mbps service. * From Paris, using the T3 service astride my company's servers. While I tried a variety of files with a variety of available sources, in all cases I tried to download the same Linux file from my home computer, for which there is a single seed and peer. In each instance, VIP functionality was absolutely zero. I suppose it is possible that you actually saw it work "a couple of times", but given your unwillingness to provide details, and your defensiveness when challenged, it's pretty clear how much that anecdotal assertion is worth.

"his has never been presented as anything but a trial and a beta, with people warned that they should consider any purchase as a contribution to its development. That's entirely untrue, as a read of the marketing page for VIP will make quite clear: http://vip.bitcomet.com/ While the word "beta" appears near the logo, nowhere is it said that VIP is any sort of "trial", that purchasing the product is a donation, or that in the overwhelming majority of circumstances (if not ALL circumstances), the software simply does not work. There are in fact no disclaimers of any kind, and it is only when users realise that the software is dysfunctional that they find this forum and learn the realities. As it stands, Bitcomet continues to solicit money for services it cannot provide. That's wrong and your attempts to rationalise it fail. Should the marketing materials be re-worded in the way you claim they are now, I'd have no problem with it. Moreover, if the current situation had transpired for a few weeks or months, that too would be acceptable. But there have been no visible changes or improvements to VIP acceleration for at least a year, so it is also reasonable to doubt that the software is being developed at all, or that the "donations" are in any way funding that development. "Beta" means the software is at least partially functional and is under development. I challenge you to show that either is true. For the record: other than your testimony and that of the original poster in this thread -- who claims to have been satisfied after waiting 18 hours before achieving a download speed of 100+kps, which is more than likely to happen occasionally on even the most lethargic DSL connection -- there's NO evidence at all that VIP acceleration works for ANYONE, and plenty of evidence to the contrary. I've tested it with various connections and under a variety of conditions, and observed 100% failure. Everyone posting to this forum basically confirms that observation. How much longer are you going to contend that VIP works at all? Can you provide any substantiation?

I wonder how happy the original poster is now. The reality is that VIP acceleration works, only rarely and only marginally, for a tiny minority of people. For virtually everyone, it is entirely without function. When it does work, which is rare, it won't enhance the download speed beyond the maximum transfer speed of your internet connection. Also, you will consume the bandwidth allocation you bought whether or not you successfully download anything at an accelerated speed. In other words, if you attempt 10 downloads, and one is actually accelerated (a generous assessment), your purchased "bandwidth" total will deplete at the same rate as if all 10 had been accelerated. That's because the button installed to return the bandwidth deducted for failed VIP downloads does not work. In truth, zero progress has been made toward improving VIP acceleration since it caught my attention about 18 months ago. Unethical as it is to market and sell something proven not to work -- or apologise for the practice -- remember that Bitcomet is free. Consider the $5 you wasted on VIP acceleration a shareware tax. You can get a refund easily enough, but most people won't bother. Still, asserting that there is ANY value whatsoever to VIP acceleration is dishonest. The few who claim to have any results aren't credible. Nor is it fair for the board volunteers --- much as we appreciate their efforts -- to complain when people are upset to discover they have flushed their money down the toilet. You know the truth and it is your obligation to speak it. Too often, our esteemed moderators have posted that "it works for some people". "Some people" win the lottery. For the overwhelming majority, VIP is useless, and the only honest course of action --- no matter how much you appreciate Bitcomet - is to acknowledge this.

It's clear enough. In my case, the "bandwidth" (VIP data transfer allowance) has depleted steadily, even though the VIP acceleration has not worked even once. The "Disable" button, which can only be used 24 hours after a VIP download is "enabled", is obviously miscoded and only works sporadically. Everyone understands that this is a volunteer project and VIP is Beta. Nonetheless, Bitcomet is marketing the service, soliciting new users and taking money even though it knows the service does not really work. It's hard to believe you don't see the ethical problem with this. I urge BitComet to stop selling new subscriptions to VIP Download until such time as it is rendered functional.

Alas, it has yet to work even once for me ... although I have noticed that my "remaining VIP bandwidth" number drops every time I try it. I'm in a pretty high bandwidth environment. On a good day I get maximum download speeds of 800kbs anyway for high-traffic torrents. VIP probably wasn't a necessary purchase in the first place. I just wanted to see if I could boost download performance for the less common torrents that sometimes trickle in at 10 - 25 kbs. BTW: The "disable acceleration" function doesn't seem properly coded, either. Once you close the VIP dialog box and re-open it, it disappears, and you have to "enable acceleration" all over again. I realise Bitcomet needs some sort of revenue stream. Nice try with this, but if this is the state of affairs after all these months since launch, I think it needs to stop selling VIP acceleration.

I quite agree that the $5 is no big deal considering the amazing service we get from Bitcomet generally for free. I won't be asking for a refund. But it is a little unfair to expect the average user to have found this forum before purchasing the service. I think Bitcomet should stop marketing it until the service works a little more reliably. So far, not a single download I have tried passes the "preparing download channel ..." stage. All I download are free-to-air TV shows with thousands of seeds & peers.

Ok, it was only $5 and I am happy to support Bitcomet. But the VIP acceleration service does not work, at least not for me. I click on VIP, I click on "enable VIP acceleration," and then I get this message that never goes away: "VIP acceleration is enabled. Preparing your download channel ... " There is no detectable difference in download performance, either.

Hi and thanks for your thorough reply. I really have no clue why 1.09 was installed. But I've now installed 1.19 and placed vlan.exe as my preview programme -- thanks for the clear instruction. It isn't so much the download speed in Bitcomet -- although it is slow -- but the terible effect it on browsing when Bitcomet is running. Google Chrome and IE8 both slow to the point of non-functionality. Once I quit bitcomet, browsing speed is zippy fast, and pages like bbc.co.uk load in a snap as always. I have a great DSL connection at 1gbps. Not entirely sure what you mean by grey light status --- but there is a green dot in the bottom right hand corner assuring me that I can "get the best download speed." The speed actually sucks, with heavily seeded files coming in at about 30kps. Two weeks ago before all this happened I was dowonloading most everything at 150kps or better. Max was about 600kps. Any other suggestions? Thanks again for solving problem 1.

Hi: Somehow my Bitcomet spontaneously upgraded to v1.09. I don't remember asking for it. The new installation wiped out my settings, and there are now two new problems that may prove a dealbreaker for me and Bitcomet. Hopefully there are easy fixes ... * In my previous version of Bitcomet, I had it set up to use VideoLan for previews. Either I can't remember how I set this up before, or they've changed it somehow, but now previews only appear using Mediaplayer Classic. I can't see how to change this. * It's much slower, and makes web browsing almost impossible while I'm using BitComet. I tried the TCIP/IP limit thing ... first at 100, then at 80, then at 500. Aggravating because you have to restart each time. No change in performance. Any suggestions warmly welcomed.