Azureus for Mac Editor's Review

'Azureus' is a BitTorrent client that is written in Java.

Because of its development framework, the application is highly portable. It's used by Windows and Linux users the same way as Mac OS X users use it.

The application has a very large 'Preferences' panel. This program has the biggest number of features from all the BitTorrent clients that I've tested.

It has so many features that I doubt that users need all of them. The good thing is that they exist. Therefore, if you want to practice your networking skills, then this client is a good program for it.

It has advanced configuration support for bandwidth management, support for editing the tracker list, and advanced statistics of the download progress. It even has a real-time map of the peers from a swarm. If you are a beginner, this will help you understand the BitTorrent technology.

The client uses a single listening port for all torrents. Thus, if you are using a router, the port forward will be done very easily. If you have the UPnP (Universal Plug-and-Play) enabled and your router has the support for it, then the port can be automatically mapped.

The plugin support of this client is generous. You can install them directly from the program. The application downloads the torrent file and it automatically downloads and installs the plugin. Since it uses the BitTorrent technology, when you install a plugin you become part of the distribution network for the plugin. This method is also used by the client updates, so you don't need to check the producer's Website every time. Every installation of new plugins or updates requires you to restart the client.

The online documentation (FAQ) of this application is very good. If you need more than that, then Azureus has a built-in IRC client that you can use for tech support.

Azureus has the support for DHT. It's not compatible with all the other BitTorrent client implementations of DHT, but it's good enough for a proper use.

The program has a built-in tracker server. Therefore, if you want to host your own torrents this application makes it possible. Since you can host them, you can also create them. The program has a good tool that can be used for torrent creation.

Since the third version, this application is code-named Zudeo. This isn't just a simple code name. The third version of this client has the BitTorrent client features that were implemented in 2.5. However, Zudeo is more than that. It's a complete distribution platform. I think the producers defined best what Zudeo is, so I'll give you a quote from the official FAQ: "Zudeo is an application powered by Azureus 3.0 that enables users to publish and share creations in high-quality (DVD or HD-quality videos, high-fidelity audio), with unprecedented ease of use. The process takes minutes, and the videos can reach substantially more viewers worldwide, almost instantly".

Pluses: It's a great BitTorrent client. It has a large 'Preferences' panel. It's plug-in capable and it uses the BitTorrent protocol for plugins and updates distribution.

Drawbacks / flaws: It runs in a Java Virtual Machine, so the use of resources can be a real issue. If your Mac has only 512RAM or less, it can be a total pain in the butt.

In conclusion: This new version of Azureus is an upgraded version of the previous. However, it's really a major update at the same time, because of Zudeo. This doesn't just look amazing into Azureus, but Zudeo really is amazing in itself.

version reviewed: 3.0.0.7 B11

Note: Zudeo has been renamed to Vuze.