A few days ago I download a movie but the movie was in another language and I’m definitely not going to watch it because of that, I still completed the 1:1 ratio because at the end of the day I downloaded the file and used other people’s bandwidth, but what is one supposed to do in this situation?

I mean, with a 3gb movie it doesn’t matter, 3gb is nothing and I’m sure there are those who download stuff just to seed it even though they will never use it or watch it, but something that happens to me very often is that as a Linux user I download a game (let’s say FH6) and I download the Steamrip version but it doesn’t work and then I find out that the Empress version does work (don’t ask me why because it was Empress who made the crack) and now we are not talking about 3gb, we are talking about 200gb which is a considerable space for my PC, even if I have 1TB of SSD 200GB is enough and depending on the time it takes to get to the ratio 1: 1 can be worse.

Edit: Thanks for all those answers!

  • empireOfLove@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    Unless you are on a private tracker that have seed ratio requirements, there is zero obligation to hold onto a torrent until you have a 1:1 ratio. Its only a recommendation, and very much an “Honor Among Thieves” situation.
    Feel free to delete the wrong torrent and re-download the right one. If you feel bad about it, keep the right one until a 2:1 ratio so you maintain balance in the world. :)

    • finestnothing@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I personally have my torrents default to 2:1 ratio or 7 days of seeding, whichever comes first. I have unlimited Internet so I don’t worry about it, I’ll only remove them before that if they’re 50+gb (entire seasons, some movies, etc) just to keep my storage amounts down on my os ssd

  • Vaggumon@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I only use IPTorrents (private tracker) so when I download the wrong thing, I have to either leave it on my seeebox until I reach 2 weeks or a 2to1 Ratio. But I’ve been using IPT for so long I have over 200K points and something like 120TB of credit. So I can just delete it if I wanted to and then use the points or bandwidth to remove the strike. I have done so a few times, but not usually though.

      • cooopsspace@infosec.pub
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        1 year ago

        Change your downloader to freeleech only and continue downloading.

        Also helps if you pick up something like large freeleech ROM or movie packs.

        • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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          1 year ago

          Another option is to download brand new uploads even if it isn’t something you want to watch. Chances are you’ll get some upload credit from other people grabbing the new file. The only drawback here is if you’re using a home connection, you’ll probably get left behind by those using seedboxes to seed files.

        • matey@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          I’ve tried this a few times, but then I’m stuck with something that will take two months to download and gets me basically no upload credit.

    • SchizoDenji@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Isn’t IPT infamous for being really shitty in the scene? Or am I mistaking it for someone else.

  • BananaPeal@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    I go ahead and download the right one immediately. Then I make sure I’m seeding to a ratio of 1 or at least past the minimum seed time for the tracker. And as long as there are a few seeders, delete.

  • Yote.zip@pawb.social
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    1 year ago

    IMO it’s more complicated than it might initially appear. With my connection I could seed back a 1:1 ratio on something in hours - who does that really benefit? Did me being the 789th seed on a torrent for 3 hours really help it survive? Could that bandwidth have been better utilized on a less-seeded torrent? Could other seeders’ bandwidth (that you are replacing while seeding) have been utilized on a less-seeded torrent?

    Just seed back whatever you feel is convenient, especially if the content has lower seed numbers. On a public tracker, I usually keep things around for at least a few days because my bandwidth is free and I have extra storage space. If you’re on a private tracker the answer is generally “forever/as long as you are keeping the data”, which prevents me from thinking too hard about it.

    • Xirup@lemmy.dbzer0.comOP
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      1 year ago

      I know I ask a while after but I have your answer in mind for days and I have a somewhat subjective question: How many seeders can be considered few seeders? For example, right now I downloaded the latest Garuda Linux ISO and it has 30 seeders (the Gnome version) but with what you said I really don’t see the need to seed this because I’m going to seed something that already has many seeders and Garuda is constantly renewing its ISOs.

      • Yote.zip@pawb.social
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        1 year ago

        If it’s literally Garuda Linux then I wouldn’t worry at all. They always have direct downloads available so it’s not like the data that the torrent represents can be lost. At least one of those seeders is probably also a literal data center or etc, which will always be seeding with a high quality connection.

        For other types of data, I would consider 30 to be at the bare minimum of healthy. It’s still a relatively low number, and it’s subject to fall to lower numbers even within months. It’s more of a guesstimation since people stop seeding due to a number of unpredictable factors. If something is at like 10 or below I would consider that a dangerous level, where if you stop seeding the data could be lost at some point within the next year or so. Notably, if something isn’t being snatched often you won’t be giving up any bandwidth to keep it alive, only disk space. If you’re already keeping that data around for your own purposes, then keeping these torrents seeded is more or less “free.”