What are tethering and "torrent"ing(?) ?

...tethering and "torrent"ing(?) ? in simple language, please.

T I A

tethering is linking your devices together (synching - I'm not sure what the technical differences are)

Torrenting is something to do with downloading? streaming? multimedia files like movies. Again, not sure of precise details.

It would help to have context in which you are asking these questions.

Tethering is using an alternate device for your internet connection. The most typical use is using your cell phone to give your tablet or laptop or desktop a connection to the internet. Your cell phone is connected to the internet through the cellular network. It also has a wifi transceiver. The cell phone acts as a gateway between cellular and wifi. Your computer sees the phone as a wifi network and doesn't know it's on cellular. Speed is typically slower than a hardwired internet connection, and cost per byte transferred is higher, but it is sometimes useful. I use it on the subway occasionally, reading with my tablet which is tethered to my phone.

Bit torrent is a protocol for transferring and sharing files. Normally, your computer connects to a single site which has the file you want, and you transfer the entire file to your computer, starting at the first byte and ending at the last. Bit torrent finds copies of the file you want on various computers near you. It downloads some segments of the file from your neighbor Joe and other segments from your neighbor Mary. The transfers occur simultaneously, and the software reassembles the segments of the file back into the proper order. I believe it is used more commonly for illicit downloads than for legitimate purposes. That may change one day. Often it is used to obtain movies and music without paying the proper royalties. There are legitimate uses, but generally, standard downloads work well enough.

Yay for Tom and his very clear explanations!!

Thanks Tom,

Context re: torrenting I recently got an old GPS, In reearching its features and how-tos I came across a ref to downloading newer versions of the maps for free using torrenting. I didn't know what it is, until now, but there are how-to refs and you tube vids.

Context re: tethering- When I got my current digital cam I hooked it up to tv, via cable. My immed thought was to do this w/ a tablet or laptop. This is something I very much want to do. Several years ago I referred to it as 'live streaming' from my digital cam to a laptop. I first came across the term tethering at a photography workshop about 6-8 months ago. The instructor tossed out a quick ref to tethering his cam to a computer. BTW can't do it w/ present hardware.

re: tethering - this use of "tethering" can easily be replaced by the word "connecting". Modern usage, as Tom said, limits it to use another device, typically a phone, to connect your computer to the internet in the absence of a wifi or wired network connection.

Apollo_T said:

Thanks Tom,
...
Context re: tethering- When I got my current digital cam I hooked it up to tv, via cable. My immed thought was to do this w/ a tablet or laptop. This is something I very much want to do. Several years ago I referred to it as 'live streaming' from my digital cam to a laptop. I first came across the term tethering at a photography workshop about 6-8 months ago. The instructor tossed out a quick ref to tethering his cam to a computer. BTW can't do it w/ present hardware.