I try to keep sharing the majority of my own Releases, because I don't want to check the Requested files link to see if someone is anonymously asking for a reshare of one of my files. I REALLY REALLY prefer it when people post a reshare request in the thread, even if it takes up thread space. I am guaranteed to see that request promptly, and if I have the file then I will get out my shoebox of harddrives, transfer and reshare it. I also have a massive text file directory of all the files I have across multiple hard drives, so I can quickly identify what drive a file is on without plugging in and searching each drive individually.
pillowbaker wrote: ↑Sun Aug 14, 2022 11:37 pm
The only way I've been able to prioritize bandwidth for releases is by finally sitting down and whittling down my shared folder.
Yep, that's how to do it. It is nice to help other people's Releases too, but sometimes you've got to pay attention to your own children. I keep my OWN Releases and OTHER files in separate folders, so I can uncheck the sharing on the OTHER folder temporarily to focus on my OWN. When the demand for them dwindles, I can check the OTHER again so that I am sharing at all times. Money is paid for that bandwidth and it had damn well better be used!
If I had a RAID I would keep everything easily available to share. Right now I am limited by the drive size on my computer. Generally other people's files get deleted after a month. I DO try to save files from LowID sources longer, because I have HighID and can act as an intermediary for other LowID users to get them. If it were not for HighID users doing that, LowID users would almost never be able to share files with each other. And yes, I do pay attention to the original source and whether it is LowID. And my memory of that seems to work for up to a month ...
pillowbaker wrote: ↑Sun Aug 14, 2022 11:37 pm
I also notice on my shared folder tab, where it says "complete sources", I am not getting a number of complete available sources (seeder, so to speak). Not sure what the number is, actually.
Like mimzy says, the number is useful. But it is still a LIE. It almost never counts ME as a source, for example. Maybe it only counts the sources accessed through the Server and not Kad? I dunno.
mimzy wrote:if there are no sources, then files should be requested, not to give up (or immediately post new links, unless they have better quality).
Guilty!
I keep the file open in my emule, but if I don't see action I start looking for alternate sources right away. It could be another emule file or it could be a torrent or direct download. Often times I will be working on downloading a 100% source before anyone has a chance to even read a reshare request. If the FLM Release is a 15-year-old 700mb .mpg VHSrip, I can assume it will look like shit, and I can usually make a reasonable guess whether or not what I find is better. And I don't bother requesting a reshare if I think it is. Otherwise, I end up downloading 6 different versions of a movie and compare them all to find the best of a non-ideal bunch. And my totally prejudiced initial guesses often turn out to be correct. (However, vintage AVIs encoded properly can be of surprisingly GOOD quality. I have learned not to discount the format just because of some duds.)
Still, I am ever so grateful that there are oldtimers like mimzy who reshare the material that does NOT have alternate sources. There are plenty of files like that!