Thanks for the interest, I'll answer your questions to get the conversation going, in the hope that others may join.
So, I did use torrents some time ago with uTorrent client, I started when I couldn't find something I wanted from file hosts. But it was some fuss finding seeds, and even when they were shown as available, they sometimes weren't. And I didn't see any advantage in the system, so I stopped.
I’m talking about open torrents, e.g. from Pirate Bay. Such are also associated with serious disadvantages, such as malware content and monitoring by the authorities. In contrast, file hosts thru warez boards are much more convenient and downloaders aren't taken to court, so far at least.
Of course, I know there are better private torrents, but you have to keep a seed-to-leech ratio, which I find unacceptably demanding. And the risk of being targeted by authorities increases as you seed more. I also know there are ways of protecting yourself from monitoring, but I haven't tried them, I expect they'll make matters even more inconvenient.
