Because BitTorrent is good at delivering large chunks of data with high throughput and high latency. Swarm is ALSO good at delivering small chunks of data with low latency, which is necessary for some anticipated applications.
To clarify my point: BT is stable, up & running, and could be used as DApp delivery mechanism immediately, while Swarm is in development. In the process Swarm design could be improved learning lessons from the experiment.
In other words would be nice if DApp delivery mechanisms were written as plugins to Mist/Eth. Swarm shouldn't be the only choice available.
@cryptoboy, if you're capable, I'd love to chat about some potential bittorent integration. IBM used bittorent + telehash alongside Ethereum in their Adept project so it certainly is possible!
Where is the ETH coming from in this? Who's balance?
The eth (gas) would be paid to the person providing the service of distributing the data. The person who wanted the data distributed would be providing the payment.
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To clarify my point: BT is stable, up & running, and could be used as DApp delivery mechanism immediately, while Swarm is in development. In the process Swarm design could be improved learning lessons from the experiment.
In other words would be nice if DApp delivery mechanisms were written as plugins to Mist/Eth. Swarm shouldn't be the only choice available.