It would be nice if a search actually searched the computers of everyone connected instead of just Torrent sites filled with ancient links to files that no longer exist.

Users could set/select the folders and/or file-types they are willing to share (like old Fileshare apps like "Limewire" used to offer.)

I have a dozen "downloads" still awaiting a single source. This wouldn't be a problem if the user knew for a fact that the file they are after exists.

You do not search torrent sites through Tixati. You already only search users that have shared stuff in the channels.

I think you're doing it wrong.

If you want to find something old, you add all the torrents you can find, and wait for days, weeks, months. A lot of people don't run their clients all the time. In the meantime, you check other file sharing communities. If you find something that matches, you add files to the torrents, and seed it.

It seems to me that Tixati channels were made for small-scale communities with narrow topics. For example, a group interested in knitting can collect torrents that are useful for them right now. Other than personal curation (choosing torrents on the sharing side, choosing groups on the user side), there are no filters for Tixati torrents.

There are two other applications that search the files actively shared by users like you describe.