maximum open network connections? BT related

Hi all,
I've been using OS X for more than 2 years now and there's a question that's been lingering in my mind since the very beginning that i really want to get sorted out. Simply put, what is (if there is) the maximum number of open connections in OS X? I realised that during my XP days, there was a limit set for the max number of open connections... is there such a thing in OS X? if there is, does anyone know what the number is?

the reason i'm asking is because, when I use BT and surfing at the same time, a few hundred open connections being made will clog up my connection in OS X. However, in XP I can connect to thousands of peers. Why is there so much of a difference? I've used the same connection for both.

Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Rick.

You're gonna get banned.

However, I don't know the answer man, sorry.

ehh.. and why would i get banned? i just read the forum rules. There's nothing that states specifically that i can't talk about BT. It does however refer to illegal file sharing. But BT doesn't always mean illegal file sharing. Linux distributing anyone? there's tones of free stuff that uses BT.
Besides, I'm not asking about anything illegal i.e. where to download x x x.

thx anyway though