Re: http://gcc.gnu.org/mirrors.html

[Phil Edwards <pedwards@disaster.jaj.com>]

On Wed, Dec 12, 2001 at 07:14:42PM -0600, Matthew Langford wrote:
> "They" was a reference to public sites mirroring GNU.  They are already
> listed on the GNU mirror web page.

Ah, now I see what you're saying.  Pronouns missing an antecedent are fun...

Yes, there is not as much communication between the GNU sysadmins and us
as could be hoped for.  Mostly it's nothing more than a lack of time on
the part of the volunteers at either end.  No hoarding, no ivory-tower
syndrome, just lack of time.

If you'd like to contact the sysadmins of ftp.gnu.org and ask them whether
the mirror list is up-to-date, and if it is, provide a patch to mirrors.html,
that would be a good way to contribute.


> > In a way it is:  known mirror sites are allowed to bypass some (all?) of
> > the connection limits on the FTP server.
> 
> Maybe you are looking at things completely backward.  Instead of guarding
> the software, and worrying about who is coming in to steal the software
> and rob your bandwidth,

I'll ignore the rest of your flames and just explain this:  gcc.gnu.org
is extremely overloaded.  For that reason anonymous FTP has been severely
restricted (and I think it's been disallowed completely on some of the
more popular projects).  We're trying to move anonymous CVS access off
onto another system also.  It's not about "robbing bandwidth," it's about
having some bandwidth left over so that the developers can actually check
in code changes.  :-)  Right now CVS commits of multiple files can often
get dropped partway through.  That doesn't benefit /anyone/.


Phil

-- 
If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater
than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace.  We seek
not your counsel, nor your arms.  Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you;
and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.            - Samuel Adams