Subject: Re: Embarrassing State of our Mirrors
To: Zafer Aydogan <zafer@gmx.org>
From: Rui Paulo <rpaulo@NetBSD.org>
List: current-users
Date: 07/07/2005 23:01:25
On 2005.07.08 01:48:22 +0000, Zafer Aydogan wrote:
 | Hello List,
 | 
 | I've mentioned this a few times and filed a lot of PR's but the current
 | state of the NetBSD Mirrors is more than embarrassing.
 | It's a shame to have to see that 50% of the Mirrors listed in the Mirror 
 | List (www.netbsd.org/mirrors) aren't working or worse -- doesn't even 
 | exist anymore.
 | It's clear, that if you depend on a service from someone else, that the 
 |   reaction is not fast, if you ask, "what's wrong there ?"
 | But the desolate State of an incomplete List upsets me most!
 | There seems to be no reaction and no interest from NetBSD to update that 
 | list.

That's just not true. You can't just say to someone supporting you
"your mirror is slow it'll be removed from the list" or "you don't update
your mirror frequently, then we'll remove you from the list".

 | I mean, how long does it take to commit changes to mirrors.html ?

Basically you don't know the behind-the-scenes. We are contacting mirrors
so that they update more often and as you probably know, this is not
something that gets done in one day.

 | The list can be updated continously when Mirrors are available again.

It would be a lot easier if mirror maintainers asked www@ to change
the NetBSD.org website with new information more often...

 | Isn't it more important to provide a working Mirror List
 | instead of a list, where every second entry doesn't work or exists anymore ?
 | How can I compare a clean Design and clean Codeworks from the Kernel
 | Developers with that "messy" List ? That's not NetBSD like.
 | And, if you ask, why I'm so upset - it is, because the Mirrors are the 
 | most important thing on the Website.
 | They represent NetBSD. (Hello Advocacy ? )
 | The other point is that most of you complain, why nobody is using 
 | Mirrors. That could be one argument. That's why !
 | I'm worried about, that this will fade away anyway.

No, it won't. I can assure you that.

 | --- List ---
 | This are the FTP Servers that aren't working:

You are also forgetting CVSweb, CVS and WWW mirrors. We must check them *all*.
Not just FTP.

 | If you take a close look to the other services, you will find out
 | that the most of them aren't working either.

Not all the mirrors provide every services, as you know.

 | Incomplete Mirrors:

Anyway, thanks for the list.

		-- Rui Paulo