Re: Suggestion: Add option to use GNU mirrorlist for downloading sources

Am Mittwoch, dem 19.11.2025 um 11:59 +0100 schrieb Rainer Fiebig:
> Am 18.11.25 um 22:58 schrieb Bruce Dubbs ([email protected] via
> lfs-support Mailing List):
> > On 11/18/25 3:25 PM, "Glitch (and Gummi)" ([email protected] via
> > lfs-support Mailing List) wrote:
> > > Hi there,
> > > I recently had an exchange with a sysadmin from the FSF after I was
> > > having trouble connecting to the GNU FTP server to download the
> > > required packages for LFS. Apparently they were having problems with
> > > DDoSes on their server, so they implemented a block on IP addresses
> > > that made several requests in a short time. Unfortunately, as I was
> > > downloading a large amount of packages from their server at the time
> > > (as you do for LFS), I got caught in this ban and was no longer able
> > > to connect.
> > > 
> > > I eventually resolved this by `sed`ing the wget-list to point to a
> > > mirror of the GNU FTP instead. As mentioned in the beginning, I
> > > additionally emailed GNU directly about this and got in touch with one
> > > of their sysadmins, who suggested I point to `ftpmirror.gnu.org` to
> > > automatically get redirected to the fastest mirror. I have done this
> > > when downloading subsequent source packages and it seems to work well.
> > > 
> > > Interestingly, the sysadmin mentioned that he wanted to send a
> > > suggestion to LFS, that they add a note advising users to point to
> > > `ftpmirror.gnu.org` if they are having trouble connecting to the main
> > > GNU FTP server. I agree that this would be useful advice, so I took
> > > the liberty of writing out this suggestion myself. I don't know how
> > > many people are experiencing connection issues with downloading
> > > sources, but I could imagine adding a little note in the download
> > > instructions could save some users a lot of hassle.
> > 
> > See the 'Important' note at
> > https://rivendell.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/view/development/chapter03/introduction.html
> I've read the articles mentioned in the note and I think that the
> problem with AI-bots cannot be solved by technical measures alone.
> 
> It's about time that governments and lawmakers wake up and issue
> legislation that makes disrespect of "robots.txt" etc. a serious
> offense.  AI-companies should be held liable for not just peanuts like a
> few million dollars (or whatever) but for half of their profits.  *That*
> would make them change their minds about ruining the internet and
> free-feeding on other peoples labor.
> 
> Lawmakers and bureaucrats all over the world are masters in thinking up
> all sorts of crap to make people's lifes more complicated and miserable.
>  Grabbing the AI-gangs where it hurts would be something useful for change.
> 
Yeah, that is true.  And the big Nvidia boss tells us that this is the only
future of IT, yeah, the whole menship. Haha, what a joke. Yes, i know why
he is telling that: he sells the GPUs for the DCs. He is the only one who
earns money with AI atm. All others do hope to earn money.  Look at the
insane madness in reactivating or building new nuclear power plants to run
their DCs.  They should ask their bots what they can tell about nuclear
desasters... That madness started already years ago with that crypto
currency crap.

That, and much more trivial things like the Python module hell (naive as i
am, i thought one has learned from the DLL hell in the early Windows days,
but no, it seems not), and the insane stupidity of rewriting tools just to
use another language... it all makes me giving up on IT after doing IT my
whole life so far, it is no longer the IT i want to work for and work with.

Yes, the less i have to do with computers, the better it is: I'll not be
one of those who drive that insanity. And i can tell you, there is indeed a
real, analog world out there with many funny stuff, try it!

-- 
Thomas

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