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

Am 19.11.25 um 14:08 schrieb Thomas Trepl ([email protected]
via lfs-support Mailing List):
> 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!
I often marvel at how much one can get done if one doesn't (have to)
deal with a computer. ;)

Rainer

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