Re: Distributing the CPAN

On Thu, 1 Apr 2010, Tim Bunce wrote:

> Random thoughts...
>
> * If you squint a little you can view git as a database with excellent
> replication support.
>
> * cpanminus already supports installing from a git repo.
>
> * For backwards compatibility a simple perl web server could provide a
> classic CPAN http mirror 'view' over a git repo like gitpan.
> This cpan-git-server would create and serve up cached distro tarballs on demand.
> Someone could whip up one to work over gitpan as a proof of concept.
>
> * The need for widespread mirroring is less significant than it was in
> years past. (Also using git as the inter-mirror transport of source files
> means there'll be much less traffic between mirrors. Effectively only
> the diffs between releases.)
>
> * New approaches to replication, such as git, don't have to be supported
> by existing mirror providers. A new set of cpan-git-mirror providers could
> emerge.
>
> * Any cpan-git-mirror provider running a cpan-git-server could be
> included in the list of mirrors used by existing installers.
>
> * Over time the number of cpan-git-mirror's and cpan-git-server's could
> grow and the number of traditional CPAN ftp/rsync mirrors could fall.

From what I've heard about git, this sounds like a workable idea, and being
an established and semi-portable tool, should alleviate the whininess over 
replacing the sacred cow, er, rsync.

 	--Arthur Corliss
 	  Live Free or Die