Re: Size of Debian a Problem? Forget it!

[Dpk <dpk@egr.msu.edu>]

On Tue, Oct 19, 1999 at 04:00:41PM -0500, Nathan E Norman wrote:

   On Tue, 19 Oct 1999, Juergen A. Erhard wrote:
   
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    : There's this current thread on the size of Debian's ftp archive
    : (started with someone noting the size of `gmt-coast-full', ~47M)
    : 
    : I think this is a moot discussion... just look at disk prize these
    : days.  Here in Germany, a 20M IDE costs about DM 400 (~ US$ 230).
   
   Let me know when you want to start buying me 18G SCSI drives
   ... see any of those for $230?
   
    : Any mirror that can't afford that shouldn't be a mirror in the first
    : place (IMHO).
   
   Bandwidth is more expensive than hardware.  But I suppose that
   doesn't matter to you ...
   
   Besides, mirrors are DONATING their hardware AND bandwidth.  It's
   not like I'm obligated to you to provide a service.

I agree.  It is very difficult to compare the prices of PC desktop
components to that of server-room hardware.  With constrains in every
area of IT, time and resource consuming donations would be the first
to go.

I believe Debian and other Free Software projects thrive due to
volunteer effort, many from the academic environment.  I maintain
ftp.us.debian.org and have done so out of my own time and from
hardware that could have gone on my desk.  Budgets in academia are
always a contstraint, and it wasn't until just recently I was allowed
to spend money on an 18 GB harddrive for the Debian archive.

I would hate to not be able to mirror the full Debian archive, and I
don't really have the time to tinker with seeing how much I could
archive.  I also think people/orgs that have donated, would be less
likely to do so if there donation was deemed invaluable after a couple
of months. (I know my department would think so if I could no longer
mirror Debian on the disk we purchased)

I don't think I am alone, to where excessively large archives could
seriously hurt the mirror support.  Also, personally I don't think
that many of the data packages would be relative to a majority of the
Debian community (benefit < effort).  With very few downloads of such
data, it might be better for the persons wishing to sponser it put it
in an appropriate web or ftp space, and have a webpage on
www.debian.org with links to such user information for people to
download.

Dennis
--
Dennis Kelly                    email: dpk@egr.msu.edu
Network Administrator
College of Engineering
Michigan State University