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Re: Introducing http.debian.net, Debian's mirrors redirector



[Hoping you don't mind a copy]

Hi Faidon,

On Thursday 21 June 2012 18:19:16 Faidon Liambotis wrote:
> On 06/21/12 23:32, Raphael Geissert wrote:
> > After several iterations to solve problems related to Debian's mirrors
> > network, I am happy to announce a fully-functional solution that solves
> > many of the shortcomings of previous iterations:
> > http://http.debian.net
> 
> I have two objections if I may:

What's the point of your objection?
I mean, other than letting the world know that you object, do you want 
something to be done?

> a) I think that the "http.debian.net" name is too generic and IMHO an
> abuse of the /intent/ of debian.net domains. Even though debian.net is
> being run as a first-come first-serve service, we are members of the
> same project and we shouldn't just pick catchy generic domains just
> because we can. (I had similar objections over e.g. git.d.n, among many
> others).

Some background (not that I think it is even necessary to mention it):
When I first looked for a debian.net subdomain, tbh, I didn't have any idea 
as to what name to use. I went with the analogy of ftp.d.o originally (not 
sure if exclusively?) being served over the FTP, and that the new service 
would provide the same thing but only over the HTTP.

So my answer is:
It was picked in good faith, it is a service entirely for Debian and, as you 
observed yourself, debian.net subdomains are obtained in a first-come first-
serve fashion.

> b) You announced this to d-d-a and your blog/planet. However, I believe
> that there are readers of those media -esp. planet- that are not that
> much involved into Debian practices and may not know the distinction
> between debian.org & debian.net. I think people announcing such services
> publically should be careful and note that it's a personal service of
> theirs, rather than the project's. I'm not suggesting that you mislead
> people intentionally but rather that I would like you to be more
> explicit in the future -- or the present, e.g. in http.d.n's homepage).

The only thing preventing it from being a "project service" is that it isn't 
hosted under d.o, in DSA-administered hardware. I find it ironic and sort of 
offensive that you even mention this.

My intention is and has always been to make it a "project service", not my 
"personal service." I don't earn a cent from it and, instead, there's a bill  
behind it that needs to be paid.

For as long as I have been involved in Debian the usual way to make a 
service official was and is by first giving it a debian.net subdomain and 
having people use it as to demonstrate its need and usefulness.
There have been exceptions to that rule, perhaps there's even some policy 
somewhere that I'm not aware of. Perhaps it's just a matter of getting a 
project "blessed" by some especial person.

(yeah, that last statement was uncalled for, but perhaps its "good" side 
should be seen and some sort of policy written. In no way I meant or mean to 
offend the current members of the DSA team.)

I apologise in advance if the way I wrote this message offends anyone.

Cheers,
-- 
Raphael Geissert - Debian Developer
www.debian.org - get.debian.net


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