Re: Using apt-get upgrade-Any way to get list first? Solved!

[will trillich <will@serensoft.com>]

Jonathan Gift wrote:
> 
> On Sun, Dec 17, 2000 at 08:08:18PM -0600, will trillich wrote:
> >
> > try
> >       apt-setup
> > or if you don't have that,
> >       apt-get install base-config
> > which provides it. it lets you select, first of all,
> > which method (http/ftp) to use.
> >
> > my sources.list resembles this:
> >
> >       deb http://security.debian.org potato/updates main contrib non-free
> >       deb http://ftp.digex.net/debian/ stable main non-free contrib
> >       # deb-src http://ftp.digex.net/debian/ stable main non-free contrib
> >       deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US stable/non-US main contrib non-free
> 
> Thanks for the info.
> 
> > apparently ftp was designed for nosing around, checking out
> > directory listings, downloading a file, maybe another, moving on
> > to another directory... whereas http was designed for "here's
> > that file you asked for" thus making http quicker,
> > protocol-wise.
> 
> It's just that a while ago I had heard the opposite, that http was for
> looking around and so slower. Maybe things have changed.

my first impression was the same.

but when you think about it --

you web browser asks you what address to look up.
you give it the full address; if the server redirects
the browser, it's the server's responsibility to do
so correctly -- at any rate, every image the http
protocol inlines into your web pages, are all specified
in advance. each one is merely "gimme file path/to/item!"

ftp on the other hand -- if you've ever used ftp from
the command line or even via a web browser --

	ftp ftp.somewhere.org.tld
	>user: nobody
	>password: somethingelse
	careful, we'll track everything you do!
	ls
	<files files files>
	cd /path
	ls
	<files files files>
	cd subpath
	ls
	<files files files>
	image
	get some-file-or-other

once the transfer starts, they should be about the same,
but there's lots of overhead for ftp. (okay, i'm exaggerating;
if you know exactly which file to ftp in advance, you can
skip all the LS and CD, but there's still some extra finagling
that HTTP doesn't need.)

-- 
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http://www.dontUthink.com/