Re: apt.debian.org server to compute dist-upgrade needs
On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 05:55:33 -0500
Paul Morgan <paulswm@earthlink.net> wrote:
> On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 07:53:13 +0800, Dan Jacobson wrote:
>
> > [Say] we can't do apt-get dist-upgrade over our puny modem. We must
> > go to town to burn the files onto a CDROM and take them back to
> > install it.
> >
> > Sure, we could do apt-get dist-upgrade --print-uris, or use apt-zip,
> > but that creates a list that gets stale in the few days it takes us to
> > get to town... we'll miss the latest upgrades.
> >
> > Therefore there should be an "apt.debian.org" web server to compute
> > what we need on the spot. One would give it various detail about our
> > machine, and a sources.list and e.g. dpkg --get-selections output...
> > all of which we have taken to town. It would spit out a fetch list of
> > URIs.
> >
> > OK, I suppose 99% of people are better connected than my scenario, and
> > perhaps this is only applicable to the third world.
>
> I have been using debian for a number of years. I have done several
> installations from scratch as I have built new machines. I have done
> *all* installs over a 56K modem. I am currently running sarge. I keep
> my system up to date by running apt-get (usually dist-upgrade) on a
> daily basis.
>
> Apart from a couple of overnight marathons to get first the base system
> and then X installed, I usually see much less than 10MB of upgrades at
> any one time. In other words, rarely does a dist-upgrade take even 30
> mins, unless something big (like OpenOffice) is upgraded.
>
> Unless you have a broken modem, or a noisy telephone line which results
> in very low negotiated connection speeds, it's really not a very big
> deal to keep a system up to date (or even do an install from scratch)
> over a standard dial up connection. The key is to run daily upgrades.
>
> I suppose that keeping a sid installation up to date would be more time
> consuming, though.
Could be expensive though, I remember when I was using dialup, about
1-hour/day connection at off-peak rates only cost only about £5 /month
less than I currently pay for ADSL 24 hours /day at 10 times the data
rate.
James
--
James Tappin, O__ "I forget the punishment for using
james@tappin.me.uk -- \/` Microsoft --- Something lingering
http://www.tappin.me.uk/ with data loss in it I fancy"
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