Ask HN: Why aren't system libraries/packages distributed using torrents?

Posted by james_morton on Monday August 22, 2016 @07:53AM
from the ask-hn dept.

This looks like an ideal scenario for torrents, everyone has a copy of packages on the server so seeding will be through the roof, usually on the same network.

No more breaking the world because PyPi/NPM/apt mirror is down.

One tool could support every type of package repository, and then the main mirror will be 'constant' seeds that simply proxy the current locations e.g.:

https://pypi.python.org/whatever-4.3 => torrent://pypi.whatever-4.3

So that you can always get a copy.

( 5 comments | 15 points | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: Why aren't system libraries/packages distributed ... by dozzie on Monday August 22, 2016 @09:50AM (#12336293)

Please don't confuse system packages (as in DEB, RPM) with your language's packages (e.g. npm).

And you're not the first one to think of this. In fact, there was some work in Debian around this idea. Like, a decade ago.

https://wiki.debian.org/DebTorrent

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Why aren't system libraries/packages distributed ... by zepolen on Monday August 22, 2016 @08:04AM (#12335670)

I think speed would be the problem, getting 100 x 5mb packages would incur a lot of per file overhead.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Why aren't system libraries/packages distributed ... by wang_li on Monday August 22, 2016 @01:11PM (#12337781)

I'm sure it will come across as rude(?) but projects should provide their own infrastructure.

Microsoft did this with Windows 10 and it's just feels cheap. They have tons of money, they can pay for their own bandwidth.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Why aren't system libraries/packages distributed ... by bjourne on Tuesday August 23, 2016 @07:31AM (#12342829)

Bandwidth isn't a scarce resource for almost anyone in the Western World.

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Re:Ask HN: Why aren't system libraries/packages distributed ... by brudgers on Monday August 22, 2016 @01:11PM (#12337776)

Windows 10 has peer to peer downloads for updates and apps.

[ Parent | on HN ]