bit to rent for mageia packages.

[oeai]

aLoha!
this is the simple sample idea to include bittorent into the package system (rpmdrake i guess) so users who got "update system" running can contribute their downloaded packages and keep it up-to-date worldwide.
and all new users can actually download packages not only from servers but from users as well and for installer there will be a higly needed the 25mB network-installer with basic system installation and then self-upgrading and choosing more packages. the load should be distributed between users so they need to contribute only some 25kbs each when a lot of users are logged in and of course can disable it and hash files stored on servers.
the neat thing is to preserve data loss and lower the hashing time - so when package is downloaded hash checking function should be running in the other process so the other package could be loaded in this time and maybe create some distributors acknowledgment, so from some users not all packages would be checked but 30-40%, checking only the gpg print and filesize
and few servers can be merged together so not being 1 ftp for 1 user but 5 bt for 1x++
also the third process should install files of the packages that are fully downloaded - so for example if i download emacs, gimp, kde - first of all i will install and download the non-gui packages and after downloading it system will not waut till other not-depending packages will be downloaded but will try to install it in background process - so it is more like paralleling the installation process and because of that i expect a faster installation.

[doktor5000]

Altogether surely a really nice idea for the bittorrent part in theory, but who should implement that? We don't have ressources and developers for a major project like that.
Not even thinking about all the quality assurance and proofchecking that this would need additionally. If you have a proof of concept, feel free to share it with
other so it can be improved, but to be realistic i don't think something big like that can be implemented when noone works fulltime on the distro.

For the parallel installation, urpmi does that already, it will download a bunch of packages, install them, but only after the installation continue to download.
But that sounds like a valid enhancement request. You may want to post that as a bug: https://wiki.mageia.org/en/How_to_report_a_bug_properly

[oeai]

well i was moving especially out of bug's bunny hole - eh, what's up doc? =))
oki, i'll try to enhance a lil more, but i thought that it is not really so hard, but yes of course need some developers to dig code.
just thought to discuss first and just try to implement an enduser interface into rpmdrake - libtorent is available and actually the only needed thing is to run server and hardcode at least server links just to try with the server-based distibution - servers will act as users and then after a lot of debugging the system can be grown as much users will join it - work can be collaborated much faster.
the proof of concept is easy - no need to have ftp server and opened ports and white ip - you just share your already downloaded packages and server will connect you with people - so a lot of users can hold repositories and no need of ftp\http server-mirrors - most used packages will be more available and that will reduce the server load as well as users will feel - they are together and really for the first time you don't need a complicated system - files can be hash checked as usual torrents do, so the next level of developping can introduce acknowledged users.
even more for socializing - is to embedd an irc chat into the installer so users can ask about which packages they need more between each other - an the FAQ-bot can simply answer some questions and users online too.
for me it was a problem of what to do and what are the best packages for linux to use for some special actions, this is like a mentor system - someone can help you. Yeah i know, most of users looks like don't need it - just download a bunch of soft that you will not ever use and install just everything and thereafter gonna find which where is who - it's easier than choose something - but this is because that you actually don't know what to choose and what are all those packages for. - this just an idea to move on forward kinda experimental =))