From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Ricardo Wurmus Subject: Re: CDN Test Results - Should We Continue Using a CDN? Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2019 17:11:14 +0100 Message-ID: <87imwptmql.fsf@elephly.net> References: <87d0my1380.fsf@gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([209.51.188.92]:51119) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1h3NWV-0003p0-M8 for guix-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 11 Mar 2019 12:11:32 -0400 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1h3NWU-0000OR-Kp for guix-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 11 Mar 2019 12:11:31 -0400 Received: from sender-of-o51.zoho.com ([135.84.80.216]:21074) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.0:RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1h3NWU-0000Mz-2O for guix-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 11 Mar 2019 12:11:30 -0400 In-reply-to: List-Id: "Development of GNU Guix and the GNU System distribution." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sender: "Guix-devel" To: mikadoZero Cc: guix-devel@gnu.org mikadoZero writes: > In "14.4.1 Software Freedom" of the Guix manual it says that Guix is free > software and follows the free software distribution guidelines. > > Is using a proprietary non free CDN as a core part of Guix's > infrastructure in conflict with Guix's software freedom? Two things: 1) It is not a core part of Guix=E2=80=99s infrastructure. People who want= to bypass the CDN can do so by fetching substitutes from berlin.guixsd.org instead of ci.guix.info. People can also opt out of getting substitutes all together or choose to get them from some other build farm. (The build farm is little more than another Guix user.) 2) =E2=80=9Cproprietary=E2=80=9D / =E2=80=9Cnon-free=E2=80=9D terminology d= oes not apply to services. See also https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/network-services-arent-free-or-nonfree.html This is a case of =E2=80=9CService as a Hardware Substitute=E2=80=9D where = we pay to use hardware that we do not physically control to substitute for having to own and maintain hardware at a large number of physical locations in the world. > Using a proprietary CDN has the potential for an unplanned increase in > workload. This is because of the combination of vendor lock in and > product line discontinuation. Which could create unplanned rework of > setting up a CDN elsewhere. This hinders Guix's resource planning by > introducing the potential for surprise rework. There is no vendor lock in. We can drop and have dropped the use of a CDN without service interruption. If the CDN service were to be discontinued we would simply revert to not offering package distribution via CDN. -- Ricardo