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> use a Linux PC/Laptop When you install Linux, where is the OS downloaded from? Where do the software packages and updates reside? What about the source code?
by decasteve 6y ago
> use a Linux PC/Laptop
When you install Linux, where is the OS downloaded from? Where do the software packages and updates reside? What about the source code?
If you blocked Microsoft (Azure + github), Google, Amazon (AWS), and Akamai, I'd be surprised if you could run any mainstream flavour of Linux.
Some *BSDs might work.
I minimize my interaction with the big computing-advertising-consumer entities but I know they're still there behind the scenes. It's all part of the same cesspool.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- znpy 6y agoYou can get enough software to live your life from the Debian repositories (sources too). The same is true for fedora and other distros of course. Many mirrors are hosted at ISPs and universities.
- decasteve 6y agoI remember getting sources from university ftp mirrors for Linux (still do for OpenBSD). I wouldn't be surprised if some of these repositories are now hosted by the 'giants'.
- znpy 6y agoYou're mistaking repository with mirrors. If Facebook is mirroring the Debian package repository you can still apt-get binary/source packages off another mirror.
- peterwwillis 6y ago> When you install Linux, where is the OS downloaded from? Where do the software packages and updates reside? About 1000 mirrors distributed around the world by independent institutions using donated storage and bandwidth. Some distros may have "corporate-funded" primary mirrors on providers like AWS, but independent mirrors of those still pop up. The majority of the mirrors are universities and ISPs. > What about the source code? Most distros have "source mirrors", as most package managers will build a "source package" which includes the source code used to build the package, in addition to vendor patches and build instructions. If they don't provide a source mirror, you go to wherever the dev kept their source, which used to default to either SourceForge or a personal website, and is now mostly GitHub. By default most distros have a list of mirrors that they try, and they also allow you to specify a specific list of mirrors if the defaults don't work. If your country shuts off internet access to the rest of the world, and there's no mirror in your country, someone can stand up a mirror at a local business and you can use that. And you can install Linux distros from a DVD, CD, floppy disk, USB stick, and local LAN. Even if you only have one copy of the install media for one release of one distro, you can make a mirror out of it.