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What about all the other websites? http://filehippo.com/download_nmap http://filehippo.com/download_nmap http://www.softpedia.com/get/Network-Tools/Misc-Netwo

by maxst 11y ago

What about all the other websites? http://filehippo.com/download_nmap http://filehippo.com/download_nmap http://www.softpedia.com/get/Network-Tools/Misc-Networking-Tools/Nmap.shtml http://www.softpedia.com/get/Network-Tools/Misc-Networking-T... http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/nmap_security_scanner.html http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/nmap_security_scanne... http://www.chip.de/downloads/Nmap_13013407.html http://www.chip.de/downloads/Nmap_13013407.html

mintplant 11y ago
It feels a bit different here, at least to me. Nmap had a Sourceforge account, but now it's been taken away from them -- "hijacked", as the post describes it. And Sourceforge at least used to be a reputable site and has (had?) some lingering aura of trust around it.
- maxst 11y ago
  They had this "You Can Take Over Abandoned Projects" policy for years: https://sourceforge.net/p/forge/documentation/Abandoned%20Projects/ https://sourceforge.net/p/forge/documentation/Abandoned%20Pr... I took over APNG project in 2011, nice short name, it was really abandoned, and I don't feel bad about it: https://sourceforge.net/projects/apng/ https://sourceforge.net/projects/apng/
  - mintplant 11y ago
    Sure, but this is Sourceforge itself doing the taking over, and they're offering the same downloads (plus their wrappers and what-not) rather than reusing the name for a different project.
kbenson 11y ago
Sourceforge was, for a long time, the definitive home for many, many popular open source projects. That they've cached in on this historical trust, and in some cases the fact that the thing they are "mirroring" actually was hosted there at some point, makes this worse. For example, for years, I've used winscp.sf.net to get to WinSCP when I need it. As of now it redirects to what I believe is WinSCP's actual site, winscp.net. In the past, Sourceforge was the actual location to get the binary. If at some point they set up a "mirror" for WinSCP, there's a good chance that people visiting that haven't in a long time might just accept that if they get a download link at a sourceforge page, it's likely legit. I can't say the same about any of the sites you listed.

by maxst 11y ago

mintplant 11y ago

It feels a bit different here, at least to me. Nmap had a Sourceforge account, but now it's been taken away from them -- "hijacked", as the post describes it. And Sourceforge at least used to be a reputable site and has (had?) some lingering aura of trust around it.

maxst 11y ago
They had this "You Can Take Over Abandoned Projects" policy for years: https://sourceforge.net/p/forge/documentation/Abandoned%20Projects/ https://sourceforge.net/p/forge/documentation/Abandoned%20Pr... I took over APNG project in 2011, nice short name, it was really abandoned, and I don't feel bad about it: https://sourceforge.net/projects/apng/ https://sourceforge.net/projects/apng/
- mintplant 11y ago
  Sure, but this is Sourceforge itself doing the taking over, and they're offering the same downloads (plus their wrappers and what-not) rather than reusing the name for a different project.

kbenson 11y ago

Sourceforge was, for a long time, the definitive home for many, many popular open source projects. That they've cached in on this historical trust, and in some cases the fact that the thing they are "mirroring" actually was hosted there at some point, makes this worse. For example, for years, I've used winscp.sf.net to get to WinSCP when I need it. As of now it redirects to what I believe is WinSCP's actual site, winscp.net. In the past, Sourceforge was the actual location to get the binary. If at some point they set up a "mirror" for WinSCP, there's a good chance that people visiting that haven't in a long time might just accept that if they get a download link at a sourceforge page, it's likely legit. I can't say the same about any of the sites you listed.