Seeking a New Home for Linux From Scratch?

Any Web Loco asks: "Linux From Scratch is in trouble. According to this explanation by Gerard Beekmans (the guy who started the LFS project) Shadowfax, the main LFS server, went offline at the end of October when VA Software ceased providing co-location space. LFS is a seriously geek-worthy project - might some of you Slashdot folk be able to help?"

Hosted by another distribution?

[crow]

It would seem logical for some other distribution to host this effort. While on the surface, this would appear to be a competitor, projects like this attract the hackers who will fix and enhance system utilities, resulting in better software for everyone; something clearly benefiting the mainstream distributions. The community good will alone should be worth the cost.

Easy

[kraf]

last time I checked they had lots of mirrors, make one of those the primary server, problem solved

Re:SourceForge?

[Utopia]

On a related note, IBM seems to interested in VA Software according
to this journal VA Software To Be Bought By IBM? [slashdot.org]

Re:SourceForge?

[GreyWolf3000]

Read the announcement. SourceForge has been used before, but a co-lo is preferred due to the greater flexibility and freedom it provides.

SourceForge is a last resort.

Re:SourceForge?

[Raskolnk]

I'd bet cold, hard cash that you'll never read news about SourceForge folding here on Slashdot.

Yeah, but only because Slashdot would be folding at the same time.

Re:SourceForge?

[rw2]

Please mark the parent down, his idea is dealt with in the article, it isn't insightful it reflects a lack of reading of the story.

Re:SourceForge?

[NineNine]

You practically get a lifetime guarantee from VA Software that SourceForge is never going to go away.


Yeah, but by the looks of things, VA Software will be going away!

It's just barely alive now. [yahoo.com]

And I hate to say it, but apparently all of the people working there tend to agree. Not a single insider has bought shares in the past two years. [yahoo.com]

Probably not the best place to store software that you even remotely care about.

Re:SourceForge?

[bellings]

Yeah, but by the looks of things, VA Software will be going away!

Well, by "lifetime guarantee" I meant, "lifetime of VA Software."

And by "I think we all agree that we're not going to see any pleas on SlashDot in a few months" I meant, "I expect SourceForge and Slashdot to both be unplugged from the net together, in a few months."

Talk to iBiblio

[DeHar]

Paul Jones over at iBiblio hosts a bunch of linux related stuff (including the LDP), check them out at ibiblio.org.

Better known as sunsite.unc.edu

Re:NO I will not help you ...

[fault0]

heh, LFS is not really a distro.

DO *NOT* slashdot this server...

[ferratus]

Linux From Scratch is a great idea that produced a great project that works great. I was really sad when I saw the server situation a few days ago and I hope someone will host it.

I agree that SF might be a good idea, but I'm kind of hoping things could stay the same : their own server with all their setups, great download speed and many mirrors.

Can't a university or even better yet a company like RedHat & cie. help those guys ? I mean, it can't be a bad thing to help such a project. Many (somewhat hardcore) geeks go to your site every day. That oughta be good traffic for someone somewhere.

But PLEASE, don't click the link if you don't need to. Do *NOT* slashdot a server that has limited bandwidth.

oops.

[/dev/trash]

Why did VA Software stop providing co-lo space?

Re:oops.

[bellings]

Why did VA Software stop providing co-lo space?

Because VA Software is going broke. They had two colocations spots with Exodus, but to save money they had to consolidate to only one colocation spot.

You remember Slashdot moving a week ago, right? Well, they got rid of all the third party colo servers at the same time, because VA Software didn't have the cash to support them any more.

Re:oops.

[/dev/trash]

Oh. I thought that the "VA is dying" threads were just trols. Who woulda thought it was true.

What about the LSB web site?

[eugene ts wong]

It seems like such a logical choice to host it at http://www.linuxbase.org/ [linuxbase.org]. This way, people can learn how to install the standard base from scratch.

New ISP offered to take it under it wings

[Elik]

I have written to him offering to take it under our facility which is under construction in Denver as the new home for the LFS. Unfortunably, it will not be online til December or January at the latest.

So....it is wait and see til he respond back on this and see if he takes it up on my offer on this.

Perhaps Gentoo, might help

[haplo21112]

Their distro is basically LFS implimented isn't it? I have installed gentoo, and read the LFS documents, and them seem comparable...

Plig?

[e8johan]

I would recommend them to contact plig.org. According to their home site "PLiG is a privately funded not-for-profit organisation, supporting the development of Internet related services and projects since 1996." and "We also provide hosting and support for a variety of projects...". If they are in the right mood they could be an option.

Too bad for LFS

[Corporate Gadfly]

Too bad that this happened to LFS. I have no experience running an LFS machine but the idea has a certain appeal to me (I am a Gentoo [gentoo.org] convert however).

As good as Gentoo is, some of the Gentoo ebuilds [gentoo.org] needed to use hints [linuxfromscratch.org] from LFS. A clear example was How to compile Java 2 SDK Source (available from Sun) using gcc3 so that you can use it as a plugin for your shiny new gcc3 compiled mozilla [linuxfromscratch.org].

Again, I'm very comfortable with the amount of flexibility and ease of use that Gentoo provides me.