Easier and more reliable ISO downloads, with error correction

[Nicolas Alvarez]

Phillip Susi escribió:
> Anthony Bryan wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Have you thought about using Metalinks for your ISO downloads? It's an
>> XML format used by download apps, and contains the ways to get a file
>> (mirrors/P2P) along with info for automatic error detection/recovery
>> (checksums) and other stuff.
> 
> In my 12 years of extensive Internet use, and several years prior to 
> that of using BBSes, I have NEVER had a download corrupted.  It seems to 
> me that the sophisticated error detection and correction measures in the 
> underlying links are sufficient to prevent such errors.

Hmm... For a reason Ubuntu provides the full-file checksums, and people 
are encouraged to check them. Wonder what that reason is?

>> It makes things simpler for the user, since they don't have to
>> manually try a bunch of servers that could be down, can use local
>> mirrors first, and can repair downloads (very useful for large files
>> like ISOs).
> 
> Usually the link on the web site chooses a mirror for you.

Which is usually completely overloaded on a release day. I have seen it 
happen on both releases this year, lots of people on the irc channel 
asking for a working mirror.