🚀 go-pugleaf

ray@vantage.UUCP...
>> ... would be interested in someone/s in the know summarizing what led
>> to [bitftp's demise] -- I assume that too much success did them in?

that's the story i heard.  their success was a heavy burden on their
immediate network neighbors.  their mail server may also have been
crushed by the load.

>> Is anyone aware of plans for a similar service being set up by someone else?
>> Free is always great, but I would also be interested in commercial services.

there's always decwrl!ftpmail, back from its weeklong absence.  it's free, it's
kindof slow and inconvenient, and the commands are very different from bitftp's
(there's no CD command, for example).  to use, send a message to decwrl!ftpmail
(or ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com) consisting of the word "help" (without the quotes).
the subject line is ignored.
--
Paul Vixie
DEC Western Research Lab	<vixie@pa.dec.com>	<paul@vixie.sf.ca.us>
Palo Alto, California, USA	...!decwrl!vixie	...!vixie!paul

>>>>> On 13 Jun 91 22:53:57 GMT, ray@vantage.UUCP (Ray Liere) said:
Ray> I would be interested in someone/s in the know summarizing what led
Ray> to the change -- I assume that too much success did them in?

The big problem with bitftp and other mail based servers is that they
tend to go to low-bandwidth mediums of communications, with
intermediate links between the source and the destination.  If your
site talks directly to an internet node from whence your mail comes
from, bitftp doesn't use anyone's resources other than your own.

Unfortunately, this often isn't the case.  If there is any site
between your machine and the internet link, that site gets to pay for
your mail.  This is usually just fine when mail consists of a few
kbytes per day, but when GNU emacs or GIF files or many other large
files are requested, the links become jammed.

For example, CompuServer connects to the Internet via a phone link
(9600 or 19200 baud) to Ohio State.  One day, notice of the bitftp
server was posted to CI$, and the next day over 50Mb of files was
enqueued at OSU for CI$, mostly GIF files.

This use of other people's equipment is the reason that bitftp and
other mail-based servers have been shut down or had their service
restricted to their original purpose (BITnet/Internet in the case of
bitftp).

Provision of future mail based servers is unlikely, given the current
feelings of several major archivists.  The correct solution is for
your site to connect to one of the anonymous UUCP archives and
download what you want yourself.  This places the onus of the
responsibility on the people who want the software, not the
intermediate links.

UUCP access is provided by OSU and UUnet, both for the cost of the
phone call.  I don't have addresses handy, but the OSU notice is
posted often to comp.sources.wanted.  

(I'm not trying to denigrate you personally at all, I'm just using you
as an example).  

In article <121080001@vantage.UUCP> ray@vantage.UUCP (Ray Liere) writes:
>We (like many others) no longer have ftp access due to the changes in
>bitftp's policy. I very much appreciate the service they provided ...
>[...]
>With the loss of this unique resource, we all need to include (when known)
>the names of email-based servers that contain a particular piece of
>software (as well as the usually-included list of ftp sites).

If you do not have FTP access to SIMTEL20, files may be ordered by
e-mail from LISTSERV@VM1.NODAK.EDU or LISTSERV@VM.ECS.RPI.EDU.

           If you are on BITNET: LISTSERV@NDSUVM1
                                 LISTSERV@RPIECS

   If your mailer knows domains: listserv@vm1.nodak.edu
				 listserv@vm.ecs.rpi.edu

If your mailer wants bang paths: uunet!vm1.nodak.edu!listserv
				 uunet!vm.ecs.rpi.edu!listserv

If you use bang paths, substitute your nearest neighbor which is also
on the Internet for uunet in the examples above.  Some examples are:
ames, decvax, decwrl, harvard, hplabs, nosc, rutgers, sharkey, sun,
ucbvax, ucsd, udel, uw-beaver, wuarchive.

Send this command to the server to get its help file:

GET PDGET HELP

Sample command (which gets our catalog of MS-DOS files):

/PDGET MAIL PD:<MSDOS.FILEDOCS>SIMIBM.ARC UUENCODE

These commands should be sent as the body of a regular email message.
Do not include a signature because it confuses the server.  If you
have xxdecode, you may wish to specify XXENCODE instead of UUENCODE to
avoid character translation problems.

Comments, questions, and suggestions should be directed to the LISTSERV
manager at one of these addresses, depending on which server you normally
use:

                    Internet                  BITNET

  "John Fisher" <FISHER@VM.ECS.RPI.EDU>   <FISHER@RPIECS>
  "Marty Hoag"  <INFO@VM1.NODAK.EDU>      <INFO@NDSUVM1>

Please do NOT send your comment or question about the servers to SIMTEL20.
However, if you wish to report a program bug or to request information
on how to upload files to SIMTEL20, you may send e-mail to me at one
of the addresses below.

Keith
--
Keith Petersen
Maintainer of the MSDOS, MISC and CP/M archives at SIMTEL20 [192.88.110.20]
Internet: w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.Army.Mil    or     w8sdz@vela.acs.oakland.edu
Uucp: uunet!umich!vela!w8sdz                          BITNET: w8sdz@OAKLAND