Simon Paillard wrote:
> Today the list is available in the following formats:
> - today's master source rfc822:
> http://cvs.debian.org/webwml/webwml/english/mirror/Mirrors.masterlist (used
> by d-i choose-mirror)
> - YAML after http://teubr.eu.org/~spaillar/debian/qamirrors/Mirror-list-to-yaml.pl
> back to rfc822 using http://teubr.eu.org/~spaillar/debian/qamirrors/yaml-to-mirror-list.pl
>
> I saw that many apt-spy netslect-apt and others try to parse html produced on
> the website...
>
> PS: debian-mirrors@lists.debian.org can be used to discuss mirrors as well.

So, in 2000, I made a change to the website build process to make the
Mirrors.masterlist source file be simply included onto the website.

That change was reverted quickly, with the rationalle:

| The decision was made that the masterlist was only for internal consumption.
| Some of the mirrors asked not to have the email addresses made public
| as this list would be great spam fodder. We thus create the other versions
| of the list for specific purposes, e.g. web and ftp site.

At the time, with only a few consumers of the data, that may have seemed
a sensible position -- but look at the mess we have now. Someone should
fix this; get the source file published properly on the website with
the Maintainer fields stripped out if the link above hasn't already
given the game away to spammers.

--
see shy jo