! Message 5677 - Posted 21 Sep 2006 4:06:06 UTC

Here's a good explanation of Metalink:

'Metalinks makes complex download pages obsolete by replacing long lists of download mirrors and BitTorrent trackers with a single .metalink file. As you might have already guessed, a .metalink file is a file that tells a download manager all the different ways it can download a file. The file itself takes the form of an open XML standard that can list an unlimited number of HTTP and FTP sources as well as BitTorrent trackers and ed2k and magnet links.'
(http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/08/28/metal...t-http-and-ftp-downloads/)

I've updated the metalinks for BOINC & Blender:
http://www.metalinker.org/samples/boinc_5.4.11_windows_intelx86.exe.metalink
http://www.metalinker.org/samples/blender-2.42a-windows.metalink

There are now four metalink clients on Windows/Unix/Mac: GetRight, Speed Download, aria2, & wxDownload Fast. (More on the way, here's a list: http://www.metalinker.org/implementation.html )

OpenOffice.org and many Linux/BSD distributions use it to distribute their ISOs, & kernel.org will be using it soon.
____________