Re: [tor-dev] Novel distribution mechanisms (was: s3 alternatives on libtech)

2014-03-10 Thread Griffin Boyce
David Fifield wrote:
 GitHub is how Chinese users download GoAgent. It's a little weird, but
 they keep the binary right there in their source tree (goagent.exe).
   https://github.com/goagent/goagent/tree/3.0/local
 GitHub is great because it's HTTPS only, projects are subdirectories
 rather than subdomains (so no DNS poisoning), and it's important
 infrastructure that's difficult to block.
 
 David Fifield

  It would also be fairly trivial to create and maintain a repo just for
newest TBB release and signatures.  Not the fastest thing to `git clone`
as a dev, but makes it possible for a user to visit the page and
download a zip file for their language and the signature to verify it.

  Of course, if every project did this, it would change the equation a
bit for censors, but we won't know until we try ;-)

~Griffin

[0] this is a project that is *so* easy that someone could just go ahead
and do it, but of course it's far better to have an official repo
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Re: [tor-dev] Novel distribution mechanisms (was: s3 alternatives on libtech)

2014-03-09 Thread David Fifield
On Fri, Mar 07, 2014 at 02:33:57AM -0500, Griffin Boyce wrote:
 Nathan of Guardian wrote:
  Github? Maybe not whole sites, but specific files.

GitHub is how Chinese users download GoAgent. It's a little weird, but
they keep the binary right there in their source tree (goagent.exe).
https://github.com/goagent/goagent/tree/3.0/local
GitHub is great because it's HTTPS only, projects are subdirectories
rather than subdomains (so no DNS poisoning), and it's important
infrastructure that's difficult to block.

David Fifield
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[tor-dev] Novel distribution mechanisms (was: s3 alternatives on libtech)

2014-03-07 Thread Griffin Boyce
Nathan of Guardian wrote:
 Github? Maybe not whole sites, but specific files.

  I've been working with users who have networks in censored countries
to expand access to specific software bundles (not just Tor).  My two
approaches right now are Google Web Store and torrents attached to a
stable offsite seedbox.  Both are fairly accessible, but both have
pros/cons.  With torrents, someone can sit as a seeder and try to tally
information on downloaders. Google Web Store downloads are tracked in
unknown (legally requestable?) ways by Google and of course it requires
downloading/installing Google Chrome to gain access.[1]

  It's not perfect, but at least for the user groups I talk to, they are
realistic solutions to a really tricky problem.

~Griffin

[0] cross-posted upon recommendation of David Fifield
[1] most users can't figure out how to download extensions manually
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Re: [tor-dev] Novel distribution mechanisms (was: s3 alternatives on libtech)

2014-03-07 Thread Nathan Freitas
On 03/07/2014 02:33 AM, Griffin Boyce wrote:
   I've been working with users who have networks in censored countries
 to expand access to specific software bundles (not just Tor).  My two
 approaches right now are Google Web Store and torrents attached to a
 stable offsite seedbox.

Have you looked into BitTorrent Sync? You can do semi-private (I
believe) Dropbox-like Torrent shares, that could be provisioned based on
emails or other requests from users.

There is a really nice mobile BitTorrent Sync app, so I have
particularly been interested in this as a means to distribute apps to
Iran and China.

+n
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Re: [tor-dev] Novel distribution mechanisms (was: s3 alternatives on libtech)

2014-03-07 Thread Griffin Boyce
Nathan Freitas wrote:
 Have you looked into BitTorrent Sync? You can do semi-private (I
 believe) Dropbox-like Torrent shares, that could be provisioned based on
 emails or other requests from users.

 There is a really nice mobile BitTorrent Sync app, so I have
 particularly been interested in this as a means to distribute apps to
 Iran and China.

 +n

  I haven't looked into BitTorrent Sync, actually.  But that sounds like
it could be an improvement on torrent distribution (or at least an
additional approach).  I'm not sure to what extent user downloads are
tracked via mobile phones in the target areas, but my assumption is
100%.  Having said that, I'd like to know more -- and it makes absolute
sense for something like Orbot to be distributed friend-to-friend via
BlueTooth or something like BitTorrent Sync.

~Griffin
gpg: 879B DA5B F6B2 7B61 2745  0A25 03CF 4A0A B3C7 9A63
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