[uf-discuss] Metalink (FTP/HTTP/P2P integrated)

[Anthony L. Bryan]

Hi everyone,

A few months ago I added a microformat version of Metalink (an XML format
used by download managers) at http://microformats.org/wiki/metalink-examples
.

Tantek posted this to the wiki: "Please incorporate this into
alternates-examples as it is substantially the same problem." 

Metalink is for accessing the same exact files from different sources. You
can reference alternates, and there's other metadata for multimedia stuff.
But I guess a Metalink microformat could do both.

Here's a good intro to Metalink:

'Metalinks make 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/metalinks-integrated-bittorrent-htt
p-and-ftp-downloads/) 

I would be interested in any comments you all might have.

thanks,

(( Anthony Bryan
 )) Metalink [ http://www.metalinker.org ]