Forum Moderators: open
"The Open Directory search is currently under a heavy load. Please try back later."
or
"500 Internal Server error"
or problems with IP addresses.
1) read the comment in robots.txt - dont spider with more than 1 hit/second
2) if possible use [ch.dmoz.org...] instead of the main server. It's a mirror which is about 1 to 2 days behind the main machine, updating via a direct data feed. Please restrict spidering speed here, too - its a server given to the ODP for free by a suisse company - when the bandwidth usage is reaching their overall limit they might rethink the situation :-)
There have been a lot of similar comments here about DMOZ over the last few months.
Basically their servers cannot take the loads being put on them, and they have often resorted to "locking out" users so the editors can use their available bandwidth to edit.
If you need to get onto DMOZ to submit, then all you can do is keep trying.
The majority view appears to be the AOL are not putting much onto DMOZ in the way of investment, so they are having to make do with the gerbil power that that they have.
Well it looks as if there is some light at the end of the tunnel ;)
Huh? I can edit there just fine. I can also search there without much trouble. If you truly don't like the server then you could just quit and go back to Zeal full-time. I haven't heard anyone complain about their server at all, ever.
Yeah, but that is because you are doing this all editor side, where they have specially set things up so at least it will work for the editors. Have you actually tried using it public side? I have. Read this thread, with things like "The ODP is like that a lot of the time unfortunately." It ain't just me. And, I'll gather you are not a Zealot if you have never heard of anyone complain about it before. Zeal is slow as molasses on the editor side, and Zealots frequently have complained about it.
Yeah, but that is because you are doing this all editor sideAnd you were talking about ODP editors, who would be expected to be primarily using the "editor side".
No, I was talking about the public side, which was the person who started this thread referred to. As an ODP editor, the idea is to edit a quality directory that is useful to the public. If the public using dmoz.org just keeps getting server error messages, then this isn't very useful to them.
Additionally there are hundreds of other sites using ODP data; the Google Directory (now back with a monthly update) being perhaps the largest.
g1smd, Thanks for the tip. ch.dmoz.org is fine. Thanks.
