SF is just a mirror at this point.
No it isn't... It's the only official place from where people can get compiled binaries.
Why would people be dumb enough to trust compiled binaries? Compile from source, audit the source.
You obviously live in your own personal fantasy world.
If bitcoin is ever going to be successful, the _vast_ of folks who are going to end up
running the client won't have the first clue about compiling anything (as a matter of
fact, that's probably already the case).
Of those actually capable of compiling a client, very few have the expertise to read
C++ code (and the client is non trivial code, to say the least). A quick search through
these forums for clamors of "please provide latest binary release of XXX" should be
have been your first clue.
Finally of the very tiny minority of peoplecapable of both compiling and reading C++
code, who the @&%$@ has the time to check every new commit against the code base ?
Puh-lease.
I would tend to agree with the OP: hosting the official clients on a site that abides by
US rules is unhealthy. I'd pick a place like a site hosted in sweden for official, checksummed
new releases and just mirror the stuff wherever.
+1 for this post.
There are still too many Bitcoiners who don't realize that in order for Bitcoin to succeed, it MUST be accessible to the general public whose experience with new software is simply download and click-click-click.