
If you can't remember what domain(s) Sci-Hub is on why not make it all of them? - dredmorbius
https://www.reddit.com/r/Scholar/comments/7m3uin/meta_if_you_cant_remember_what_domains_scihub_is/
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Sniffnoy
The simpler solution here is to just put it in your HOSTS file. And you don't
really need to put all of them in there; just put in sci-hub.org and use that.

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dredmorbius
How many hosts do you manage?

Will your hosts file handle 1542 TLDs?

Does your device _have_ a configurable hosts file?

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dannyw
Is there any reason for having 1542 TLDs that point to the same address
instead of just one, other than wasting time trying to conform to invented but
pointless requirements?

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dredmorbius
Yes: Demonstrating that the "we're gonna take your domains away" approach
fails, and will result in backlash.

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jwilk
Demonstrating to whom?

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knolan
Maybe I’m being thick, and I apologise, but why not just bookmark tbe IPs?

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JamesBarney
[https://mobile.twitter.com/Sci_Hub/status/933085186614611968](https://mobile.twitter.com/Sci_Hub/status/933085186614611968)

Sci-hub currently does not fully function via IP address.

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dredmorbius
As noted: it doesn't work.

I've just expanded on why hosts files or other options don't offer the power
of DNSMasq:

[https://www.reddit.com/r/Scholar/comments/7m3uin/meta_if_you...](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scholar/comments/7m3uin/meta_if_you_cant_remember_what_domains_scihub_is/drr862i/)

A fair bit of this also falls out of the fact that _DNSMasq is already
running, configured, and modularised much as I describe in the original post._
The larger part of that describes _how to get to the point_ of dropping in a
single script-generated file to provide Sci-Hub access on _literally any TLD
on the Internet_ in a fraction of a second, _for all managed systems._

Note that not all systems can use hosts files: Android devices and iOS are
highly resistant to this. They would have to be individually configured. Using
DNSMasq, _any device_ acquiring network leases from the local DHCP server is
automagickally configured. "It just works."

The idea occurred to me a few days ago, and I ginned up and tested the
solution in about five minutes. It took ten times longer to actually document
it.

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incompatible
I have the Sci-Hub Wikipedia page bookmarked, it gives plenty of domains to
choose from.

~~~
dredmorbius
I want more.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITs-
YX1yQ7o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITs-YX1yQ7o)

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jancsika
Dear IPFS, Are you a solution to this problem?

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dredmorbius
I don't know. For addressing individual content via a hash, yes, but I've not
been impressed by the underlying usability.

My view of IPFS is that it's an address/directory-level piece of
infrastructure that requires a UI/UX layer on top of it that abstracts out the
hashes, which are _not_ particularly human-sensible.

~~~
xf86alsa
[https://zeronet.io](https://zeronet.io) perhaps? Bitcoin public address that
can be mapped to a *.bit namecoin domain.

~~~
dredmorbius
I'll pass, thanks.

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dredmorbius
OP, in the event you've questions.

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giomasce
I use the Telegram bot. Very quick, always on, keeps a history, available on
all devices.

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dredmorbius
Sorry, can you explain what this does specifically?

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giomasce
You install Telegram, you contact the bot
[https://t.me/scihubbot](https://t.me/scihubbot), you send him a DOI and it
will answer with the PDF (if it has it).

Sometimes it says (in Russian) there is an error fetching the paper: I
understand that in such a case it does not have the paper, but the paper is
available on GenLib, so you can go there. But it is not frequent.

~~~
dredmorbius
That sounds as if it's adding another layer (and possible failure mode)
between you and Sci-Hub. How does the bot itself access the content? What
keeps it from being attacked as Sci-Hub has, by publishers?

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giomasce
SciHub is unfortunately rather opaque on its internals (and that is definitely
something that I would like to see changed), but it seems that the Telegram
bot is blessed by the official Twitter account. In practice, I have often
found it more reliable than the website, and it does not have problems with
finding the right TLD. Also, as I said, it retains the history and it shared
is with other devices, provided that you consider that a plus.

~~~
dredmorbius
SciHub has operated at a set of IPs for most or all of its existence,
certainly the past several years so far as I'm aware.

So long as you resolve it by hostname at those IPs, by whatever means, you'll
be able to reach it there. _If_ the IPs themselves are accessible.

If Telegram works for you, great. Meantime, if some school or research
organisation that cannot afford to pay Western prices for academic content
cares to set up their own networking infrastructure to provide access similar
to the methods I've suggested, also great.

