[tor-dev] Retiring old user number estimates

[Karsten Loesing]

On 9/16/13 11:07 PM, Andrew Lewman wrote:
> On Mon, 16 Sep 2013 20:28:21 +0200
> Karsten Loesing <karsten at torproject.org> wrote:
> 
>> Why do I tell you this?
>>
>> Because the old approach uses resources on our poor, already
>> overloaded metrics machine, and I'm planning to shut down the old
>> approach in the very near future.  Here's the plan:
>>
>>  - Compute user numbers for 2012 and before; the current numbers start
>> on January 1, 2013.  This is going to take at least until September
>> 23.
> 
> What's stopping us from computing user numbers back to the beginning
> of recorded data?

The new approach uses directory byte histories, so bytes used for
answering directory requests, whereas the old approach used the general
byte histories.  The former is only available since about September
2010.  That's how far we can go back in time to compute user numbers in
the new approach.  Well, maybe a few months later, because not enough
relays/bridges reported these directory byte histories right from the start.

All the best,
Karsten