Use archetype plugin v2.x
Maven's archetype plugin v3.x does not seem to work with remote catalogs. Specify a 2.x version explicitly when calling the archetype plugin to avoid confusion with new users.
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ file (otherwise you will get a Maven error), for example an empty directory:
----
$ cd /tmp
-$ mvn archetype:generate -DarchetypeCatalog=http://cometd.org
+$ mvn org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-archetype-plugin:2.4:generate -DarchetypeCatalog=http://cometd.org
...
Choose archetype:
1: local -> org.cometd.archetypes:cometd-archetype-dojo-jetty9
