Classic Hardware Documentation Project

I don't know what the "ideal" format for storing complete documents with both text and graphic representations of their content. I also don't want to resurrect the virtual war that resulted when I previously offered to generate PDF formatted files from dozens of floppy and hard disk documents in my possession. My scanner likes to produce TIF files and I can send 'em to you that way or in any other format that's hopefully easier to ship. Emanuel Stiebler was kind enough to scan the SHUGART and SEAGATE documents I have. His OCR software, which, in the wake of the flame-war over format, he hasn't yet found time to apply, prefers 4-bit greyscale for the best conversion. Mine prefers single-bit, which is naturally a quarter the size, so since mine produces typically 1 MB/page, his produced considerably more than that, and when he brought his 8GB SCSI drive for me to copy those files, I had to lay it off to tape because I didn't have that much space on my server. That documentation comprises perhaps half of one percent of what I'd like to put out there, but I absolutely don't want to form and maintain a website, so I'm grateful that you're willing. In compressed PDF, you can probably host hudreds of documents. In PCX, which I agree is an icky format, but which is about 1/4 the size of the single-bit TIF files my scanner coughs up, you won't even be able to host half my Intel documents. OCR is a possiblity, but there's no realtively easy way to link converted text to the associated illustrations, which are plentiful among old hardware doc's, to say nothing of the text found within the illustrations. I'd say you've got a tough job ahead of you, and I'll be sure to let you know they're about to demolish one of those old stock-brokerage/insurance company buildings with a 750TB disk farm still in it. Nonetheless, if you come up with a way to solve this data format/transport problem, please share it with me. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Jason McBrien <jbmcb(a)hotmail.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Thursday, November 18, 1999 3:50 PM Subject: Re: Classic Hardware Documentation Project of PCX-formatted be the