The precarious state of classic software and hardware preservation

[Jacob Ritorto]

How about all members here buy some big disks and take part in a number of curated torrents?  Publicize torrent health so it’s highly visible. Organize custodians (preferably using folks who are already doing an excellent job). Cost of access to the archives is that the prospective user can evidence that he’s helping sustain the collection. Sure there are holes in this plan. But it’d be a good actionable  start while we’re on the topic and it can be adjusted. 



> On Nov 20, 2021, at 11:55, Bill Degnan via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> That's why I am saying you literally need a family archivist who
> periodically converts content on old media to new media for.old family
> photos.  That is the only practical way to preserve things or than if the
> original paper/photo/tape exists and is still readable.  Extending to
> vintage computing, there will always have to be a community of archivists.
> B
> 
>> On Sat, Nov 20, 2021, 11:40 AM Chris Zach via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> On 11/20/2021 10:47 AM, Bill Degnan via cctalk wrote:
>>> All of the riches in the world did not prevent (and may have actually
>>> caused) the dilemma the LCM is in now.  I am sure a lot of it will be
>> saved
>>> and probably most will be preserved but not all.  And that's basically
>> how
>>> it is, history fades away, even the big things.  It takes a lot of
>>> foresight and teaching the young folks about the importance of learning
>>> from the past.
>> 
>> One of these days I really need to write down the whole history of
>> AI.AI.MIT.EDU, MC, LSD, and how I had to rescue it not once, twice, but
>> three times from loading docks where it would have been put in the
>> trash. Each time I had to show up with a U-Hack to rescue it and find
>> another home where it would be "saved forever"....
>> 
>> That's why I wonder about it at LCM: I would so not be surprised if I
>> got a call from a trash company saying "Hey, we found this note in a
>> large pile of metal crap, can you be here in 12 hours so we don't have
>> to drag this thing to the dump? We're lazy and would appreciate the
>> beers more"
>> 
>> But what happens when I am dead? I can't be the guardian of that thing
>> forever....
>> 
>> CZ
>>