digital preservation

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GE-97 Terminal: The Old Internet
2 months ago
- The site recreates a browser-based Windows 98 environment that boots, dials up, and browses the archived 1990s web with restored functionality (Flash, Java, VRML, MIDI, guestbooks, etc.).
- It also runs a Gopher server serving early internet directories, accessible via native Gopher clients or a proxy.
- The operator, Khalid Alshaikh, uses the site to document his work in archiving recent Saudi history, amateur radio (7Z1FP), and digital preservation.
- The domain has been repurposed multiple times (General Election 97, Growth & Earnings 97) and now serves as a living archive.
- GE-OS 98 is a work in progress, built in the open, with a suggestion box for broken features.
Why are the Artemis II photos on Flickr? - Anil Dash
2 months ago
- Flickr originated from the Web 2.0 era, emphasizing user control over data and content licensing.
- The platform was designed for high-resolution photography, preserving full image details and metadata.
- Flickr's adoption of Creative Commons licenses enabled clear permissions for reuse and remixing.
- After corporate acquisitions, Flickr was acquired by SmugMug, a family-owned company committed to long-term preservation.
- The Flickr Foundation, in collaboration with the Library of Congress, aims to archive public photos for 100 years.
- NASA uses Flickr to ensure its images are stored in full resolution, in the public domain, and protected from government censorship or alteration.
- Flickr's archival stability contrasts with modern social media, which often degrade image quality or lack long-term commitment.
Download Everything
2 months ago
- Online platforms are increasingly walled gardens requiring login, which limits reach and causes content to disappear.
- Linkrot is prevalent: even popular articles vanish quickly, disproving the myth that online content lasts forever.
- Use tools like Linkding to take snapshots and self-host content to avoid relying on temporary archives.
- Digital ownership is often illusory (e.g., Sony), so actively preserve your own content using POSSE and markdown/git storage.
Gone but Not Forgotten: Recovering the Dead Web
3 months ago
- Pew Research Center found 38% of 2013 webpages and 25% of 2013-2023 sampled pages are now inaccessible.
- Wayback Machine rescues about 15% of otherwise dead pages, reducing vanished URLs from 25% to 10% in Pew's dataset.
- Studies show increasing link rot, but web archives like Wayback Machine mitigate loss by archiving and rescuing dead content.

digital preservation

GE-97 Terminal: The Old Internet

Why are the Artemis II photos on Flickr? - Anil Dash

Download Everything

Gone but Not Forgotten: Recovering the Dead Web