Editing 1909: Digital Resource Lifespan
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
+ | {{incomplete|Can someone make a table of all the different resources types?}} | ||
In this chart, [[Randall]] laments the tendency of digital resources to quickly become obsolete or non-functional. By taking a general subject, such as xkcd's core subjects of "romance, sarcasm, math, and language", one can see that a useful tool such as a smartphone or computer app or interactive CD-ROM (essentially, software) does not have the lasting power of printed books (e.g. textbooks, for many general subjects) and microfilm/microfiche. The printed resources, not having to rely on a computerized platform for use, are far more reliable despite being less mobile and taking up physical space. The only digital source which is still working is {{w|Portable Document Format}} (aka PDF) which encapsulates fixed layout flat documents, and is supported for years already by {{w|Adobe Systems}} and is part of {{w|International Organization for Standardization|ISO}} standards, so has a widespread support, and should be still viewable in foreseeable future. | In this chart, [[Randall]] laments the tendency of digital resources to quickly become obsolete or non-functional. By taking a general subject, such as xkcd's core subjects of "romance, sarcasm, math, and language", one can see that a useful tool such as a smartphone or computer app or interactive CD-ROM (essentially, software) does not have the lasting power of printed books (e.g. textbooks, for many general subjects) and microfilm/microfiche. The printed resources, not having to rely on a computerized platform for use, are far more reliable despite being less mobile and taking up physical space. The only digital source which is still working is {{w|Portable Document Format}} (aka PDF) which encapsulates fixed layout flat documents, and is supported for years already by {{w|Adobe Systems}} and is part of {{w|International Organization for Standardization|ISO}} standards, so has a widespread support, and should be still viewable in foreseeable future. | ||
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+ | The title text makes a statement that libraries do not require the support of ''original'' authors/experts to organize and store vast resources for any subject imaginable. This is true, but omits the fact that ongoing efforts are required by experts in information organization and storage -- namely, librarians. Physical books and microfilm/microfiche need controlled storage environments, manual handling for storage, retrieval, distribution (in library terms, "circulation"), and the like. Thus, a library can require significant resources in personnel and facilities, but is usually seen as a "public good" for the benefit of society; thus, many communities and educational institutions invest in creating and maintaining a library despite the costs. | ||
Archive.org refers to {{w|The Internet Archive}}, a non-profit organization that maintains the {{w|Wayback Machine}}, one of the largest archives of the {{w|World Wide Web}}. When a website is taken offline, copies of its content can often be found backed-up on the Wayback Machine. The Wayback Machine is primarily designed to back up {{w|Website|websites}}, however, and will often not be able to save information stored in a site's {{w|Database|databases}}, as alluded to in the comic. The Internet Archive has a part for non-website archives, but it cannot hold recent databases either due to copyright problems. | Archive.org refers to {{w|The Internet Archive}}, a non-profit organization that maintains the {{w|Wayback Machine}}, one of the largest archives of the {{w|World Wide Web}}. When a website is taken offline, copies of its content can often be found backed-up on the Wayback Machine. The Wayback Machine is primarily designed to back up {{w|Website|websites}}, however, and will often not be able to save information stored in a site's {{w|Database|databases}}, as alluded to in the comic. The Internet Archive has a part for non-website archives, but it cannot hold recent databases either due to copyright problems. | ||
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==Table== | ==Table== | ||
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|Book on Subject | |Book on Subject | ||
|{{w|Book|Physical Books}} | |{{w|Book|Physical Books}} | ||
− | |This is the most | + | |This is the most familliar physical resource and used as the baseline for other (digital) resources. |
− | Under optimal conditions, a book can last | + | Under optimal conditions, a book can last indefinetely for future generations. Addtionally, there are books from the ancient times that are still readable today.{{Citation needed}} |
|- | |- | ||
|<nowiki>[Subject].pdf</nowiki> | |<nowiki>[Subject].pdf</nowiki> | ||
|{{w|Portable Document Format}} | |{{w|Portable Document Format}} | ||
− | |This is the most | + | |This is the most familliar digital resource, with the probable exception of the internet. A format originally developed by Adobe, the majority of the format is now an {{w|Portable_Document_Format#History_and_standardization|ISO standard}} which means a compliant reader and writer can be made independently (which avoids the majority of the pitfalls described on later resources). |
A PDF file is designed to be portable (it is even in the acronym), which means unless the creator of the PDF uses a web-only feature (which is non-standard), it can be opened everywhere a PDF reader is found. Authors may also opt for a stricter, "archival" version ({{w|PDF/A}}) which ensures that both required files are placed on the same PDF file and only documented formats are used to prevent the reliance on non-standardized formats. | A PDF file is designed to be portable (it is even in the acronym), which means unless the creator of the PDF uses a web-only feature (which is non-standard), it can be opened everywhere a PDF reader is found. Authors may also opt for a stricter, "archival" version ({{w|PDF/A}}) which ensures that both required files are placed on the same PDF file and only documented formats are used to prevent the reliance on non-standardized formats. | ||
|- | |- | ||
|<nowiki>[Subject] Web Database</nowiki> | |<nowiki>[Subject] Web Database</nowiki> | ||
|{{w|Database}} | |{{w|Database}} | ||
− | |Another type of a | + | |Another type of a digtal resource which is, in itself, is like a digital library. Unlike a physical library however, it is usually only stored in a single file or server (there are instances that the database is distributed, but it is rare), which means that a failure to that server means that the database is wiped out, not to metion the gigantic space it takes (that is why the whole database are not stored in a digital archive, like the Internet Archive). |
− | + | Addtionally, unlike PDFs, there are almost-infinte ways of storing and retrieving data in a database, which means that when the method used becomes unsupported (like the Java scenario, which is of now is completely unusable in web browsers), the data in it is effectively lost (whether if the data-in-question is still physically on the server). | |
|- | |- | ||
|<nowiki>[Subject] Mobile App</nowiki> | |<nowiki>[Subject] Mobile App</nowiki> | ||
<small>(Local University Project)</small> | <small>(Local University Project)</small> | ||
|{{w|Mobile app|Mobile App}} | |{{w|Mobile app|Mobile App}} | ||
− | |A type of digital resource that expands upon the idea of a web database. It allows easy access on a | + | |A type of digital resource that expands upon the idea of a web database. It allows easy access on a moble device, however, as it is stated that it is a local university project, which means that support for it lasts only at most for a few years (which is not enough to maintain an application). |
− | + | Additonally, {{w|Operating System|Operating Systems}} can get obsolete (like the {{w|Symbian}} platform used on older {{w|Nokia}} phones) or critical changes to it breaks older applications (like on the [http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-41319675 Apple iOS]). | |
|- | |- | ||
|<nowiki>[Subject] Analysis Software</nowiki> | |<nowiki>[Subject] Analysis Software</nowiki> | ||
|{{w|Application software|Desktop Application}} | |{{w|Application software|Desktop Application}} | ||
− | |A type of executable program that is found on desktop systems. It allows reliable access on a desktop system, which means that (assuming the program is offline) it can survive on its own. However, {{w|Operating System|Operating Systems}} can get obsolete (like the {{w|Classic Mac OS}} platform used on older {{w| | + | |A type of executable program that is found on desktop systems. It allows reliable access on a desktop system, which means that (assuming the program is offline) it can survive on its own. However, {{w|Operating System|Operating Systems}} can get obsolete (like the {{w|Classic Mac OS}} platform used on older {{w|Machintosh|Mac}} computers) or critical changes to it breaks older applications (like the new security features on {{w|Microsoft Windows|Windows}} which breaks older non-compliant programs). |
|- | |- | ||
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|<nowiki>Interactive [Subject] CD-ROM</nowiki> | |<nowiki>Interactive [Subject] CD-ROM</nowiki> | ||
|{{w|Application software|Desktop Application}}, {{w|CD-ROM|CD-ROMs}} | |{{w|Application software|Desktop Application}}, {{w|CD-ROM|CD-ROMs}} | ||
− | |A CD can hold anything from music to videos to applications. It also allows better offline access, and such were used in the 1990s and the early 2000s. It is still a fancy desktop application, which means that the situation on the analysis software applies here, not to | + | |A CD can hold anything from music to videos to applications. It also allows better offline access, and such were used in the 1990s and the early 2000s. It is still a fancy desktop application, which means that the situation on the analysis software applies here, not to metion the fact that a new invetion can replace an obsolete one (for example, {{w|Microsoft Encarta}} was discontinued in 2010 due to the ease-of-access of {{w|Main Page|Wikipedia}}). |
− | + | Addtionally, this also covers the changes in a physical system: in the 1980s, {{w|Floppy disk|floppy diskettes}} were used, which was replaced in the 1990s by the CDs and DVDs, which then was replaced by {{w|Thumb drive|thumb drives}} in the 2000s, which is then supplemeted (and in some cases, replaced entirely) by wireless device-to-device transfers (like {{w|Bluetooth}}) and internet file transfers using online storage (like {{w|Dropbox}} and {{w|Google Drive}}). | |
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