Difference between revisions of "Just Solve the Problem 2012"

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(Added section for related materials, e.g. software reference libraries and format-identification software)
(Added File Analyzer.)
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* http://www.nsrl.nist.gov/ National Software Reference Library (see also http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2012/05/life-saving-the-national-software-reference-library/)
* http://www.nsrl.nist.gov/ National Software Reference Library (see also http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2012/05/life-saving-the-national-software-reference-library/)
* http://www.openplanetsfoundation.org/software/fido Format Identification for Digital Objects
* http://www.openplanetsfoundation.org/software/fido Format Identification for Digital Objects
* https://github.com/usnationalarchives/File-Analyzer File Analyzer

Revision as of 22:27, 2 July 2012

JUST SOLVE THE PROBLEM

"Just Solve the Problem" is 30 days dedicated to solving a problem, that just needs lots of bodies thrown at it. Jason Scott announced this idea in this weblog entry.

This is the 2012 Problem described from the entry:

In the last couple centuries, we’ve created a number of self-encapsulated data sets, or “files”. Be they letters, programs, tapes, stamped foil, piano rolls, you name it. And while many of those data sets are self- evident, a fuck-ton are not. They’re obscure. They’re weird. And worst of all, many of them are the vital link to scores of historical information.

Everyone knows this problem. It’s why old novelists cry they can’t pull their first novel out of Wordperfect. It’s why someone who used U-matic tapes to record the first meetings of a famous protest group goes “oh well”. It’s why, in all things, someone looks at anything older than five years, and goes “bye”, figuring there’s nothing they can do.

And I’ve had to listen to the mewings about this problem for at least 20 years now, in various forms. A lot. And then the person lights up about maybe solving this problem, and then dims and says “well, we can’t really solve the problem”. Because they know – it’d take an army of people to do it.

Let’s make that goddamned army.

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