Comment Thoughts from the Original Poster & Implementation (Score 1) 188
I'm happy to see that my question has generated so much discussion. A few thoughts:
Indeed, it may be too early to determine which documents profoundly shaped the internet. However, this makes our task far more important & daunting. What WILL happen in twenty, thirty years when historians try to assemble this anthology? Because information is so readily lost (data formats change, web servers disappear, a gem of a file is lost because of information glut), we must seek to preserve files (as many as we can, without going overboard, anyway) that will POTENTIALLY be important. This does not mean that we should create a database with every RFC, essay, piece of code, internet-related legislature, Slashdot posting, USENET posting, etc. on the web. No -- it instead means that we should make informed guesses as to what documents will be interesting (or important) to internet historians in the future.
Here's how I propose we could go about this:
Use a slashdot-style web site. Users would post a URL to a certain document, explaining why they think it has significance. This gets added to the database. Then other readers can visit this URL, read the tex, return to the original poster's message, and then comment on it and give it a score (eg., between one and ten). All documents submitted would be maintained in the database (unless they were clearly spam, trolls, etc.), but scores would be attached to them, making it easier in the future. Perhaps -- depending on drive space available, the URL should actually be mirrored (to prevent future 404s); or we could press CDs/DVDs with the full text of these documents.
The site would be an ongoing effort. If an older document is discovered in five years that has significance, add it.
Regardless of what this site would turn out, it would be an important step in preserving the creation stage of the internet.
Please reply (on Slashdot) to this message if anybody has the time/interest to implement such a site. It could be a group effort -- I propose that we create either a working mailing list or web-based message board in the interim (before THIS Slashdot article disappears into oblivion). However, I also propose that in order to prevent lots of Slashdotters from creating numerous "competing" mailing lists, you all should hold off on this until a few people have a chance reply to this posting with their thoughts.
Indeed, it may be too early to determine which documents profoundly shaped the internet. However, this makes our task far more important & daunting. What WILL happen in twenty, thirty years when historians try to assemble this anthology? Because information is so readily lost (data formats change, web servers disappear, a gem of a file is lost because of information glut), we must seek to preserve files (as many as we can, without going overboard, anyway) that will POTENTIALLY be important. This does not mean that we should create a database with every RFC, essay, piece of code, internet-related legislature, Slashdot posting, USENET posting, etc. on the web. No -- it instead means that we should make informed guesses as to what documents will be interesting (or important) to internet historians in the future.
Here's how I propose we could go about this:
Use a slashdot-style web site. Users would post a URL to a certain document, explaining why they think it has significance. This gets added to the database. Then other readers can visit this URL, read the tex, return to the original poster's message, and then comment on it and give it a score (eg., between one and ten). All documents submitted would be maintained in the database (unless they were clearly spam, trolls, etc.), but scores would be attached to them, making it easier in the future. Perhaps -- depending on drive space available, the URL should actually be mirrored (to prevent future 404s); or we could press CDs/DVDs with the full text of these documents.
The site would be an ongoing effort. If an older document is discovered in five years that has significance, add it.
Regardless of what this site would turn out, it would be an important step in preserving the creation stage of the internet.
Please reply (on Slashdot) to this message if anybody has the time/interest to implement such a site. It could be a group effort -- I propose that we create either a working mailing list or web-based message board in the interim (before THIS Slashdot article disappears into oblivion). However, I also propose that in order to prevent lots of Slashdotters from creating numerous "competing" mailing lists, you all should hold off on this until a few people have a chance reply to this posting with their thoughts.
