On Thu, Dec 21, 2017 at 11:02 AM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
This discussion thread, was/is about using some kind of "blockchain technology" to preserve vintage computing data, programs, PDF's, photos - you know, the digital bits - with some kind of distributed file system like "blockchain".
I'm afraid that in my stone-age 20th century opinion, this is all besides the point, in any number of ways.
0) I refuse to engage in discussion of "blockchain" as per preservation of vintage computing content. Blockchain is a means to an end. I'll address the "end".
1) The issue of preservation of digitized content, is mostly about physical archives. Either one has physical media (say, CD-ROMs) or one has a physical presence for accessable data (some file server on a Web domain). A number of people and organizations do this; they should be supported. If someone wants to add themselves to the crowd, save and distribute copies, that's up to them. If someone wants to create a new organization, they can do that.
Otherwise, show some love to those digital archives that you USE for vintage computing. Every day. For free - except someone is paying someone for your "freedom".
2) The issue of saving CONTENT does not preserve *physical artifacts*. I have worked for decades to support and preserve S-100 physical systems, root out their history, support their restoration. Real cards, real power supplies, real diskettes, real paper documentation. All the emulation in the world is not the same as a "ugly box of boards", sitting on your desk, roaring fans, clunking floppy drives, blinking lights, toggling switches (if any, that stopped in 1979 or so), and so on.
The challenges of preserving physical artifacts are enormous. Physical space and collecting them is only the beginning. Putting them *back to use* is challenging squared. There's many "museums" which are stacks of computers on a shelf. They have "don't touch" policies, and few on-staff who know how to plug in an AC power cord. The legacy of use, and the capacity to read old data and programs, depends on *use* of vintage computing devices.
Emulators succeed in running recovered data and programs. They are very useful in reverse-engineering programs and data files (even on audio cassettes) which are already (re)digitized. They simulate computing on a screen, on modern computers: this at the very least, encourages interest.
But there was a time when personal computing was NOT about images on a TV screen! Preserve *that*!
Regards, Herb "Flintstone Computing" Johnson
Very reasonable. As far as what's in electronic format now, blockchain's big thing is security and verification, not file distribution. A VCFed-sponsored or privately managed bit torrent server would be more apt to what you're talking about. There are Tandy, Commodore, PC, Apple, CP/M collections that would be perfect for such things. Also useful for ISOs of workstation build CDs. I have used bit torrent to capture these. If 5 or 10 of us kept a bit torrent session active with some of these collections that would be the functional equivalent of what I believe you're talking about. We could set up an internal password for VCFed members I suppose to keep it within the group. Bill