Loss of archives of Messrs Hewlett and Packard - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: qu1j0t3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 10:11:57 pm
content: Well, this is unfortunate:Quotehttp://bit.ly/2yd6Z2G

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 10:18:48 pm
content: That's bad news. Even though it might financially not be the biggest disaster, having history lost is arguably the greatest loss there is.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 10:24:05 pm
content: How the hell could they have been so stupid not to protect these papers better?

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 10:26:20 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on October 29, 2017, 10:24:05 pmFires are unforgiving. Even in a fire safe, you only have a limited period of time before the fire starts burning through. You really need something like a bunker, and in that case a fire might destroy it inside out.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 10:38:13 pm
content: Please don't split the same conversation across multiple sub forums. You will miss gems like this:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/hewlett-packard-historical-archives-destroyed-in-santa-rosa-fires/msg1335977/#msg1335977

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 10:39:54 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on October 29, 2017, 10:38:13 pmThat's a job for moderation and/or forum rules, not quite for us.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 10:47:08 pm
content: Don't be silly; this is courtesy, not something heinous that requires moderation!

author: qu1j0t3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 11:14:19 pm
content: I don't read all the forums so wasn't aware of the other thread. In any case, it would make sense for discussion to proceed there rather than here. It was courteous oftggzzzto point out its existence.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 11:19:55 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on October 29, 2017, 10:47:08 pmI've noticed before that there is a plethora of threads on similar or the same subject. This is quite different from other forums and apparently it's not considered a problem. There doesn't seem to be a policy on combining the discussion into a single thread, which I would personally prefer. Moderation isn't always about heinous things, it's often about supplying a framework.Thanks for posting about the other thread, though

author: qu1j0t3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 11:20:54 pm
content: Yes, it looks like a useful moderation feature here would be "close thread and redirect". Oh well.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 11:26:48 pm
content: Quote from: qu1j0t3 on October 29, 2017, 11:20:54 pmOr even merge threads. Now, information gets spread over various threads and people often angrily get pointed towards the search function.To be fair, making sure all information gets merged into one thread takes a fair bit of active moderation and it doesn't appear to me that Dave and friends want to go there. Pros and cons, I guess.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 11:32:16 pm
content: Quote from: qu1j0t3 on October 29, 2017, 11:14:19 pmI don't read the other subforums per se.I find it quick and convenient to use the two links at the top left, just under the "Hello X" - first the "new replies" for anything I'm likely to be interested in, then the "unread posts" to see if there are any new topics that might interest me, finally clicking the "mark all messages as read" button. YMMV, of couse.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 11:41:18 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on October 29, 2017, 10:26:20 pmNot to mention mold or silver fish if you get the temperature and humidity wrong.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 11:42:21 pm
content: Many people seem to forget that if there is something interesting to post then it will have been interesting to other people as well and mostly likely already posted about. Isn't it a bit of hubris to think that you are the first and only person to post about something newsworthy? If you come across something notable you should look and see who may already have started a thread on it before starting a thread of your own.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 11:46:58 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on October 29, 2017, 11:42:21 pmWhile true, it's also problematic to ask people to exhaustively search the forums. These threads were both posted at roughly the same time in two separate forums. Many people visit some parts frequently and others rarely. There also are peak periods in which the rate of new posts appearing is huge.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2017, 11:48:18 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on October 29, 2017, 11:41:18 pmDespite this, paper seems to be one of the more reliable storage mediums. Digital data is much harder to reliably store. Not just become bits tend to rot, but also because the systems required to read the data go obsolete and disappear. This is already becoming a big problem and will only get worse in the future.

author: qu1j0t3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2017, 12:04:52 am
content: No, not hubristic at all. I'm not a moderator, but I think all the meta-posting here has already done everything that it can usefully do. And any non-meta posting should be on the other thread.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2017, 12:11:36 am
content: Quote from: qu1j0t3 on October 30, 2017, 12:04:52 amWhy on the other thread? Is it whichever was first? Or has the most posts so far? Or is there some other metric that should define which thread gets to be the "main" thread?That's the problem with it not being an actual rule. Different people are going to have different views on the matter and some will just not care at all.

author: qu1j0t3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2017, 12:15:10 am
content: I don't disagree, but given the surprisingly high emotions expressed, I'm happy to defer to the other thread this time. We're not going to solve the (generally hard) problems of moderation right here.

author: qu1j0t3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2017, 12:16:30 am
content: Also I am looking forward to returning to vintage equipment discussion. I recently received a Tek 453 diverted from dumpster (!!!) and I will be posting pictures and a condition report soon.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2017, 12:18:19 am
content: Quote from: qu1j0t3 on October 30, 2017, 12:16:30 am"To divert from dumpster." I have to remember that terminology

author: qu1j0t3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2017, 12:30:58 am
content: An increasingly vital activity, it seems.