From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from lists.gentoo.org (pigeon.gentoo.org [208.92.234.80]) by finch.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 792E7138370 for ; Tue, 8 Jan 2013 16:30:20 +0000 (UTC) Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 4BB4A21C076; Tue, 8 Jan 2013 16:30:06 +0000 (UTC) Received: from out5-smtp.messagingengine.com (out5-smtp.messagingengine.com [66.111.4.29]) (using TLSv1 with cipher ADH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 7AA7AE060F for ; Tue, 8 Jan 2013 16:28:35 +0000 (UTC) Received: from compute2.internal (compute2.nyi.mail.srv.osa [10.202.2.42]) by gateway1.nyi.mail.srv.osa (Postfix) with ESMTP id F15AB20F80 for ; Tue, 8 Jan 2013 11:28:34 -0500 (EST) Received: from frontend1.nyi.mail.srv.osa ([10.202.2.160]) by compute2.internal (MEProxy); Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:28:34 -0500 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=binarywings.net; h=message-id:date:from:mime-version:to:subject:references :in-reply-to:content-type; s=mesmtp; bh=HbjFH9fOyES8DzPia1x20FCz E8g=; b=CSErQi4TDacjaBsH0YGmm0DWqqqrEMtC5PyuwVPGh/4F/0dmEhGM0FnO LaxoJv/Xp6/h6Wlpr2P87VB/Ore7I+ocZLI4nPECM313MEfvI9ubM3FzhuGo6RTw OLT6bXg5im3JQtsxYutV/3redLBP92DOiF6KmunWnuSy0cJ3gLA= DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; d= messagingengine.com; h=message-id:date:from:mime-version:to :subject:references:in-reply-to:content-type; s=smtpout; bh=HbjF H9fOyES8DzPia1x20FCzE8g=; b=XTpaVhQN/bOX6gzlcMvouDdTkS4lqyadbGjT CA0Bwr2+MqV5PBXcwDFTuydmkPzs8r+2GzN3iskEetoLEloW1ebZm7ylcWGtSmcH KALVeqLrj5BcyMgxdp4ryRva2mwGb1r/wwMONZkoujaEG+6oSHXEAHak01Nq85yI YfPCs0Y= X-Sasl-enc: uq9VPozjbE/IGnPCJblAxCR8P4DLbhbpam/GypbsLKiX 1357662514 Received: from [192.168.5.18] (unknown [83.169.5.6]) by mail.messagingengine.com (Postfix) with ESMTPA id BFAFF8E0795 for ; Tue, 8 Jan 2013 11:28:33 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <50EC4929.8020307@binarywings.net> Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:28:25 +0100 From: Florian Philipp User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:10.0.11) Gecko/20121130 Thunderbird/10.0.11 Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Reply-to: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org MIME-Version: 1.0 To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] Re: OT: Fighting bit rot References: <50EB2BF7.4040109@binarywings.net> <20130108012016.2f02c68c@khamul.example.com> <50EBCA77.8030603@binarywings.net> In-Reply-To: X-Enigmail-Version: 1.3.5 Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="------------enigAED70C24F5FF82830FEB29DB" X-Archives-Salt: d0c5295f-b87e-4bbe-8193-247e6681adff X-Archives-Hash: ba144f1d48291cf4297db1df67c1ceb2 This is an OpenPGP/MIME signed message (RFC 2440 and 3156) --------------enigAED70C24F5FF82830FEB29DB Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Am 08.01.2013 16:42, schrieb Michael Mol: > On Tue, Jan 8, 2013 at 10:29 AM, Grant Edwards > wrote: >> On 2013-01-08, Florian Philipp wrote: >>> Am 08.01.2013 00:20, schrieb Alan McKinnon: >>>> On Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:11:35 +0100 >>>> Florian Philipp wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hi list! >>>>> >>>>> I have a use case where I am seriously concerned about bit rot [1] >>>>> and I thought it might be a good idea to start looking for it in my= >>>>> own private stuff, too. >>> [...] >>>>> [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_rot >>>>> >>>>> Regards, >>>>> Florian Philipp >>>>> >>>> >>>> You are using a very peculiar definition of bitrot. >>>> >>>> "bits" do not "rot", they are not apples in a barrel. Bitrot usually= >>>> refers to code that goes unmaintained and no longer works in the >>>> system it was installed. What definition are you using? >>> >>> That's why I referred to wikipedia, not the jargon file ;-) >> >> The wikipedia page to which you refer has _two_ definitions. The >> "uncommon" on you're using: >> >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_rot#Decay_of_storage_media >> >> and the the common one: >> >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_rot#Problems_with_software >> >> I've heard the term "bit rot" for decades, but I've never heard the >> "decay of storage media" usage. It's always referred to unmaintained >> code that no longer words because of changes to tools or the >> surrounding environment. >=20 > Frankly, I'd heard of bitrot first as applying to decay of storage > media. But this was back when your average storage media decay > (floppies and early hard disks) was expected to happen within months, > if not weeks. >=20 > The term's applying to software utility being damaged by assumptions > about its platform is a far, far newer application of the term. I > still think of "crappy media and errors in transmission" before I > think of platform compatibility decay. >=20 > -- > :wq >=20 Google Scholar and Google Search have both usages on the first page of their search results for bit rot. So let's agree that both forms are common depending on the context. Next time, when I write about "Fighting bugs" I'll make it clear if I'm dealing with an infestation of critters. Regards, Florian Philipp --------------enigAED70C24F5FF82830FEB29DB Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: OpenPGP digital signature Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="signature.asc" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.19 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAlDsSSwACgkQqs4uOUlOuU8TogCfYyWaaRykzpdFRhnX+ilmWgIl UDAAn3judOz3PBr4Qf6oTQoy3MJXKQ87 =nft+ -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------enigAED70C24F5FF82830FEB29DB--