Digital Archaeology

Digital Archaeology

Hardware archaeology, also software archaeology

Hardware

Keeping old gear going

Software

Old technologies like Macromedia Flash

Obsolesence of old software?

Questions

Is there a difference between hardware and software archeology?

Is one more difficult than the other?

Were devices made back then designed to last longer? What was their lifespan like?

The exhibition

Enjoyed the BBC Micro

Coding Basic

Tim Berners Lee first website (vague but interesting)

First website, 1991 (proposal 1989)

Speed of change

Acoustic coupler from 1982 - a phone handset converting signals!

Archie, first search engine, 1989

Digital archeology is …

digging up and restoring websites

Involves both hardware and software

Tbl made first web browser with first web site

Archaeology involves both software and hardware

Lost code

The code for the coffee pot cam was lost and had to be recreated

Macs stood the test of time a bit better

Quite a lot of machines are Macs there