I'm not sure how the technical details would work exactly but enormous amounts of text can be stored very compactly as plain text documents. As I mentioned earlier I have the complete last five years or so posts to the CR list stored on my Gmail account and I am reasonably certain the whole thing would easily fit on a DVD or perhaps even a CD. I don't use an email client, but any member using Gmail that uses an email client that exports and archives their mail to a local HDD will have the entire collection. That said it would probably be easier, more comprehensive and more efficient to simply make copies of the entire archives from the server they are currently hosted on and create a simple searchable text database from them as that's essentially what the archives currently are. Then one can apply whatever Boolean search methodology one prefers to make them easily searchable.
Kurt Sperry Bellingham, Washington USA
On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 4:34 AM, Hilary Stone
<hilary.stone@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> It would very difficult to find anything if it was in pamphlet form - it
> would be much better as PDF document as it would then be easily
> searcheable...
>
> Hilary Stone, Bristol, British Isles
>
> Hilarystone.com
> Period bicycle frames & parts
>
>
> On 22/02/2011 15:34, mrrabbit@mrrabbit.net wrote:
>>
>> It has taken me awhile to get around to saying this:
>>
>> 1. I think Dale should ask for $5.00 apiece from each member, in the hopes
>> that
>>
>> at least 250 contibute.
>>
>> 2. Bring the archives to a University press shop nearby and ask that it be
>> pampletized.
>>
>> - Only those queries and responses that are historical in nature.
>> - Only those queries and responses that are technical in nature.
>> - Only those queries and responses that are howto in nature.
>> - Only those queries and responses that are biographical in nature.
>> - Only those queries and response that are "product errata" in nature.
>>
>> I.e., all small talk, "me too's", "attaboys" and "off-topic responses" are
>> filtered out.
>>
>> 3. When pampletized, each donor is offered the opportunity for a copy at
>> an
>> additional $10.00.
>>
>> 4. An extra 25 copies are run off. Those folks who are not donors up
>> front
>> would have to pay a much higher cost for one later on.
>>
>>
>> Bottom line is, I think what has been placed in the archives up until the
>> cutoff should be put in print form. It is essentially a book begging for
>> hard
>> print. Even the Library of Congress might want a copy.
>>
>> Just my two cents...
>>
>> =8-)
>>
>> Robert Shackelford
>> San Jose, CA USA
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Quoting Greg Arnold<greg@nofatmusic.com>:
>>
>>> Regarding the CR database.
>>>
>>> I must agree; the CR list entries is (are) a remarkable asset, unique
>>> even
>>> among the plethora of bicycle enthusiast websites on line now; and by its
>>> nature increasingly valuable as the CR community grows.
>>>
>>> It has grown into a massive, well vetted resource. The expert
>>> participants,
>>> the new topics always being added, old ones refined, new
>>> discoveries/products/resources discussed -
>>>
>>> there must be some cost-free way content of the list entries can be
>>> stored,
>>> auto-updated, and catalogued on Google? It is after all a simple, large,
>>> text document with minimal variables beyond date, author, and word search
>>> capability ... Who among us has Google chops?
>>>
>>> Thank you!
>>>
>>> Greg Arnold NYC
>>>
>>>
>>> greg@nofatmusic.com
>>> http://www.nofatmusic.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
>