[DECtalk] Status of the archive

[Tony Baechler]

Hi Jayson,

I would like to make two points here.  First, I have a complete zip file 
of the archive already.  It is on a different drive, so even if my drive 
crashes, I have a backup.  If the archive closes, I would either put the 
zip file up somewhere or send it to people who ask.  I created it 
because someone asked for the complete archive in a zip file and I 
didn't set up rsync.  If I go that route, the zip file would have a 
password because of the legal issues and adult material and it would be 
put somewhere without bandwidth limitations.

The second point is about people downloading the same files over and 
over.  By default in Windows browsers, you specifically have to tell it 
to save mp3 files.  If you just open them like normal, it downloads the 
file and plays it but doesn't save it permanently.  Probably people are 
just listening to the same files many times over without bothering to 
save them somewhere.  It should be explained that you have to 
right-click and choose to "save link as" or "save target as," but I 
don't think most people read the README files.

In closing, I've more or less given up on the torrent idea discussed 
here previously.  It isn't worth the effort and I don't know of a 
tracker.  I don't think a DVD iso is a good idea either because people 
would be required to either open it with special software or burn it 
just to look.  I like the idea of a big zip file with a password, 
especially since it's already made.  As always, thoughts and suggestions 
are welcome.  Again, nothing permanent has been decided yet.

On 9/22/2009 11:43 PM, Jayson Smith wrote:
> I've seen a decline in the interest in making DECtalk sing. For a while
> before I decided to hand the archive over to Tony, I didn't get any uploads.
> And yes, I did turn it over to him because of bandwidth issues, which is the
> strange thing. People seem to be infatuated with the archive. I don't know
> what it is, but it seems either tons of people discover the archive
> constantly, which seems rather unlikely. Or the same people download the
> same files over and over and over again. I know that shouldn't be it either,
> as it's rather simple to save a local copy of a downloaded file so you can
> play it whenever you want, as many times as you want, forever, without ever
> downloading it from anyone else again.
>       Sad though this may seem, I pretty much agree with Tony that the
> DECtalk archive has outlived its usefulness. When making DECtalk sing was a
> hugely popular thing to do, there needed to be an archive of people's
> creations. But now that's died off. That having been said, I don't think the
> archive should be totally destroyed. Any time there has been an archive like
> this one, I think it ought to exist in one form or another as long as
> there's someone out there willing to allow it to do so. What I envision
> happening to the archive is possibly a DVD ISO being made, or something
> similar. That way, it can continue to exist, and be available in its
> entirety if someone is willing to host it, as an archive now closed to new
> submissions. That is, the archive is what it is, and will forever more stay
> the same.
> Thoughts? Comments?
> Jayson
>