Just Solve the File Format Problem - User contributions [en]

Library

2014-12-18T18:09:54Z

JesseWofZ: add two responses from Microsoft

Here's a collection of articles related to the File Format problem, this project, or education about the type of endeavor this sort of project entails.

* [http://unsustainableideas.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/open-letter-ms-obsolete-formats/ Open letter to Microsoft on specs for obsolete file formats] by Chris Rusbridge.
** [http://unsustainableideas.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/response-open-letter-obsolete-ms-formats/ Reply from Microsoft]
** [http://unsustainableideas.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/more-from-microsoft/ 2nd reply from Microsoft]

* [http://unsustainableideas.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/ppt-4-adventure-learning/ The PowerPoint 4.0 adventure: what did I learn?] by Chris Rusbridge.
* [http://blog.dshr.org/2012/10/cleaning-up-formats-through-time-mess.html Cleaning up the "Formats through Time" mess] by David Rosenthal.
* [http://blog.dshr.org/2014/04/what-could-possibly-go-wrong.html What Could Possibly Go Wrong?] by David Rosenthal
* [http://infotrope.net/2012/11/30/importing-data-is-hard/ Importing data is hard] by Skud
* [http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/8029 The Format Registry Problem] by Gary McGath
* [http://filesthatlast.com/ Files that Last: Digital Preservation for Everygeek] by Gary McGath
* [http://archive.org/details/XFRSTN_FAQ XFER STN FAQ] by New Museum of Contemporary Art (info on their project to preserve artists' multimedia from archaic formats)
* [http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2013/08/solving-problems-and-saving-bits-an-interview-with-jason-scott/ Solving Problems and Saving Bits: An Interview with Jason Scott] by Jefferson Bailey, for the Library of Congress blog
* [http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2013/10/11/the-mother-of-all-disruptions/ The Mother of All Disruptions] by Venkat (what he calls "soft technology" corresponds pretty well with what's called "file format" here)
* [http://rbriggs87.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/disappearing-digital-world/ Disappearing Digital World] by Rebecca E. “Becky” Briggs
* [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/process-starts-to-select-open-standards-for-government-documents Process starts to select open standards for government documents (UK)]
* [http://vimeo.com/album/2651464/video/81873487 Jason Scott speech at DISH 2013] (video)
* [http://exponentialdecay.co.uk/blog/genesis-of-a-file-format/ Genesis of a file format] by Ross Spencer
* [http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/16/digital-failures-software Digital failures are inevitable, but we need them to be graceful] by Cory Doctorow
* [http://fsfe.org/activities/os/minimalisticstandards.html The minimal principle: because being an open standard is not enough.] by Bernhard Reiter
* [http://bjoern.brembs.net/2014/03/what-is-the-difference-between-text-data-and-code/ What is the difference between text, data and code?] by Björn Brembs
* [http://famicoman.com/2014/05/20/philosophy-of-data-organization/ Philosophy of Data Organization] by Famicoman
* [http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/06/saving-old-software-from-extinction-in-the-age-of-cloud-computing/ Saving old software from extinction in the age of cloud computing] by Ron Amadeo
* [http://qanda.digipres.org//38/what-is-a-file-format?show=44 What is a file format?] (Discussion)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6265976.stm Warning of data ticking time bomb] (BBC News, 2007)
* [http://contentsmagazine.com/articles/dark-archives/ Dark Archives] by Tim Maly
* [http://files.d-nb.de/nestor/materialien/nestor_mat_15-eng.pdf Nestor guidelines for preservation planning]
* [https://themanual.org/read/issues/4/paul-ford/article On File Formats, Very Briefly] by Paul Ford

Microsoft Works Database

2014-12-17T22:39:54Z

JesseWofZ: add link to CodeAlchemists parser

A partial parser is available here: https://bitbucket.org/jesseweinstein/sundry-python-stuff/src/82df96b0efd6acd144d39a18c6a244dced577664/msworks.py?at=master

Documentation of the format (based on the parser above) is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:JesseW/wdb_format

Another parser is available here (written in Java): http://www.codealchemists.com/worksdatabaseconverter/

See [[Ext:wdb]] for the [[User:Bender]]-created links.

Microsoft Works Database

2014-12-17T22:36:39Z

JesseWofZ: add the parser I made many years ago, and link to the Bender page

A partial parser is available here: https://bitbucket.org/jesseweinstein/sundry-python-stuff/src/82df96b0efd6acd144d39a18c6a244dced577664/msworks.py?at=master

Documentation of the format (based on the parser above) is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:JesseW/wdb_format

See [[Ext:wdb]] for the [[User:Bender]]-created links.

Databases

2014-12-17T22:34:33Z

JesseWofZ: /* Uncategorized */ add Microsoft Works Database

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|thiscat=Databases
|image=File manager.png
}}

See also [[Serialization]] for methods of storing, exporting, importing, and transferring structured data.

Classes of databases:

== CODASYL databases ==

* [[DBMS32]] (DEC)
* [[DMS1100]] (Univac)
* [[IDS/2]] (Honeywell)
* [[IDMS]] (Cullinet, and later Computer Associates)

== General databases ==

* [[BigTable]] (Google internal database)
* [[dBase II]]
* [[dBase III]]
* [[FoxPro]]
* [[LevelDB]]
* [[Mork]]

== Hierarchical databases ==

* [[IMS]]

== ISAM (Indexed Sequential Access Method) ==

* [[Ability Database]] (.adb)
* [[Access]] (was also known as Jet)
* [[Extensible Storage Engine]] (ESE, EDB)
* [[Paradox]]

== Multiformat platforms/programs/libraries/utilities ==

* [[dat]]

== NoSQL databases ==

* [[CouchDB]]
* [[MongoDB]]
* [[Clusterpoint]]

== Object-oriented databases ==

* [[Cache]]
* [[db40]]
* [[Gemstone]]
* [[Objectivity]]
* [[ObjectStore]]
* [[Versant]]

== Relational databases ==

* [[Derby]]
* [[HSQLDB]]
* [[IBM DB2]]
* [[Ingres]]
* [[MemSQL]]
* [[MySQL]]
* [[Oracle]]
** [[ARC (database backup format)]]
* [[PostGRESQL]]
* [[SIARD]]
* [[DB SQL Anywhere|SQL Anywhere]]
* [[DB (SQLite)|SQLite]]
* [[Virtuoso]]
* [[DB (Watcom-SQL)|Watcom SQL]]

== Triplestores ==

* [[3store]]
* [[Apache Jena]]
* [[Mulgara]]

== XML databases ==
* [[BaseX]]
* [[Documentum xDB]]
* [[eXist-db]]
* [[MarkLogic]]
* [[Oracle XML DB]]
* [[Qizx]]
* [[Sedna]]
* [[Tamino]]
* [[TEXTML]]
* [[TigerLogic XDMS]]
* [[Xpriori XMS]]
* [[XQuantum]]

== Uncategorized ==
* [[Tabular Data Package]]
* [[Wikibase]] (back end of Wikidata project from Wikimedia)
* [[Microsoft Works Database]]

== Links ==

* [http://blog.okfn.org/2013/04/24/frictionless-data-making-it-radically-easier-to-get-stuff-done-with-data/ Frictionless data]
* [http://oddc.opendataresearch.org/ Open Data Research Network]
* [http://www.chrisstucchio.com/blog/2013/hadoop_hatred.html Don't use Hadoop - your data isn't that big]
* [http://readwrite.com/2013/10/28/why-proprietary-big-data-technologies-have-no-hope-of-competing-with-hadoop Why Proprietary Big Data Technologies Have No Hope Of Competing With Hadoop]
* [http://www.itnews.com.au/News/357842,social-networks-stick-with-mysql.aspx Social networks stick with MySQL]
* [http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cpo/vol1/iss1/4/ From Punched Cards to "Big Data": A Social History of Database Populism]
* [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/168702 If you move your mouse continually the query may not fail. Do not stop moving] (that's Microsoft for you)
* [http://boingboing.net/2014/01/31/whos-to-blame-for-daughter.html Who's to blame for 'Daughter Killed in Car Crash' mailing sent to parents? Big Data.]
* [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/21a6e7d8-b479-11e3-a09a-00144feabdc0.html Big data: are we making a big mistake?]
* [http://magazine.columbia.edu/features/winter-2013-14/ghost-files Big data analysis to see what's missing from the national archives]
* [http://sbdevel.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/terabyte-index-search-and-faceting-with-solr/ Terabyte index, search and faceting with Solr]
* [http://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/rfs/data.html Library of Congress Recommended Format Specifications: Datasets]
* [http://dataset.readthedocs.org/en/latest/ dataset: databases for lazy people (Python module)]
* [http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/infosphere/biginsights/resources.html IBM Hadoop info]