#digipres — Public Fediverse posts

Declarative all the way down: Building PRONOM signatures with JSONID

PRONOM signatures are a form of declarative language, you describe the anticipated behavior in PRONOM’s regular expression syntax and tools like DROID, FIDO, and Siegfried will interpret those instructions and attempt to match them against different files to return a file format identification.

Normally, you will write PRONOM signatures by hand but doing so for file formats based on other file format building blocks can lead to inconsistencies. Bertrand Caron previously also recognized this in the XML formats that are described with PRONOM signatures on Wikidata.

XML can use single quotes ‘ (hex: 0x27) and double quotes ” (hex: 0x22) for attribute data, and so, do we make a PRONOM signature with multiple sequences anticipating the use of either?

The answer is more often than not likely to be yes, because the appearance of these values are often helpful for identifying boundaries for strings that we know must exist.

But the more file formats that we need to add to PRONOM that are based on foundational formats like XML, or JSON, or similar, the more inconsistencies will creep in, such as sequences that are looking specifically for one byte sequence over another.

The issue extends further if file formats allow data to appear at the beginning of file, or we need to account for a variable amount of white-space, or we want to start thinking about multi-byte character encoding.

We can, and in the XML issue described by myself and Caron, I think the recommendation is very much to create editorial standards for signatures for file formats based on other baseline, structured data formats like XML, JSON, YAML, and so on.

And standards are well and good, but what if tooling could help us?

For JSON this is exactly what I have tried to do in JSONID.

What does this feature look like? And what does it get us? Let’s take a look.

Declarative all the way down: Building PRONOM signatures with JSONID

PRONOM signatures are a form of declarative language, you describe the anticipated behavior in PRONOM’s regular expression syntax and tools like DROID, FIDO, and Siegfried will interpret those instructions and attempt to match them against different files to return a file format identification.

Normally, you will write PRONOM signatures by hand but doing so for file formats based on other file format building blocks can lead to inconsistencies. Bertrand Caron previously also recognized this in the XML formats that are described with PRONOM signatures on Wikidata.

XML can use single quotes ‘ (hex: 0x27) and double quotes ” (hex: 0x22) for attribute data, and so, do we make a PRONOM signature with multiple sequences anticipating the use of either?

The answer is more often than not likely to be yes, because the appearance of these values are often helpful for identifying boundaries for strings that we know must exist.

But the more file formats that we need to add to PRONOM that are based on foundational formats like XML, or JSON, or similar, the more inconsistencies will creep in, such as sequences that are looking specifically for one byte sequence over another.

The issue extends further if file formats allow data to appear at the beginning of file, or we need to account for a variable amount of white-space, or we want to start thinking about multi-byte character encoding.

We can, and in the XML issue described by myself and Caron, I think the recommendation is very much to create editorial standards for signatures for file formats based on other baseline, structured data formats like XML, JSON, YAML, and so on.

And standards are well and good, but what if tooling could help us?

For JSON this is exactly what I have tried to do in JSONID.

What does this feature look like? And what does it get us? Let’s take a look.

If you want an AppleSauce+ floppy disk flux imager, the pre-orders just went live. #digipres https://shop.applesaucefdc.com/products/applesauce-copy?variant=59643823325470

If you want an AppleSauce+ floppy disk flux imager, the pre-orders just went live. #digipres https://shop.applesaucefdc.com/products/applesauce-copy?variant=59643823325470

And another post regarding the #Zenodo #digipres community...had a great chat with Chelle Sanders, the current program manager of the Software Preservation Network (SPN) yesterday. As SPN is currently in its controlled sunsetting phase (to conclude dec 31st 2026), we are exploring the possibility of collecting as many of their publications as possible & adding them to the Zenodo digipres community to make sure there's a central home for SPN's important legacy! Fingers crossed it'll all work out.

And another post regarding the #Zenodo #digipres community...had a great chat with Chelle Sanders, the current program manager of the Software Preservation Network (SPN) yesterday. As SPN is currently in its controlled sunsetting phase (to conclude dec 31st 2026), we are exploring the possibility of collecting as many of their publications as possible & adding them to the Zenodo digipres community to make sure there's a central home for SPN's important legacy! Fingers crossed it'll all work out.

*newest addition to the #zenodo #digipres community*

"Borealis CTS Certification Documentation Suite, 2024-2025" - documentation, policy and application templates developed by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada's Preservation Expert Group & the Borealis Community for CTS certification. The suite was recently officially endorsed by the CTS board.

Check it out here:
https://zenodo.org/records/21460628

*newest addition to the #zenodo #digipres community*

"Borealis CTS Certification Documentation Suite, 2024-2025" - documentation, policy and application templates developed by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada's Preservation Expert Group & the Borealis Community for CTS certification. The suite was recently officially endorsed by the CTS board.

Check it out here:
https://zenodo.org/records/21460628

Small trick for #digipres folks using Unix file: did you know that when identifying the format of a file, you changed its Access time (utime)?

Small trick for #digipres folks using Unix file: did you know that when identifying the format of a file, you changed its Access time (utime)?

When the World Cup and Floppies collide. #digipres https://www.instagram.com/reel/Daib8iHuVUk/?igsh=YWp3cDM0Y3NvdGZ0

When the World Cup and Floppies collide. #digipres https://www.instagram.com/reel/Daib8iHuVUk/?igsh=YWp3cDM0Y3NvdGZ0

Has anyone in the cultural heritage domain tried using the Bellingcat Auto Archiver to gather social media? https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/auto-archiver #DigiPres #OpenSourceInvestigation

Has anyone in the cultural heritage domain tried using the Bellingcat Auto Archiver to gather social media? https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/auto-archiver #DigiPres #OpenSourceInvestigation

📢 New #DPClinic!

🌍 How can humanitarian organisations create sustainable digital archives?

Join Flora Chatt (University of Manchester) and the #DPC on 23 July, 14:00–15:00 UTC for an introduction to the new Digital Humanitarian Archives Toolkit.

💬 Explore the toolkit, hear why it was developed, and help shape it with your feedback.

🎟️ Free registration:
https://www.dpconline.org/events/eventdetail/815/-/dpclinic-july-digital-humanitarian-archives-toolkit

#DigitalPreservation #Coalition #DPC #Archives #Humanitarian #DPClinic #digipres #community #JoinUs

📢 New #DPClinic!

🌍 How can humanitarian organisations create sustainable digital archives?

Join Flora Chatt (University of Manchester) and the #DPC on 23 July, 14:00–15:00 UTC for an introduction to the new Digital Humanitarian Archives Toolkit.

💬 Explore the toolkit, hear why it was developed, and help shape it with your feedback.

🎟️ Free registration:
https://www.dpconline.org/events/eventdetail/815/-/dpclinic-july-digital-humanitarian-archives-toolkit

#DigitalPreservation #Coalition #DPC #Archives #Humanitarian #DPClinic #digipres #community #JoinUs

Der neue nestor-Newsletter ist da! In Ausgabe Nr. 47 berichten wir u.a. vom nestor-Praxistag und dem Rosetta-Anwendertreffen und geben einen Ausblick auf die diesjährige iPRES.
Hier könnt ihr den Newsletter lesen:

https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0008-2607081431517.427776478356

#digipres

Der neue nestor-Newsletter ist da! In Ausgabe Nr. 47 berichten wir u.a. vom nestor-Praxistag und dem Rosetta-Anwendertreffen und geben einen Ausblick auf die diesjährige iPRES.
Hier könnt ihr den Newsletter lesen:

https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0008-2607081431517.427776478356

#digipres

*neu in der #zenodo #digipres community*

"Digitalisierung, Langzeitarchivierung und Bereitstellung am Beispiel von Medizinfilmen der ehemaligen IWF gGmbH" - Vortragsfolien der Präsentation auf dem @nestorNetzwerk Praxistag 2026 von Merle Friedrich und Nathalie Contrael im Zusammenhang mit dem @tibhannover Projekt "REMEDY"

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21157916

*neu in der #zenodo #digipres community*

"Digitalisierung, Langzeitarchivierung und Bereitstellung am Beispiel von Medizinfilmen der ehemaligen IWF gGmbH" - Vortragsfolien der Präsentation auf dem @nestorNetzwerk Praxistag 2026 von Merle Friedrich und Nathalie Contrael im Zusammenhang mit dem @tibhannover Projekt "REMEDY"

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21157916

#fileformat Friday! The forgotten CAD software, AutoSketch! #digipres #CAD #DOS #obsolete https://preservation.tylerthorsted.com/2026/07/10/autosketch/

#fileformat Friday! The forgotten CAD software, AutoSketch! #digipres #CAD #DOS #obsolete https://preservation.tylerthorsted.com/2026/07/10/autosketch/

@PurpleJillybeans you #NerdSniped me with this, so down the 🐰🕳️ I went… 🤬😩

I was going to suggest that you reach out to the person who wrote the blog post below, but I see in the comments that he’s already been asked to upload the install media to #InternetArchive and has declined

the article might be of interest to you anyway – he lists his install configs & also links to video playlists of installations of lots of (all? 🤔) versions…

…which are on the official VMware YT channel 🤔

ah, OK. it looks like he currently works for #Broadcom, so that’s probably a dead end as far as getting the installers that he has (access to) preserved on IA 😕
 
 
How to install all versions of ESX and ESXi in VM?

https://williamlam.com/2023/04/how-to-install-all-versions-of-esx-and-esxi-in-vm.html
 
 
it’s so frustrating that vendors don’t just make this available as part of preserving their own product history, if nothing else. I sincerely doubt that anyone’s going to be downloading & running ESX 1.5 in production 20+ years later to avoid buying the current version 🤪

what I’d really like to see is legislation that mandates that all no-longer-supported software be made available publicly & released into the commons, but given the US is allergic to regulating just about anything I don’t see that happening any time soon 😩

#DigiPres
#VMware #GSX #ESX #ESXi
#VintageSoftware
#RetroComputing
  

@PurpleJillybeans you #NerdSniped me with this, so down the 🐰🕳️ I went… 🤬😩

I was going to suggest that you reach out to the person who wrote the blog post below, but I see in the comments that he’s already been asked to upload the install media to #InternetArchive and has declined

the article might be of interest to you anyway – he lists his install configs & also links to video playlists of installations of lots of (all? 🤔) versions…

…which are on the official VMware YT channel 🤔

ah, OK. it looks like he currently works for #Broadcom, so that’s probably a dead end as far as getting the installers that he has (access to) preserved on IA 😕
 
 
How to install all versions of ESX and ESXi in VM?

https://williamlam.com/2023/04/how-to-install-all-versions-of-esx-and-esxi-in-vm.html
 
 
it’s so frustrating that vendors don’t just make this available as part of preserving their own product history, if nothing else. I sincerely doubt that anyone’s going to be downloading & running ESX 1.5 in production 20+ years later to avoid buying the current version 🤪

what I’d really like to see is legislation that mandates that all no-longer-supported software be made available publicly & released into the commons, but given the US is allergic to regulating just about anything I don’t see that happening any time soon 😩

#DigiPres
#VMware #GSX #ESX #ESXi
#VintageSoftware
#RetroComputing
  

#DigiPres frens: you've all been amazing before, so I have another request. Anyone able to get their hands on #VMware GSX Server 1.x or ESX Server 1.x? I've been able to find a couple 2.x and 3.x releases, but nothing older.

#RetroComputing

#DigiPres frens: you've all been amazing before, so I have another request. Anyone able to get their hands on #VMware GSX Server 1.x or ESX Server 1.x? I've been able to find a couple 2.x and 3.x releases, but nothing older.

#RetroComputing

UNHCR’s future is at risk – and so is its past
https://rli.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2026/06/29/unhcrs-future-is-at-risk-and-so-is-its-past/ #DataRescue
#DigiPres

UNHCR’s future is at risk – and so is its past
https://rli.blogs.sas.ac.uk/2026/06/29/unhcrs-future-is-at-risk-and-so-is-its-past/ #DataRescue
#DigiPres

*newest addition to the #zenodo #digipres community*

"Template for preparing a cessation plan" - spreadsheet by Jonas Recker @jnsre , Lisa Pegelow, Alexander Schuster and Reiner Maurer containing guiding questions to gather information needed to prepare for custody transfer. The template is a supplement to IJDC article 10.2218/ijdc.v20i1.1091 and has been recently officially endorsed by the CoreTrustSeal Board!

Take a look at the template here:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18920094

*newest addition to the #zenodo #digipres community*

"Template for preparing a cessation plan" - spreadsheet by Jonas Recker @jnsre , Lisa Pegelow, Alexander Schuster and Reiner Maurer containing guiding questions to gather information needed to prepare for custody transfer. The template is a supplement to IJDC article 10.2218/ijdc.v20i1.1091 and has been recently officially endorsed by the CoreTrustSeal Board!

Take a look at the template here:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18920094

Shortened links? Expand them and save the URLs

Shortened links are a digital preservation and web archiving nightmare. You can imagine how they need to work:

Create a unique short code for a given (target) URL (like a hash, but far far shorter)

Pair the short code with your URL in a database.

Create a redirect rule on the URL shortening server from the new source URL to the target URL.

Send the shortened link to the caller, e.g. shortURL.com/123badf00d

In-perpetuity: continue to pay for your domain; maintain the database; look after redirect rules during server migrations; ensure duplicate short-codes are not created.

A URL-shortening business in five easy steps.

But what does that mean for digital preservation?

Shortened links? Expand them and save the URLs

Shortened links are a digital preservation and web archiving nightmare. You can imagine how they need to work:

Create a unique short code for a given (target) URL (like a hash, but far far shorter)

Pair the hash with your URL in a database.

Create a redirect rule on the URL shortening server from the new source URL to the target URL.

Send the shortened link to the caller, e.g. shortURL.com/123badf00d

In-perpetuity: continue to pay for your domain; maintain the database; look after redirect rules during server migrations; ensure duplicate short-codes are not created.

A URL-shortening business in five easy steps.

But what does that mean for digital preservation?

surprisingly, it appears that no one has imaged the clip-art CD-ROM that came with the book. that work has now been done :)

enjoy some low-effort photographic clip-art courtesy of DK in ISO format:

https://archive.org/details/ew-ocean-clipart

#cdrom #digiPres

surprisingly, it appears that no one has imaged the clip-art CD-ROM that came with the book. that work has now been done :)

enjoy some low-effort photographic clip-art courtesy of DK in ISO format:

https://archive.org/details/ew-ocean-clipart

#cdrom #digiPres

RT @senspublic -
🏛️ Dans « Virtuel Mucem », Alexandre Faye et collaborateur·ice·s retracent les enjeux liés à la préservation et remédiation d'un patrimoine numérique.

https://sens-public.org/articles/1794/

#archives #mucem #veille #patrimoinenumerique #digipres

Vale Carl Wilson, Digital Preservation’s Indie Rockstar

Just a quick note wishing Carl peace wherever he is now and to send my best wishes to Becky and his family, and of course his colleagues at the OPF and everyone else who worked closely with him.

Can I remember where I first met Carl? He’s just always been around hasn’t he?

I suspect it was the AQuA hack-a-thon at the British Library in 2011. Carl was maybe working on an image duplication

Vale Carl Wilson, Digital Preservation’s Indie Rockstar

Just a quick note wishing Carl peace wherever he is now and to send my best wishes to Becky and his family, and of course his colleagues at the OPF and everyone else who worked closely with him.

Can I remember where I first met Carl? He’s just always been around hasn’t he?

I suspect it was the AQuA hack-a-thon at the British Library in 2011. Carl was maybe working on an image duplication

since i appreciate that 99.999% of the known universe has never heard of Dotto's Data Café - a tech/computing tv show produced/aired in the 90s and 2000s in canada, here is one mid-1990s episode digitized from an old vhs tape.

think Computer Chronicles on a $100 an episode budget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czv9grI8GMo

#canada #history #digiPres #macintosh #vintageApple

since i appreciate that 99.999% of the known universe has never heard of Dotto's Data Café - a tech/computing tv show produced/aired in the 90s and 2000s in canada, here is one mid-1990s episode digitized from an old vhs tape.

think Computer Chronicles on a $100 an episode budget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czv9grI8GMo

#canada #history #digiPres #macintosh #vintageApple

my gods. i accidentally stumbled upon the original url from the show watching a vhs rip of an early episode, and wbm had a snapshot from 1996!

https://web.archive.org/web/19961102161219/http://www.dotto.istar.ca/

this is an extremely obscure piece of canadian history: Dotto's Data Café. it was a computer/internet tech show from the 1990s hosted by Steve Dotto that aired on canadian networks. (i doubt it was rebroadcasted anywhere else, but if it made it to your country, please let me know!)

#canada #digiPres #webPreservation #history

the best part of building an online encyclopedia for multimedia and educational games is acquiring the physical media. after 10+ years of hunting, finally received an affordable copy of Oceans - arguably one of the best educational multimedia experiences MS’s edutainment division produced.

it came with some adorable stickers that have the best utopian scholastic styling and i can’t wait to scan it all in for the https://cd-rom.ca encartapedia!

#digiPres #softwarePreservation #multimedia #cdrom #utopianScholastic #education

OK #digipres folks, one more question:

We generally perform virus scan before ingesting files. But I never heard a story about viruses found in submitted files. Any testimony or research done on that topic?