[LINK] As Go Document Formats, So Goes Video

[Roger Clarke]

At 0:52 +1100 4/1/08, Rick Welykochy wrote:
>|| THE CATCH
>|| Yes, there is always a catch. The one that comes to mind is
>|| archiving executable content. This has already been
>|| discussed on LINK and gives me a headache every time I think
>|| about it.

At 7:54 +1100 4/1/08, Darryl \(Dassa\) Lynch wrote:
>Executable content need not be that different.  The definition would need to
>include a description of the hardware required for the executable to run on
>and any other dependencies.
>
>The key word being dependencies.

A related problem I tackled a few years back was the inspection of 
software escrow deposits.

Basically, pretty much all desposits failed to fulfil their function, 
in that they did not ensure that management of the application could 
be performed by the user organisation following the demise or 
withdrawal from market of the supplier organisation.

Somewhere in my consultancy archives I've got a nicely structured 
version of the lists of things that may be required.

It was used on several occasions to chastise suppliers who couldn't 
understand why putting 'the source code' onto 'a disk' and sending it 
to an air-conditioned bunker didn't satisfy the contract terms. 
(Separately, I was astonished what a surprise it was to some people 
that escrow deposit isn't a once-off action but a cyclical or even a 
compounding activity, and that media-renewal mattered).

This is a text version, which is less useful, but a bit more readable:
http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/PaperEscrow.html

Skimming it again for the first time in many years, I'm struck by the 
fact that I didn't address the issue of copyright licences for the 
operating system version, compiler, system libraries, application 
libraries, etc.  I guess we were all more relaxed back then, and 
assumed that we had the right to take back-up copies.  I can just 
imagine what Microsoft's licences say about such things these days ...


-- 
Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
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Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW