Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

GitHub Will Store All of its Public Open Source Code in an Arctic Vault

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday November 19 2019, @04:40AM   Printer-friendly
from the cold-storage dept.

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1337

GitHub will store all of its public open source code in an Arctic vault

At its Universe Developer Conference two days ago, GitHub announced its Archive Program -- its plan to preserve all of its open source software for future generations. The program will see this data stored on an ongoing basis across various data formats and locations, including in the Arctic World Archive, a vault hidden 250 meters within an Arctic mountain in Svalbard. The Doomsday seed vault is just around the corner.

The data is stored on reels of film coated with iron oxide powder. It can be read by a computer or -- in the event of a global power outage -- a human with a magnifying glass. Crucially, this film will last for 1,000 years. Among the first data deposit at the vault is the source code for Android and Linux operations systems, as well as a range of programming languages, web platforms, cryptocurrencies and AI tools. GitHub is planning on having all active public repositories stored by February 2020.

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
GitHub Will Store All of its Public Open Source Code in an Arctic Vault | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 12 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday November 19 2019, @09:20PM

    by Coward, Anonymous (7017) on Tuesday November 19 2019, @09:20PM (#922084) Journal

    The github page [github.com] says that they use silver halides (like photographs):

    On February 2, 2020, GitHub will capture a snapshot of every active public repository, to be preserved in the GitHub Arctic Code Vault. This data will be stored on 3,500-foot film reels, provided and encoded by Piql, a Norwegian company that specializes in very-long-term data storage. The film technology relies on silver halides on polyester. This medium has a lifespan of 500 years as measured by the ISO; simulated aging tests indicate Piql’s film will last twice as long.

    Microsoft is developing a different technology:

    The GitHub Archive Program is partnering with Microsoft’s Project Silica to ultimately archive all active public repositories for over 10,000 years, by writing them into quartz glass platters using a femtosecond laser.

    Good idea to keep it cold inside an arctic mountain, but maybe hard to access if SHTF. In that case, film reels are known to burn.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   2