There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
1–10 of 41 posts
Re: There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
#2I read HN almost everyday and when there isn't much interesting topics (to me) I generally start browsing the same day in past years (e.g. I would be browsing 26th of December 2022 then 2021 and so on).
Once you get few years back most links start breaking due to various reasons (websites being online, deleting the content, changes in url structure etc).
I always thought it was sad, especially when I could see vibrant discussions to topics I care for.
Re: There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
#3Probably a good reminder archive.org has a fundraiser going on right now.
It would a sad day indeed to lose access to that resource.
Re: There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
#4The internet has a way of forgetting things it should remember, and remembering things better off forgotten.
Re: There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
#5Meta: the title is truncated and missing the last word, "ever".
Re: There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
#6There's an interesting dichotomy:
As a single user, you must assume that anything you upload to the Internet will be there forever, because anyone can download a copy and maintain it. This means users need to be careful about privacy-sensitive information, controversial opinions, etc.
But on a broader level we don't actually dedicate much effort at all to maintaining the bulk of what's posted online, meaning most important things will eventually be deleted.
Re: There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
#7Meta: the title is truncated and missing the last word, "ever".
Isn’t it one of the most ironic posts you’ve seen in a while because of that error? I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.
Re: There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
#8If you want something to stay online it will vanish in no time. If you want something disappear from the internet, it will stay there forever.
Re: There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
#9Probably a good reminder archive.org has a fundraiser going on right now. It would a sad day indeed to lose access to that resource.
Every lawyer should be contributing. Wayback machine snapshots come up in court shockingly often.
Re: There is a misconception that if something's on the internet it'll last for
#10I had a longer post put together, but then I remembered this XKCD comic that does a better job explaining it.
The only difference is that when we talk about relying on things on the internet so many of us are relying on other people storing their stuff in other people's garages.
Best to take the time to have your own garage for the stuff that's important to you.