And yet, it's the best we currently have. I donate to them. We can come with demands of how it should be managed, but it should not prevent us from helping them.
If you poke around at what US government agencies are doing, and what European countries and non-profits are doing, or even do a deep dive into what your local library offers, you may find they no longer lead the pack.
They didn't even ask for donations until they accidentally set fire to their building annex. People offered to help (SF was apparently booming that year) and of course they promptly cranked out the necessary PHP to accept donations.
Now it's become part of the mythology. But throwing petty cash at a plane in a death spiral doesn't change gravity. They need to rehabilitate their reputation and partner with organizations who can help them achieve their mission over the long term. I personally think they need to focus on archival, legal long-term preservation and archival, before sticking their neck out any further. If this means no more Frogger in the browser, so be it.
I certainly don't begrudge anyone who donates, but asking for $17 on the same page as copyrighted game ROMs and glitchy scans of comic books isn't a long-term strategy.
badlibrarian|11 months ago
They didn't even ask for donations until they accidentally set fire to their building annex. People offered to help (SF was apparently booming that year) and of course they promptly cranked out the necessary PHP to accept donations.
Now it's become part of the mythology. But throwing petty cash at a plane in a death spiral doesn't change gravity. They need to rehabilitate their reputation and partner with organizations who can help them achieve their mission over the long term. I personally think they need to focus on archival, legal long-term preservation and archival, before sticking their neck out any further. If this means no more Frogger in the browser, so be it.
I certainly don't begrudge anyone who donates, but asking for $17 on the same page as copyrighted game ROMs and glitchy scans of comic books isn't a long-term strategy.