discuss: lins pages
Subject:
Re: [discuss] lins pages
From:
Rick Moen ####@####.####
Date:
17 Aug 2009 20:05:19 +0100
Message-Id: <20090817172227.GN22722@linuxmafia.com>
Quoting Jean-Daniel Dodin ####@####.####
> right now it's necessary to remove dad links or to fix them (many doc
> moved but can be found from Google or are mispelled)
Right.
This is a task that must be done occasionally (every year or so) for
_any_ "link farm" page. For example, I'm about due for another update
to Silicon Valley Linux User Group's "Linux Links" aka link farm page,
http://www.svlug.org/farm.php .
When links have gone 404, there are several possible remedies. Which to
use is a matter of judgement:
1. Remove the entire outdated item. For example, compare the
"Major Linux Distributions" section of the page in this June 2004
snapshot of the page, just before I started fixing it following many
years of neglect:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040630212841/http://www.svlug.org/farm.shtml
You'll notice that many of the listed Linux distributions no longer
existed, by that time. So, the best remedy was the purge the
no-longer-relevant items and build a new list by adding newcomers.
However, the main point of my current post is to recommend alternatives,
where feasible:
2. Find a replacement live URL. Sometimes, with only a few minutes of
Web searching, you can find a new site at which the page is now still
being maintained by the same person or persons. For example, the final
link on the page, the Newsforge link for the very funny article "Running
Windows Viruses with WINE" by Matt Moen (no relation) is currently
broken because Sourceforge, Inc., recently closed down Newsforge without
bothering to create forwarding links. However, the article was easily
re-findable at Linux.com: http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/42031
(So, I'll soon fix SVLUG's page to point at the Linux.com URL.)
3. Internet Archive Wayback Machine links. Notice that page links on
http://www.svlug.org/farm.php such as "Linux/UNIX Independent Group for
Usability Information" go to Wayback Machine archival pages within
http://web.archive.org/ . That's one of my tricks for avoiding the need
to entirely remove items that are still useful but no longer exist as
live, maintained pages.
