On Nov 2, 2012, at 3:48 PM, Roy Tennant wrote:

> Um...how is this better/different from already existing sites/efforts
> around this?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_file_formats
> http://www.wotsit.org/
> http://www.ace.net.nz/tech/TechFileFormat.html
> http://www.fileformat.info/
> 
> At the very least, this new effort shouldn't start from scratch...

They could also extract a lot of information / links from:

	http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/index.shtml

Although, admittedly, it's more intended for creators rather than
those trying to figure out what it is they have.  (archaeology?
forensics?)

-Joe




> On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 2:36 AM, Ed Summers <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> I imagine you've heard about the Just Solve the Problem month already,
>> but if not, I thought Chris Rusbridge's email to the
>> digital-preservation list was a good call for participation in the
>> project ...
>> 
>> //Ed
>> 
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: Chris Rusbridge <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 4:00 PM
>> Subject: Just Solve the File Format Problem month: can you help?
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> 
>> Some of you will know that Jason Scott, Rogue Archivist, is raising a
>> citizen's army to attempt to solve the "file format problem*" in the
>> month of November, 2012. The work is taking place via a wiki at
>> http://justsolve.archiveteam.org/index.php/Main_Page, with a band of
>> volunteers (you need to register to make changes to the wiki, by
>> sending a username and email address to [log in to unmask]). I've
>> added a few formats and groups of formats myself (at least as
>> skeletons or empty placeholders).
>> 
>> The best form of help is for some of you who know more about rarer
>> data formats to register and help by editing the wiki yourself. It's
>> pretty easy; I've never used MediaWiki before, and everything I've
>> done so far has been by finding something like it and adapting the
>> wiki source. Other people can make it beautiful and standardised later
>> on!
>> 
>> If you can't do that, you could email me information about missing
>> data formats. This should include as much as possible of:
>> 
>> - name, and what it's for (ie brief description)
>> - web site with some authoritative information
>> - web site with some examples, etc.
>> 
>> Let's try and capture ALL these formats. As Jason says in his own
>> inimitable way "Let's make that goddam army!".
>> 
>> * Note, the "problem" is only vaguely defined, and after some angst
>> (eg see http://unsustainableideas.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/the-solution-is-42-what-was-the-problem/),
>> I think that's OK. Gathering a huge amount of information about file
>> formats in one place will be a BIG HELP.
>> 
>> --
>> Chris Rusbridge
>> Mobile: +44 791 7423828
>> Email: [log in to unmask]
>> Adopt the email charter! http://emailcharter.org/