A computer archive can save a snapshot of a website’s index page or categorize and archive posts or entries. It documents a website’s history and can serve as evidence in legal disputes. It can also function within a single website with little effort from the owner. However, elements of the pages may not function properly. Archivists are third parties who want to record internet or website history, and a computer archive can function as a digital library.
When someone refers to a computer archive, they are usually referring to a specific type of Internet archive. This type of Internet archiving saves a snapshot of a website’s index page. However, it can also mean another type of internet archiving where posts or entries on a website are categorized and archived.
Creating an archive of a website’s index pages can have many benefits. First, the website’s history is documented and can be recalled at will. This can show researchers how the website has evolved over time. Legally, a computer record may also be able to help those involved in legal disputes by serving as evidence. A computer archive can retain a lot of content, such as text, that would have been lost without the archive’s effort to capture and archive the website’s index page.
Computer archives can also function within a single website. If a website owner uses particular software that encourages archiving, such as popular blogging software, a computer archive can be created with little or no effort on the part of the website owner. These posts or entries could be automatically archived according to date or category after a specific period of time or when the website owner manually designates them as archive material. Some software allows users to edit posts or entries so that dates or categories are changed or added and archiving can take place.
An index page can be retrieved through the use of a computer archive, but elements of the pages may not function as if they were on a live website. For example, connections may be broken, audio may not work properly, and images may not display properly. The same can be said for video or other streaming content that requires a user’s computer to connect to a host. Without a live host, content can go down. Faced with these types of limitations, users are reminded that a computer archive can really just be a library filled with website captures, rather than a directory of functional websites.
A computer archive is usually collected and maintained by parties not intimately associated with the websites they archive. Typically, archivists are third parties who simply want to record Internet or website history. A computer archive can function and serve much like a digital library. It might even acquire regular patrons in the form of scholars, researchers, or the general curious public.
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