This Training Module series introduces important concepts in emulation and key features of the EAASI platform. These modules are intended to supplement the EAASI User Handbook, opening the design and functionality of the platform to wider feedback and discussion among members of the EAASI Research Alliance and the Software Preservation Network, particularly in regard to the product roadmap.
Each module contains: a slideshow presenting a core piece of platform functionality and its relationship to EAASI development goals and use cases; a set of questions for practitioners to discuss and/or reflect; and recommended resources from the EAASI team for further exploration of the topic. Modules are intended to stand on their own but be easily adaptable to an in-person or virtual workshop session.
This module has been adapted from an equivalent resource originally developed in Phase 2 (July 2020 - June 2022) of the “Scaling Emulation-as-a-Service Infrastructure” grant program funded by the Mellon and Sloan foundations. It has been modified to reflect updated branding and supported use cases for the EAASI platform. Screenshots of the EAASI platform are used for illustration purposes and have been taken over a wide range of development and version history; they may not 100% reflect currently-supported functionality.
Please feel free to share, remix and re-use these modules as appropriate within your member organization (and within the bounds of the CC-BY-SA license)!
Software and Content
During this module, participants will learn about:
- What is the difference between Software and Content resources?
- How (and why) does the EAASI platform treat them differently?
Questions for Discussion/Reflection
- Pick a file in your Downloads folder right now - any file. Would you consider it Software, or Content? Why?
- EAASI workflows often involve adding Software to supplement the operating system in an existing Environment. But operating systems are already just a giant bundle of Software and can render plenty of Content on their own. What Software resources came provided with your operating system?
- Do you work for an institution with established digital preservation policies or strategies? How would sorting data from your organization’s holdings into Software or Content resources fit with those policies?
Recommended Resources
- “Software, It’s a Thing”, Speech given by Matthew Kirschenbaum to the Library of Congress’ Digital Preservation 2014 conference, July 22, 2014. Posted on Medium July 24, 2014.
- “We didn’t see this coming: Our unexpected roles as software archivists and what we learned at Preserving.exe”, Alice Allen and Peter Teuben. Contained in “Preserving.exe: Toward a National Strategy for Software Preservation”, report by the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation program, 2013.
- DPC Digital Preservation Handbook: Institutional Policies and Strategies
- Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Software Preservation