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[SWHAP] UNESCO's 2022-2023 Software Stories project

The SWH Stories project is coordinated by Software Heritage and is composed of the following tasks:

  • Initialize project with the identified partners, Elisabetta Mori, the Science-Stories team, the Pisa team and other partners
  • Plan project schedule and partners meetings
  • Mandate SWH Stories technical implementation to the Science-Stories team
  • get formal proposal
  • accompany improvements of the prototype and the creation of the Inria collection
  • Prepare reports to be submitted by the Inria foundation in collaboration with the partners
  • Promotion of SWH Stories through Software Heritage website, newsletter and social media, with explicit mention of UNESCO support

Stage 1: Test the SWHAP protocol and Software Stories creation process and update guides Activity 1.1: Test the SWHAP process by using the existing curators guide

Activity 1.2: Test the Software Stories interface

Stage 2: Design a meta-process for the curation of stories as part of the SWHAP Activity 2.1: Develop the process for creation and maintenance of SWH stories

  • Develop the process and methodology for the creation and maintenance of SWH Stories, in order to ensure the proper recording, storage and archiving of the content represented in the data model, including the appropriate legal information relating thereto (consent of the authors, licenses, etc. .).
  • create maintenance plan for the software stories existing instance (the prototype)
  • create a secondary instance to provide long term access
  • consent of the authors - consent form used by curators for code & metadata collected in the SWHAP
  • license of images - concrete decision about uploading images to wiki commons and provide fallback solutions

Activity 2.2: Create a curator guide to assist curators in the process of legacy software preservation

  • Write and publish under CC-BY-SA license the SWH Stories Reference Guide of the overall process which will complement the already existing SWHAP guide:
  • guide for curators - extending the SWHAP guide on how to curate software metadata and other materials to create a SWH story, includes:
  • guidelines on where to make the materials available
  • how to built a story
  • specification of the DSL
  • pointers to external tools that may help in creating the Software Stories.
  • invite selected software curators to provide feedback on the guide
  • Create a short checklist to accompany curators in their endeavor to curate and preserve legacy software using the SWHAP

Stage 3: Create new stories for landmark legacy software Increasing the number of Stories available, uploading a minimum of three stories, and fostering the use of the platform by other institutions. Activity 3.1: Create a new story for the Pisa collection

Activity 3.2: Create the Inria collection on the Software Stories platform

  • Creating on the existing Software Stories instance a new collection called the “Inria collection” including two stories:
  • Scilab - with the help of Claude Gomez
  • LeLisp - with the help of the LeLisp team: https://github.com/c-jullien/lelisp
  • Activity 3.3: Software Stories Interviews
  • Producing ad hoc interviews with the people involved with the creation of the legacy software

Stage 4: Promote the different activities by engaging with a large community Activity 4.1: Survey of possible new archival materials for Software Stories and Elaboration of a database of possible contributors

  • Identification of possible contributors among companies, museums, cultural institutions, but also private citizens willing to donate part of their private collections or sharing their memoirs.

  • The database will include a prioritized order of interest and action (to be agreed upon with Software Heritage) to be updated in due course.

Activity 4.2: Establishment of contacts with possible contributors

  • According to the identified priorities, surveying their intention to collaborate or help in any way. These contributors can be institutions like museums, libraries, archives who own collections related to software and source code or but also pioneers, programmers, engineers, entrepreneurs and so on, that at some point of their lives were involved with software.

Activity 4.3: Active engagement with the possible contributors to Software Stories

  • Either by uploading materials themselves, by willing to give Software Heritage access to documents in their possession, or simply happy to share their written or oral memoirs to be part of Software Stories.

Activity 4.4: Organize a dedicated event to the cultural heritage community

  • An event resulting from the collaboration between Software Heritage and UNESCO to be held at the end of October to launch and promote Software Stories to representatives of computer museums and other cultural institutions with an interest in the project. This event will focus on landmark legacy software preservation.

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