Of all the problems associated with the World Wide Web one of the least well known is that of Data Erosion. Perhaps it is because the effects are so slow to appear or perhaps there is a sinister censorship campaign in place to prevent the spread of information relating to the subject.
This page hopes to explore and raise awareness of the crucial issues relating to Data Erosion, its causes and ways of preventing it in future. Many technologies used currently in the WWW are speeding the erosion process exponentially over time. The original low-impact methods of TELNET and FTP are dying out and as they do so high-stress, erosion-centric technologies such as Java and ActiveX are taking their place and whilst they offer a richer multimedia experience they also have an environmental cost to the virtual world. It is important that these costs are fully understood before the damage becomes irreversible.
The vast amounts of information being transferred on the internet causes data erosion to occur in all the devices or virtual devices in the network, from a Web Server to a Web browser. To spot the effects first you need to know what the data looked like when it was originally posted to the server. Its only when you compare the data after some serious data erosion occurs that you begin to notice the damage.
The most obvious effect of data erosion is the broken link, this happens when a link is overstressed by hyperlink overextension (a condition brought on through overuse). Sometimes there can be many broken links on an excessively eroded page, not all the erosion is taking place on the page itself but on the servers to which the links point. Such a breakdown in the continuous nature of a hyperlink affects the continuity of the Internet as it is today and may eventually lead to the widespread use of link continuity defragmentation software.
A second clue to the existance of data erosion is the broken image, an example of which can be seen below
Of course, this image has eroded to the point that it has become invisible or corrupt, the web server just won't serve the image because it is so badly eroded. Partial erosion can cause colour degradation or pixel noise and may not be spotted until its too late. One way to avoid this kind of damage would be to discourage the use of WWW browsers with the auto-load image option enabled.
The latest and most worrying development in the data erosion world is the widespread use of Java, Javascript and Shockwave. These are bandwidth sapping, high impact multimedia technologies with potential to do a lot of damage in a short time. Indeed many sites using Java and Javascript have already noticed complaints from users that their computers have been paralysed or in some cases wiped clean by the sheer erosive forces present. Servers and communication links using these technologies have to be specially strengthened using MIME technology to act as a barrier against these destructive forces, unfortunately client machines are not so well protected.
Cookies are a form of symptomatic cure for web erosion, they are specially sweetened to offer a temporary "hit" of powerful MIME protection to the client web browser. This has been described as "trying to crack a sledgehammer with a nut" by many web erosion experts and is widely regarded as a half-measure.
The simplest way to be a "green" WWW user is to use a text only web browser (if you must use a web browser). This prevents the servers from risking corruption of the precious image data during transmission.
Totally avoid the following technology:
Other simple things to keep in mind when you are using the WWW in a low-impact manner:
More information is available for system administrators on the advanced page.
As more and more information is stored on digital networks the risks posed by data erosion become significant. If the simple advice given on this page is followed to the letter there should be no major problems. If it is ignored or incorrectly implemented there is a possibility of widespread loss or damage to the world's knowledge base. Ultimately this will end in the collapse of society through ignorance.
If you would like to be informed of an impending global information catastrophe please send email to this address philb@vossnet.co.uk placing the word "appletalk" in the body of the message.