Re: [PLUG] Help with Lawsuit

[Jeff Abrahamson <jeff@purple.com>]

On Thu, May 01, 2003 at 03:12:07PM -0400, Paul wrote:
> >>Since I assume you've seen web sites running off tape stores before,
> >>can you point out a couple to me?
> >
> >Never seen that, and it'd be a totally stupid thing to do...
> 
> I don't know who wrote what, but, I have a general comment.  There are 
> data storage theories and methods that suggest that very infrequently 
> used data could be stored and retrieved from very slow, high capacity 
> media.  Data that is needed routinely and very quickly is to be stored 
> on faster media.  So, data that is only accessed once a year could be 
> kept on tape while data that is accessed daily could be kept on a hard 
> disk.  It kind of makes sense if you have an enormous amount of data.

Guys, did you look at the city's web site? Here's the record for my
house:

    http://brtweb.phila.gov/accountDetails.aspx?an=6482004411

Try doing a few more queries. Note that

    (1) the response time is consistent with a DB backed site and, in
        particular, not with a tape or off-line backed site

    (2) the EQID and GMA fields are displayed

I think this is the crux of Ed's issue with the city: if the data is
online, he'd like it. If it's not online, how is their site serving
it?

He's not debating public policy with them: this was established by the
city and the state in law. He's debating a simple technical point:
they claim they can't give him public data because it doesn't exist in
a form in which they can give it to him. He claims that this is
manifestly not so, witness the database they are running that serves
that information.

-- 
 Jeff

 Jeff Abrahamson  <http://www.purple.com/jeff/>
 GPG fingerprint: 1A1A BA95 D082 A558 A276  63C6 16BF 8C4C 0D1D AE4B

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