ARCiB -- Accessible Retired Computers in Biology

Dowling College, Oakdale NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Accessible Retired Computers in Biology (ARCiB) project will build an archiving facility to preserve previous but still very useful versions of computer software for processing biological data. There is also a component for maintaining particularly important, but now outdated, pieces of hardware to act as a testbed for backward compatibility of new programs and a source of information on the performance aspects of these now low-end systems. The project will provide low cost computing resources to the community and reduce long-term costs for the community by making upgrades a choice not a requirement. It will make accessibility of legacy data easier, thus allowing preservation of data that would have been lost. The existing website is already very popular. The project also has involvement by undergrads throughout and will provide a resource that will disproportionately help smaller schools and programs with low or intermittent funding for new equipment and software.