This webfolder provides context and specs which are a technical plan for continuing development of digital archives for United States Masters Swimming, Inc. The current version of the RFP is at www.SwimGold.org/committee/rfp/files.htm If you would like to print a copy of our full technical plan (or see it on one page), go to www.SwimGold.org/committee/rfp/siteplan.htm.

The principles underlying our plan are these:

1. USMS has an exceptional asset in its archives and a desire to preserve that asset.
2. Maintenance procedures have been developed using a very powerful language called APL because that was the best tool for the person doing the technical work and he was a volunteer desiring to use the best tools available to him.
3. Preservation of the asset requires that all databases and text files be stored in text format so they can be imported into any other environment.
4. We will begin a process whereby alternative procedures will be sought for doing some of the work of the H&A Committee so that there will be less dependence on the language APL.
5. A user interface is needed so that existing procedures can be used by people other than their creator.
6. The H&A Committee will maintain a general posture of only using its existing APL procedures in their current application or in natural extensions of it.
7. The H&A Committee will document its procedures and cooperate with others who will aid in the process of integrating H&A work with work by other committees. This is expected to result in our procedures being rewritten in other languages in some cases.
8. As alternative procedures are developed in USMS, we will use them wherever possible to aid their becoming refined and institutionalized.

This contract will be awarded to the proposal which best meets our minimal requirements while carrying us forward towards our vision.

Our minimal requirements are these:

1. All our archives content must be exported to text files.
2. Our maintenance programs must be revised so they keep our text files current in real-time.
3. We need a user interface to help others use our existing archives maintenance programs.

What's New
Context
The Consultancy
Critical Procedures
Comments
Databases, USMS & anywhere

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