john_k - 3:34 pm on Aug 12, 2004 (gmt 0)

rfgdxm1 - I agree that the destruction of the library in Alexandria was tragic. But we are talking here about something that is quite different. Every web page is not a great scholarly work. Not even most of them. Taken as a whole, the Internet IS a significant (undestatement!) body of knowlege. But Kahle can create his own spider. He can cache much of the web. He can start today. He could have started last year, or whenever he first thought of it. And he isn't the first person to think of it. And nobody is seeking to destroy his library.

Ideally, he could start by spidering the sites indexed in DMOZ. That index is purposely managed by breathing people to offer a diverse selection of websites. It would seem to provide a much sounder foundation upon which he can build his archive of everything. After he has tackled DMOZ he might have a little more credibility to make such a request of Google.

If Google is destroyed by an invading army or by Chapter 13, the rest of the Internet will still be there waiting for Kahle.