[seqfan] Re: Links and references in the OEIS, my policy

[Chris Thompson]

On Nov 30 2019, Neil Sloane wrote:

>Dear Sequence Fans,  There have been discussions among the editors that I
>don't agree with, andI would like to make some comments:
[ ..snip.. ]
>3. Replacing a reference by a link is not always a good thing. When the
>link breaks, as it will sooner or later, the citation gets [broken link]
>added.  Whereas the original reference could still be useful if you have
>access to the right library.
>
>3.1 That is why we keep references and links separate.

I do very much agree with this, and consider it a mistake that entries
began to be moved from "References" to "Links" just because an online
version became available. Of course, it is useful to provide such a link
if one exists. If the link subsequently breaks and cannot be mended, drop
the link but keep the reference - which would be the natural action if
it had remained in the "References" section.

-- 
Chris Thompson
Email: cet1 at cam.ac.uk