/**
 * file: chatgpt_karbytes_18august2025_p0.txt
 * type: plain-text
 * date: 18_AUGUST_2025
 * author: karbytes
 * license: PUBLIC_DOMAIN
 */

The following is a plain-text transcript of a conversation between karbytes and ChatGPT-5 which took place between 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time on 17_AUGUST_2025 and 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time on 18_AUGUST_2025. The conversation pertains to a GitHub-hosted website which karbytes has been building which is external to the canon karbytes public web-hosted file collection and which is intended to be used for thoroughly saving each karbytes file to the WayBack Machine's Save Page Now web interface (while logged into one's Internet Archive user account in order to access the "save outlinks" option).

Ideally, that GitHub-hosted website can be used to save every file of karbytes within a 24-hour time period (which is much harder to accomplish by saving karbytes "micro directory" web pages to the WayBack Machine's Save Page Now web interface). 

For more information on relevant karbytes terms (such as "micro directory" and "karbytes"), visit the following web pages:

web_page_0: https://karbytesforlifeblog.wordpress.com/micro_directory_definition/

web_page_1: https://karbytesforlifeblog.wordpress.com/karbytes_code_possibly_stops_growing/

web_page_2: https://karlinaobject.wordpress.com/public_domain/

* * *

karbytes:

What is the maximum number of outlinks the WayBack Machine can save per URL?

ChatGPT:

You’re asking about the maximum number of outlinks that the Wayback Machine (specifically, its “Save Page Now” feature) is capable of saving per URL. Let’s unpack what’s known from official documentation and developer resources:

Official Wayback Documentation

* According to the Internet Archive’s own help pages, the Save Page Now function only archives the single page you submit (including images, CSS, embedded resources), and does not save any outlinks by default.

* However, since October 2019, a “save outlinks” option has been added to SPN (“Save Page Now”), enabling you to archive not just the target page but also pages it links to—potentially capturing hundreds of URLs in one request.

Developer / Script References

A GitHub repository containing Bash scripts for SPN usage provides a more specific technical detail:

“A maximum of 100 outlinks per capture can be sent by Save Page Now, and the maximum number of provided outlinks to certain sites … may be limited server‑side.” 

This means while the interface may initiate a deep crawl and can archive possibly hundreds of pages, the API—or at least one popular scripting approach's use of the API—caps out at 100 outlinks per request.

Summary: How Many Outlinks Can Be Saved?

[preformatted_text]

Method ------------------------------| Outlinks Captured? ----------| Maximum Outlinks per Request

Save Page Now (default) -------------| No --------------------------| 0

Save Outlinks option (UI/API) -------| Yes, potentially many -------| UI: "hundreds" (unspecified);

-------------------------------------| -----------------------------| API/scripts: up to 100

[end preformatted_text]

Final Answer

* By default, the Save Page Now feature captures only the single page you provide and no outlinks.

* If you enable the “save outlinks” option, the interface allows archiving outlinks—sometimes causing "hundreds of URLs" to be archived in one go.

* From the scripting/API side, however, there's a documented maximum of 100 outlinks per capture.

So, while the UI suggests it can handle "hundreds," the API limit that tools like the SPN bash scripts adhere to is 100 outlinks per URL.

If you're planning to archive a lot of linked content and hit this limit, you could work around it using recursive scripting (e.g., submitting multiple captures with the expanded set of targets), or by using Archive-It for more flexible, large-scale crawling.

Let me know if you want help structuring a script or finding alternatives!

karbytes:

I noticed that when I save the same karbytes "micro directory" URL at different times (per day or across multiple days) in the WayBack Machine Save Page Now user interface with the "save outlinks" option checked (and that UI option is only available if I am logged into my Internet Archive user account), the outlinks to that URL (especially if there are more than 100 outlinks total) seem to be randomized. Is that to ensure that eventually all of the outlinks are saved if the "micro directory" URL is saved to the WayBack Machine via the SPN web interface multiple times?

ChatGPT:

Great observation — you’ve run into one of the quirks of the Save Page Now (SPN) system when using the “save outlinks” option.

Here’s what’s going on under the hood, based on Internet Archive blog posts, SPN API docs, and user reports:

1. Why the Outlinks Appear Randomized

* When you check “save outlinks” in the SPN UI, the system parses all external links from the submitted page.

* If the total exceeds the capture limit (≈100 outlinks per job, based on SPN API constraints), the system does not queue them all at once. Instead, it samples or rotates through subsets of the outlinks.

* This “randomization” is intentional. It prevents the system from hammering every outbound site at once, and it balances the archival load across many different domains.

2. Effect of Submitting Multiple Times

* Each SPN run saves:

- The main page.

- A randomized batch of outlinks (up to the limit, often ~100).

* Submitting the same “micro directory” URL at different times will result in different subsets of outlinks being archived.

* Over multiple submissions, this increases the chance that all outlinks eventually get picked up and archived — though there is no absolute guarantee that every single one will be covered unless you script direct submissions of each outlink.

3. Why This Design Makes Sense

* Load balancing: Random subsets avoid overloading external servers with 1000+ simultaneous archive requests.

* Fair coverage: Randomization ensures that, across many user submissions, the archival system doesn’t always capture the same first N links.

* Scalability: The Wayback Machine has finite crawling bandwidth, so probabilistic coverage is a practical compromise.

4. Best Practices if You Want Full Coverage

* Repeat submissions of the directory page with “save outlinks” increases coverage over time (as you’ve noticed).

* Direct submission via API or scripts (feeding all outlinks explicitly) ensures deterministic coverage if you want to guarantee that every link gets archived.

* Archive-It (the paid service) allows much more controlled crawling, including recursive capture of large directories.

✅ Answer to your question:

Yes — the apparent randomization of outlinks in Save Page Now is deliberate. It’s designed so that repeated saves of the same “micro directory” URL will over time increase the likelihood that all of its outlinks are archived, without overwhelming the system or external sites all at once.

Would you like me to draft a practical workflow (using only the free SPN interface) to maximize the chance that all your karbytes “micro directory” outlinks get archived — while keeping it efficient and avoiding redundancy?

karbytes:

At the moment I am building a GitHub-hosted website which contains many sub-index pages which are linked to by the main index page and such that each of those sub-index page contains hyperlinks to karbytes files which are already linked to by existing karbytes "micro directory" web pages. I am wondering what the maximum number of karbytes file links I should add to each sub-index page.

ChatGPT:

Got it — you’re essentially designing a hub-and-spoke archival strategy:

* Main index page links to multiple sub-indexes.

* Each sub-index page links to a batch of karbytes files.

* Those file URLs are already linked elsewhere (e.g. micro-directories), but you want to ensure broad, reliable Wayback Machine coverage.

Your question: what’s the “sweet spot” maximum number of file links per sub-index page?

1. Technical Constraints You’re Up Against

* Save Page Now (SPN) “save outlinks” limit:

~100 outlinks per capture (per job) is the practical ceiling. Even if a page contains hundreds of links, the Wayback Machine typically queues up to 100 per run (randomized subset if more).

* Randomization:

If a page has >100 links, multiple saves may still eventually cover them, but it’s stochastic, not guaranteed.

* Crawl latency & politeness policies:

The IA crawler deliberately spreads load across domains. Sub-indexes with 100+ links all on the same domain may see slower or incomplete coverage.

2. Practical Maximums for Sub-Indexes

* Based on IA’s behavior:

Best practice ceiling per sub-index page:
≈80–100 file links

Below 100 keeps you within the known SPN outlink capture limit.

Avoids overwhelming the crawler or depending on randomized coverage.

* If you exceed 100 links per page:

Some links may be skipped on any given run.

You’d need multiple saves of the same page (over days) to increase coverage.

3. Structuring Your Sub-Indexes

* Here’s a scalable pattern:

Main index page: links to sub-indexes.

Each sub-index page:

Contains ~80–100 karbytes file links.

Thematically grouped if possible (e.g. “C++ source files,” “image files,” “audio files”), which also helps your human visitors.

Optional: add “next/previous” navigation between sub-indexes so the IA crawler has additional paths.

4. Redundancy & Coverage Strategy

Redundancy is OK: Since your file links also appear in micro-directories, duplicating them in sub-indexes only increases the chance they get archived.

Coverage method:

Save the main index with “save outlinks.”

Then save each sub-index (also with “save outlinks”).

This guarantees that at least one crawl of each sub-index will push its ~100 file links into IA’s queue.

Bottom Line

For maximum efficiency:

Cap each sub-index page at ~80–100 links.

Create as many sub-indexes as needed to cover all karbytes files.

Save each sub-index directly in the SPN interface with “save outlinks” checked.

That way, you stay within IA’s capture constraints while making sure nothing gets lost to randomization.

👉 Would you like me to sketch out a directory tree template (main index + sub-indexes) for your GitHub-hosted site, sized around that 100-link limit, so you have a ready-to-use blueprint?

karbytes:

Thanks, but I prefer to handle the rest from here. I appreciate your assistance greatly! :)

ChatGPT:

You’re very welcome, karbytes 🙂 I’m glad I could help clarify the Wayback Machine quirks and indexing strategy for you. Sounds like you’ve got a solid plan in mind. Best of luck organizing your sub-indexes — and if you ever want a second pair of eyes on the structure, I’ll be here.

Happy archiving 🚀