5INVESTIGATING EVIDENCE FROM LINUX LOGS
The computer term log originates from an ancient sailor’s technique for measuring the speed of a moving ship. A wooden log attached to a long rope was thrown overboard behind the ship. The rope had regularly spaced knots that sailors would count as the moving ship distanced itself from the floating log. They could calculate the speed of the ship from the number of knots counted over a period of time. Regular measurements of the ship’s speed were recorded in the ship’s “log book” or log.
Over time, the word log came to represent a variety of recorded periodic measurements or events. Log books are still used ...
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