1. A method of encoding data, wherein the data to be encoded is represented as a set of K input symbols stored in a non-transitory form in an electronically-readable medium, K being an integer greater than one, wherein each of the K input symbols has a value that is from an input symbol alphabet, and wherein the encoded data is representable as a plurality of output symbols, each of which has a value that is from an output symbol alphabet, the method comprising: obtaining at least some of the K input symbols in an electronically-readable form, such that each of the K input symbols has an associated position within the K input symbols; generating, from the plurality of input symbols, a plurality of intermediate symbols, each intermediate symbol having an associated position within the plurality of intermediate symbols, wherein the generation of the plurality of intermediate symbols from the plurality of input symbols is performed according to a rateless decoding process, wherein a rateless decoding process is rateless in that it is an inverse of a rateless encoding process that can generate a number of output symbols where the number is independent of the number of input symbols; and generating output symbols of the plurality of output symbols, using the rateless encoding process and having the plurality of intermediate symbols as an input, wherein the rateless encoding process and the rateless decoding process have the property that the plurality of output symbols is, in part, systematic, so that K of the plurality of output symbols are equal to the K input symbols, and further wherein additional output symbols beyond K systematic output symbols are generated using the same rateless encoding process as would generate the K systematic output symbols.