Posted by anthonyberet on 09/03/05 16:12

Loco Jones wrote:
> Not exactly "news" (the subject has been broached before), but just an
> observation on the transient nature of recordable media - cassettes were
> once touted as the answer to degradable vinyl, until it was learned that
> tape demagnetization/stretching posed a problem, as did faulty transport
> mechanisms, and then compact discs were promoted as the "indestructible
> alternative" (until that proved to be wishful thinking as well), and now,
> consumers are being led to believe that "new media" (DVD/DVD+/-R) can
> withstand even the slightest abuse. Heh - it can't - big surprise.
>
> http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1854081,00.asp
>
> These days, even owning the "original" doesn't mean much. Renting, for a
> limited time, is the best any consumer can hope for. Enjoy it while you
> can! You'll be buying it, in another format, soon enough.

I have recently come to a decision about archiving - I find that the
business of burning stuff from HD to CDR (or even DVDR) is unnacceptably
fraught. Firstly, I don't really want to do it, and only do so when a
drive starts getting filled. It takes a long time to organise what to
put on which CDR. Then they have storage problems as discussed. Then I
can't find the file that I know I have because it is very hard to keep a
catalogue of 100's of CDs up to date - even using cataloging software,
can't take away the repetion of putting the next disc in the drive to be
read, reading it, and then replacing it with the next. Then there is the
difficulty of keeping them all numbered correctly.

- And despite all this, I don't get a decent searchable database which
can just find a file and then run it or use it - if I want to burn
compilations I am rummaging about trying to sort out which disc for what.

And finally, The price of CDs in terms of capacity is now higher than HDs.

Lately I have taken to keeping my OS on one drive, and having a
dedicated drive for collected files. When the dedicated drive fills up,
I just replace it.

Of course, I now have the embryo of the same problems with CDs - five
full HDs are piled to my left right now.

I want to build a home network file server - I need about 1Tb I reckon.
I am just looking into motherboards which would be suitable now - or
perhaps I will go with a rendundant RAID system. I am surprised there
isn't more information about this - even professionally-made files
servers are mostly way too small for me.

If anyone knows any good sites which discuss the options, from a
home-builder point of view, please let me know.

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