Posted by Tim V. on 08/07/06 17:53

"Long John" <mcranch@pacific.net> wrote in
news:12d5ph24gvhdj4a@corp.supernews.com:

>
> "Bob" <spam@uce.gov> wrote in message
> news:44a66f3c.80777218@news-server.houston.rr.com...
>> On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 07:27:15 -0400, Rick Merrill
>> <rick0.merrill@NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>> OK, then buy the most expensive discs, but let us know that you are
>>>> planning to do that so we will know.
>>
>>>And call back in 20 years to see how it all worked out!-)
>>
>> Pretty soon flash memory is going to be priced so cheaply that we can
>> afford to archive using it. For now the only safe way to know your
>> content will be around in 20 years is to put it on a hard disk.
>
> But will the hard drives of today even function 20 years from now..?
>
> Will computers in the future have compatible connections..?
>
> Back in 1984 I started out using Wordstar in a Morrow cpm machine
> that used EIGHT INCH FLOPPIES, and the Seagate ST225 (20 Mb)
> was barely invented... How many machines today can accomodate an
> 8" floppy, or for that matter, a ST225 drive ..?
>
> As a broadcaster who has seen celluloid film crumble with age, I'd do
3
> redundant
> Data Disk backups at a slower burn speed "just to make sure"...
>

Point taken, but things are becoming more modular. Stuff like the
memory card readers that use USB connectors to hook up. They'll be
compatible for a longer period of time than the 8" froppies (I remember
using them!) were. I've already moved stuff off my old 5.25" froppies
to 3.5" floppies, then to hard disk, then to cdr's.

I think we need to accept the fact that if we want to save things for
20+ years, we'll have to periodically change the media they are saved
on.



--
Tim.

"Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve
neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

"Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own
reputation. It is better to be alone than in bad company" - George
Washington

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