On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 22:52, you wrote: > Carl's MO drive is no doubt convenient now, but that says little about > longevity. Durability of the media is only one factor which needs to be > considered. The next one is whether there will be any hardware in 10 > years time which is still able to read that media, same for software > (these are serious problems for any archivist). > Volker
One of the things I like about open source software technologies is that they often save files in an ascii format. Ascii has been around for over 15 years and while there are revisions to that the revisions are well documented and the recreation of software to read it is not an issue. There is a lot of work in the UK re archiving especially with reference to the issues of hardware and software being able to read old formats. S/W systems such as XML and html are fabulous and long lasting because they are simple, easily transportable and you can easily write the software to re-read them if you want to, unlike PDF, DOc, Excel, .. which even now have problems with compatibility. It is also interesting to note that arj, zip and tar have survived the test of time, all of them having a life of over 15 years. 15 years may not be long in historical terms but is a huge time in computer terms.... The more we use these simple software systems the greater their legevity and use. Open source to the fore. Now if only we could sort out the hardware issues. As another side issue, clay tablets did last a long time, well some of them did, others died early and got washed away. Paper, as the ultimate computer hardware medium, also has a short life span compared to clay tablets. However we are told plastic never breaks down or takes a long time and will be haunting us for generations to come. Maybe we should use that fact. Anyone want to address the recycling issue and create a printer that prints using plastic? -- Shane Hollis Notes Unlimited New Zealand Ph: 021 465 547 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
