Archive Question

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04-02-2007, 06:17 AM
onething

Archive Question

OK all you techies, I have a question for you.

If you wanted to store a few songs and a document for the next 30 years, what format would you use?

I attended the funeral of a friend's Mom recently and in a class I'm taking we've been talking about wills and funeral arrangements. The thought crossed my mind. Look at how storage has changed in the last 30 years - from 8" floppies and 8 tracks to all the options we have now.

Do you think there is something available now that will still be commonly retrieveable in 20 to 30 years? If so, what?
04-02-2007, 06:32 AM
sammm

At this point in history a CD would be my medium of choice. They have been in public consumption for 25 years or so now without bits falling off of most of them.
04-02-2007, 07:10 AM
MadMerv

8 track.....................
04-02-2007, 08:56 AM
Magma

DVD Gold Data Disc, we carry them at work for archival
04-02-2007, 09:20 AM
Radio-Active

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMerv

8 track.....................

And punch cards for data storage!:rolleyes:
04-02-2007, 09:27 AM
Radio-Active

My question would be, what programs would be available to retrieve it in 20 years.

Looking at the computer technologies throughout the last 30 years, I would'nt even know where to start. Sure, Bill Gates is popular for the moment, but look at Unix, Linux, Mac OsX, CPM, MS-Dos, machine language and the like. What will be able to read your storage in 20 years, once you archive it?
04-02-2007, 09:29 AM
POS Racing

Stone Tablets are the only way to go!
http://www.internationalegyptology.c...%20letter1.jpg
04-02-2007, 09:30 AM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radio-Active

My question would be, what programs would be available to retrieve it in 20 years.

Looking at the computer technologies throughout the last 30 years, I would'nt even know where to start. Sure, Bill Gates is popular for the moment, but look at Unix, Linux, Mac OsX, CPM, MS-Dos, machine language and the like. What will be able to read your storage in 20 years, once you archive it?

I would bet there will be specialty companies offering conversion services, just like you can take those old 8mm home movies down and have them converted to DVD today.
04-02-2007, 09:31 AM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS Racing

Stone Tablets are the only way to go!
http://www.internationalegyptology.c...%20letter1.jpg

So is that one of your old books from high school?
04-02-2007, 09:35 AM
POS Racing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

So is that one of your old books from high school?

It was the Christmas card we got last year from Onething. ;)
04-02-2007, 09:41 AM
Magma

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

I would bet there will be specialty companies offering conversion services, just like you can take those old 8mm home movies down and have them converted to DVD today.

YES, like the Company I work for
04-02-2007, 10:09 AM
black roadster

If you're real paranoid, by a cheap PC with a CD Rom, burn a copy onto Disc and store the whole kit and kaboodle in an enviromentally controlled stoage place.

As far as predicting technology 20-30 years from now, I imagine CDs will be very much like punch cards are today.

Think about 30 years ago. 1977 No personal computers, cell phones, etc..

Even 20 years ago, 1987.

http://www.37signals.com/svn/images/old_cellphone.jpg

http://www-g.eng.cam.ac.uk/workshops/images/mc_pc1.jpg

http://www.apple-history.com/images/.../classicII.jpg

Could you easily retrieve anything off of 5 1/4 Floppy today?

Unless you have functional hardware in 20-30 years, I don't know what to tell you.
04-02-2007, 10:15 AM
MiataMike

If your concerned about redundancy I would have more than one copy made. If size is an issue go with DVD over CD format. And if you can fit it on a CD also get a FLASH USB drive; and lock them up in a safe. The other option would be to send it to yourself in an E-mail (Depending on the size of course) Those servers are backed up by professionals with unlimited resources and constant upgrades

Also for E-mailing things to yourself. IBM has a program called chop.exe it will divide the program into equal sizes and as many as you would like. (However large you would like) and then you can E-mail yourself the smaller sizes. Its almost like a jigsaw puzzle :-)

The program was initially made for programs and files that were to large to put on a floppy disk 1.44mb
04-02-2007, 10:25 AM
Radio-Active

Quote:

Originally Posted by black roadster

If you're real paranoid, by a cheap PC with a CD Rom, burn a copy onto Disc and store the whole kit and kaboodle in an enviromentally controlled stoage place.

Not even that will guarentee that it will work in 20 years. There are bateries that keep the clock running that will be toast. Mice could always get into the storage place and piss on the hard drive and motherboard(personal experience). Certain electronic componenets need to have power to stay good, while other compponents wear out by constant power.

Quote:

Originally Posted by black roadster

Think about 30 years ago. 1977 No personal computers

My friend gave me an old Rockwell AIM computer from 1976 that he built in a kit form. The Apple was built around that time. I knew a guy that had a PET computer in 1977. I think the TRS-80 was available.