[ Date Index ] [ Thread Index ] [ <= Previous by date / thread ] [ Next by date / thread => ]
On Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:57:56 +1000 Alan <ap@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > The point was that you really couldn't expect to be able to have the > mechanical technology to recover all that old stuff stored away. The > software, formats, and codecs aren't the issue. You still need a slot > to plug the stuff into. There are always archivists and others who will have such equipment around. It may get harder and harder to find them but that doesn't mean that retrieval is impossible. I couldn't help you with the hardware but you found someone who could within minutes of the query on a (small) user group list. There are still specialist photography retailers who offer to transfer photographs and Super8 film to VCR or DVD. They still have the necessary hardware. It all depends who much effort you are willing to put in to retrieve the data - there will always be someone who can read even the most archaic data using the rarest hardware, if they are offered sufficient inducements. Hardware aside, if you store your data in formats that abide by open standards, you are far more likely to be able to use that data *unchanged* in the future. Hardware is always at risk of physical errors and mishandling. The original quote was about storing your memories in different formats - what is actually more useful is storing your memories on different MEDIA TYPES using an open format. That way you reduce the chances of damaged media preventing access. The physical world is always vulnerable to physical damage to any kind of storage media. By using Ogg Vorbis or similar, you limit your risk to just hardware issues and if you keep your backup methods updated, you can choose to migrate floppy to CDR and whatever else follows. The files themselves can remain unchanged. The freedom to share is imperative here - formats or programs that prohibit you from copying the data to different media types reduce the chances of being able to retrieve that data in the future. This is a form of 'built-in obsolescence' that is meant to force you to pay again for the original data in the 'modern' format, even when you still have the hardware to read the old format. The ultimate expression of this trend is the 'pay-per-listen' model proposed by some of the wilder factions of the music industry in the USA where media only support playing a specific track N times. Such practises are impossible with a free software program and an open standard format. -- Neil Williams ============= http://www.data-freedom.org/ http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/ http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/
Attachment:
pgp8v97p54Wc1.pgp
Description: PGP signature
-- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html