As much as I hate to say this, Paper, or better yet, microfiche, might be a
better idea if you forsee a need for this data in 10 or so years. However,
my guess is that most technical data will be obsolete by then - and if it's
something you need the whole way through, then you'll likely be upgrading
that data's format as you go, and backing it up onto then-current backup
media.

As long as there is enough of the media around, there will be a need - and
thus a solution - for reading it. With the prevalence of CDRs these days,
I'm willing to bet (not much - saving for university ;) that 10 years from
now, there will at least be a service to transfer data from CD to whatever,
if not a simple kit to read the discs.

-Randy Glenn
PICxpert@techie.com - http://i.am/PICxpert

"Is this a wretched demi-bee,
half asleep upon my knee,
Some freak, from a menagerie?
NO! It's Eric, the half a bee!" - Monty Python

===========
To unsubscribe, send a message containing the text "unsubscribe PICLIST" to
LISTSERV@MITVMA.MIT.EDU

Any questions about the list? http://www.piclist.com/

-----Original Message-----
From: pic microcontroller discussion list
[mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Chaipi Wijnbergen
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2000 5:29 AM
To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: [PICLIST] [OT] Life of CDR recordings - Beware! - was Re:
[OT] ZIP backup system


>If you are SERIOUS about very long time (archival) backup I think you need
>to devise a scheme which takes account the possible risks.
>
>eg
>
>- Read manufacturers' claims and storage conditions.
>- Make 2 (minimum) copies.
>- Test read at no longer than half lifetime
>- If any degradation, make new copies of the copies
>- If no degradation, make new copies anyway :-)
>- Maybe make a few test disks which are read say yearly to  see if there is
>a noticeable trend.


Hi,

"very long time", what is a long time ? 5 years, 10 years, 20 ?

In 10 years from now, it might be difficult to find a CD driver to read
these CDRs. I would  also suggest that you would buy an extra computer with
CD Reader and put it in a safe place, hope that it would not break by the
time you will need the data.

We keep old data written 10 years ago on MO disks using an old Ultrix file
system. The disks are fine, we had just now lost the MO Drive to read it,
we fixed the disks and not the UNIX workstation that wrote those files
broke. So, the disks are useless now.

Chaipi


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com