Forgot your password?
cyhist Apr. 7 1998 f
Document Actions
========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1998 23:18:52 -0500
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Don Garrett <dgarrett@ACM.ORG>
Organization: BGB Consulting
Subject: Re: Card Readers- university courses in old computers
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
Tony R. Wickersham wrote:
>Obviously, I can't store one of every kind of old computer, but I can cheaply build a small inventory of the most popular models. Somebody has to be able to read the old disks that come into the archives. I'm doing what little I can, but the problem of maintaining the ability to read older media and file formats is a huge one for archives.
This makes excellent sense to me.
>The alternative of continually translating all "fading" media to the latest media and file-format is equally daunting. For non-digital media, it usually means loss of quality through copying. For example, copying video tapes would mean lost quality. For digitial media, at minimum, it means incurring the cost of copying files to new media.
>
>Anyone else care to jump in?
A secondary problem that occurs is that most digital media fades. I have been told that a good 360k floppy should be reliable 5 years, and a cheap one is only dependable for 3 (some of my cheap ones wouldn't do that). My only source for this is memory of an email from a helpful data security consultant some years ago.
I've also heard of problems with old tapes having melted together with age.
It seems to me that CDs would be a fairly good choice, but that direct access devices would be better (if attached to a long-term actively used and maintained machine). I have files that have been 'on my computer' for ten years or more, though all of my system has been replaced repeatedly. Most networks seem to have a 'library' or 'archive' section that is maintained and backed up along with everything else.
The library approach means that your media is being constantly upgraded and updated along with the system, it goes through regular backups (hopefully), and it's very easily accessed by potential users. It does nothing to help with outdated data formats.
>>Tony Wickersham
>>Computer Programmer
>>
>>University of Wyoming
>>American Heritage Center
>>twick@uwyo.edu
>>
--
Don Garrett dgarrett@acm.org
BGB Consulting http://www.bgb-consulting.com/garrett
______________________________________________________________________
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Don Garrett <dgarrett@ACM.ORG>
Organization: BGB Consulting
Subject: Re: Card Readers- university courses in old computers
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
Tony R. Wickersham wrote:
>Obviously, I can't store one of every kind of old computer, but I can cheaply build a small inventory of the most popular models. Somebody has to be able to read the old disks that come into the archives. I'm doing what little I can, but the problem of maintaining the ability to read older media and file formats is a huge one for archives.
This makes excellent sense to me.
>The alternative of continually translating all "fading" media to the latest media and file-format is equally daunting. For non-digital media, it usually means loss of quality through copying. For example, copying video tapes would mean lost quality. For digitial media, at minimum, it means incurring the cost of copying files to new media.
>
>Anyone else care to jump in?
A secondary problem that occurs is that most digital media fades. I have been told that a good 360k floppy should be reliable 5 years, and a cheap one is only dependable for 3 (some of my cheap ones wouldn't do that). My only source for this is memory of an email from a helpful data security consultant some years ago.
I've also heard of problems with old tapes having melted together with age.
It seems to me that CDs would be a fairly good choice, but that direct access devices would be better (if attached to a long-term actively used and maintained machine). I have files that have been 'on my computer' for ten years or more, though all of my system has been replaced repeatedly. Most networks seem to have a 'library' or 'archive' section that is maintained and backed up along with everything else.
The library approach means that your media is being constantly upgraded and updated along with the system, it goes through regular backups (hopefully), and it's very easily accessed by potential users. It does nothing to help with outdated data formats.
>>Tony Wickersham
>>Computer Programmer
>>
>>University of Wyoming
>>American Heritage Center
>>twick@uwyo.edu
>>
--
Don Garrett dgarrett@acm.org
BGB Consulting http://www.bgb-consulting.com/garrett
______________________________________________________________________
