Quote:
Originally Posted by Salgueiros
That is a very good point in favour of paper books! I remember some versions of software being retro-compatible but only for the latest versions. In hardware that is a lot more difficult since the basic principle on how the devices work change (i am thinking about magnetic tapes and lasers for example).
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Well, mostly it's a good argument for backups and standardized formats. I can open an HTML document from 10 years ago, and a TXT file from 20 years ago. Acting like digital files will ultimately fail, so why back them up, is a lot like assuming paper books will rot, so you leave them out in the rain. Properly stored digital files can last as long as paper, if not longer, if you store them properly.