Quote:
Originally Posted by wgrimm
I chuckle every time I hear something about archival storage. So many mediums disintegrate over time- color photographs, cheap books (only the ones printed using quality paper and binding materials will last over time), etc. How long are commercially printed (not burn-it-yourself) cd's and dvd's rated to last- 25 years? I bought a Phasewrite drive and the disks are rated to last 100+ years, but I don't think you can buy a Phasewrite drive any more.
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But that's all beside the point! It's not that anyone's talking (is there) about the longevity of digital *media*, but digital *data*.
How much effort (and/or time, cost, energy) does it take to copy a text file to another media? Versus how much for restoring and reprinting a book (or a stone tablet)?
Yes, a book can endure longer in proper conditions, but digital content can be copied and distributed a few orders of magnitude more easily. That's the whole point.