George R.R. Martin Gives Quick Update on Winds of Winter Progress

[katenis]

Yes, WordStar on CP/M. Nobody is claiming that backing up or converting those files is impossible; the issue is how much specialist knowledge, old hardware, and effort may be required to recover them decades later. A virtual machine does not necessarily need guest utilities either: files can be exchanged using disk images, virtual drives, emulation, networking, or serial connections.

CP/M did not have modern subdirectories, although its user areas provided a rudimentary form of organization. In any case, preserving old documents does not mean returning to WordStar for everyday work. The sensible approach is to retain the original files, verify the backups, and also convert them to open, current formats—preserving both their historical authenticity and their future accessibility.