Digital BW, The Print

Good to see some have shown an interest and are aware. 
But most people I talk to about this subject say they'll leave that 
up to someone else to worry about. 
Now in NZ maybe I may have to take the lead and start doing that but 
I don't think that is possible. All our computer products like most 
countries are imported. I rely on getting people like you guys to 
help push the bandwagon and hope that programmers and hardware 
manufactures become aware of what they are could be doing to our 
future or should I say past.
I agree that some of our backups can be disposed of over time. But if 
you look at what is happening now with photos. People quickly go 
through their photos and hit the delete key and keep only those that 
are required at that point in time. Whereas our old family albums 
from our Grandparents contain every shot that was taken with that old 
Kodak Box Brownie.

As for the current websites that store files for free, I wonder how 
long they can continue to do that and back them up as well. One day 
some money cruncher will decide to dump those files. If they try to 
find the owners and suceed will those owner remember there login and 
passwords. Worse still if only relatives are available.

So I see this problem as a major headache that is going to get worse. 
History will be the worse off for information because of it.

Peter Banks
New Zealand
 





--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Mark Rogers" 
<mrgs1001@...> wrote:
>
> Peter, what you mention is a very valid concern. I use to have data 
> on 5 inch floppies and I actually still have some 5 inch floppies 
but 
> nothing to read them with. Proper archival is simple, although no 
> necessarily quick and inexpensive:
> 
> Two or more copies on different types of media.
> The copies must be stored in different locations.
> The media must be periodically verified and rotated out faster than 
> the media degrades or becomes obsolete.
> 
> Cheers,
> Mark
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@...m, "pjb74nz" 
> <peter@> wrote:
> >
> > Starting again regarding the above. 
> > 
> > You are all on the same track regarding your existing files. But 
> I'm 
> > not even certain you will be able to put the disk into a matchbox 
> > sized device we now call a PC.
> > 
> > In the previous discussion everyone talked about the backup 
method, 
> > system or media readability in the future. The possibility of 
loss 
> > due to fire, flood, lost or stolen. Media corrosion due to age 
etc 
> > etc etc.
> > 
> > BUT what about the fact that in a few years, (yes a few years) 
that 
> > your RAW files will not be able to be converted to DNG. Why 
because 
> > Adobe may be bought by a company that doesn't want to support DNG 
> > anymore for whatever reason. Mainly financial. Google looks like 
> the 
> > company that would buy Adobe and why would they care about RAW or 
> > even TIF, JPG and GIF. They just want to control the ability to 
> share 
> > not archive. If they did they may want the rights to your files 
> just 
> > so you could look at them. 
> > 
> > Now what happens if Microsoft and Mac OS is a distant memory and 
we 
> > all are using "Google Quick Start" on a mobile device that is 
> smaller 
> > than a CD or DVD and only capable of taking the replacement for 
> what 
> > is now known as Flash drives. Or maybe the only input or output 
> > device is a Google web device and all they understand is a file 
> > without any .xxx extension, which is now a thing of the past, and 
> > images are digital signatures and compressed to a single pixel 
and 
> > can be expanded to several thousand billion pixels in a second 
and 
> be 
> > read by pointing the device at fresh air. 
> > 
> > Does all this sound like science fiction. Maybe but I don't think 
> so  
> > because this is how I see things progressing. The PC as we know 
> today 
> > is a pig of a beast and is just waiting to be replaced.
> > 
> > I'd be interested in your comments and before you ask, our 
cameras 
> > would all be wirelessly connected to Googles website as well. 
Every 
> > photo shot will be sent to their comets travelling the world and 
> > sucking up information and sharing it with all.
> > 
> > Peter Banks
> > Telecommunications Technician
> > and IT Engineer for over 30 years
> > New Zealand
> >
>