Is the solution "simply" to transfer old data to new discs every year
     or two?"


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: longevity of digital data
Author:  Confocal Microscopy List <[log in to unmask]> at
Internet-Mail
Date:    4/17/98 10:37 AM


This came to me this morning via EduCom's edupage technology digest.  Since
CD-ROMs are most folks choice for archiving data and digital images, I
thought this would be appropriate to pass on.
Doug

DIGITAL ISN'T FOREVER
"Digital information lasts forever, or five years -- whichever comes first,"
says a senior computer scientist at RAND Corp.  The problem is that computer
experts are finding out that under less-than-optimal conditions, digital
tapes and disks, including CD-ROMs, can deteriorate in as little as five to
10 years.  And the decay, although it happens gradually, isn't evident until
it's too late, says the founder of Voyager Co., which makes commercial
CD-ROM books and games.  "CDs have a tendency to degrade much faster than
anybody, at least in the companies that make them, is willing to predict."
At the same time, as data is ported from an antiquated platform to a newer
system, often there are bits that fail to make the transition.  Sometimes
it's just a matter of footnotes disappearing, but sometimes whole categories
of data are lost.  "It's like playing the child's game of Telephone.  It
doesn't take many translations from one media to another before you have
lost significant aspects of the original data."  (Business Week 20 Apr 98)
.....................................................................
: Douglas W. Cromey, M.S.       Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy     :
: Sr. Research Specialist       University of Arizona               :
: (office:  AHSC 4212A)         P.O. Box 245044                     :
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: (FAX:  520-626-2097)          (email: [log in to unmask]) :
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