[clug] Recovering data from old disks. Max age observed?

[avidler at iinet.net.au]

Historically, so far the most long lived data storage medium is stone
tablets.
However, they have many problems such as packing density, portability,
changes to recording standards so interpretation problems...
... I support "copy regularly, updating storage medium and
recording/encoding method as judged appropriate at the time", noting
there is (hopefully) a transition period when old and new technology
are both readily available,... I regularly cite a chunk of code I
wrote on punched cards in CDC 3000L Fortran in1965 which probably is
still usable despite passing through numerous media, code sets, OS's,
even languages, with missing even one of umpteen steps on the way
meaning losing the stuff.  {Umm, I've heard of people reading punched
cards by scanning them, and I suppose one could find documentation on
the CDC 3200 character set.and their Fortran IV...}  

...As far as when I'm no longer alive is concerned, that is someone
else's worry as I won't care.
Alan V (feeling idle)

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