Anthony, Commercial music CD\'s are pressed. Computer burned CD\'s are dye based and less reliable. CD\'s are apparently better than DVD\'s but still not ideal. there is also the problem of capacity. James is correct about avoiding such media. There are no foolproof methods but the most common current practice is to keep 2 independent backups on conventional hard drives.
James, In 30 years of Scientific data collection, I have seen many industry standards that are now completely inaccessible. (both hardware standards and file formats). Ongoing migration is an unpleasant fact of life. Who knows what things will look like 10+ years from now. Granted, the widespread use of cameras by the public means that long term viability formats is more likely than for specialty scientific data. In my day job, I have to assume the doomsday scenario you outlined is guaranteed. It is not a question of what is possible but what is readily available. It carries over into my Photo thinking
Jan 20, 2012 at 10:56 PM
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