CD's last forever?!?!? Do they???

Just what the hell are you listening to?
Post Reply
User avatar
Merideth
I HAVE no life
I HAVE no life
Posts: 4317
Joined: 22-10-03, 3:37 pm

CD's last forever?!?!? Do they???

Post by Merideth »

this article was printed in the Charlotte Observer this morning.

Posted on Wed, Jun. 23, 2004

Techno-trouble: How long will CDs last?

Hold onto your books and photos a while longer. Despite the efforts of some devotees of computer technology who'd put all information online or on a disc if they could, it turns out CDs may not be as permanent as we've been led to believe.

Indeed, according to the Wall Street Journal's Lee Gomes, a gentleman at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Fred Byers, has been wrestling for some time trying to figure out how long compact discs will last. Turns out nobody knows. Some CDs and DVDs -- particularly pre-recorded ones you buy with music or movies on them -- are probably reasonably permanent, although these days "permanent" may mean "about as long as a Ben Affleck romance."

But the CDs most folks buy to record on at home are made differently and are nowhere near permanent. In addition, suppliers and production methods differ from brand to brand, and sometimes even from CD to CD. As Mr. Gomes puts it, "The best way to test a disc is to carefully store it on a shelf and then check back in a century."

Since that isn't practical, Mr. Byers is working to create some tests to determine how long a disc should last, and companies whose discs pass muster could put a note to that effect on the label, the Journal said.

Sounds like an excellent idea. Nevertheless, we old-timers who can remember back to 1999 remember how tough companies found it during the Y2K panic to find programmers who understood computer technology from the 1980s. Why in the world would anything think CD technology from 2004 would be accessible to someone in 2054, even if the Byers-approved-and-tested CD itself survived quite nicely?

We're hanging onto our books, thank you, and our albums full of photos printed on glossy paper. Sure, after 50 years the color photos dim a little and some of the books' pages start to crumble. That's OK with us. At least we know they're there, nicely nestled in the bookcase alongside our collection of Beatles records made of genuine, all-natural vinyl.
Yes? What do [i][b]YOU[/i][/b] want?
User avatar
G.O.D
Voids my hero
Voids my hero
Posts: 1276
Joined: 01-02-04, 5:29 am

Post by G.O.D »

Chances are...people will keep them on the PC, CDs..,DVDs..then when a newer technology comes out they'll transfer everything over...
[size=84][i]"One who knows nothing can understand nothing." Ansem~Kingdom Hearts
"Pray to me that they don't... pray to me anyway..." ~Eternal Darkness
"Are you trying to fight me... Or entertain me, Little One?" ~Eternal Darkness[/i][/size]
User avatar
Sholix
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1351
Joined: 04-12-03, 1:09 am

Post by Sholix »

Yep! :nodder:
Anyone remember floppy disks?
User avatar
Jean Pool
Am I there Yet?
Am I there Yet?
Posts: 1824
Joined: 08-04-04, 3:53 pm

Post by Jean Pool »

and microfische which was supposed to archive all old newspapers is not holding up so well.

When the future archaeologists dig up our ruins, what wil survive?
Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.
User avatar
Merideth
I HAVE no life
I HAVE no life
Posts: 4317
Joined: 22-10-03, 3:37 pm

Post by Merideth »

When the future archaeologists dig up our ruins, what wil survive?
fast food containers.
Yes? What do [i][b]YOU[/i][/b] want?
User avatar
.:VerTiGo:.
I HAVE no life
I HAVE no life
Posts: 4729
Joined: 22-10-03, 3:25 pm

Post by .:VerTiGo:. »

and "bad-hair day" pictures
User avatar
Merideth
I HAVE no life
I HAVE no life
Posts: 4317
Joined: 22-10-03, 3:37 pm

Post by Merideth »

and "bad-hair day" pictures
no no... you gotta have a "bad-hair day" picture burning party before you die, so they no longer exist!
Yes? What do [i][b]YOU[/i][/b] want?
User avatar
G.O.D
Voids my hero
Voids my hero
Posts: 1276
Joined: 01-02-04, 5:29 am

Post by G.O.D »

and microfische which was supposed to archive all old newspapers is not holding up so well.  

When the future archaeologists dig up our ruins, what wil survive?
Easy...anything that wasn't destroyed by nuclear weapons.
[size=84][i]"One who knows nothing can understand nothing." Ansem~Kingdom Hearts
"Pray to me that they don't... pray to me anyway..." ~Eternal Darkness
"Are you trying to fight me... Or entertain me, Little One?" ~Eternal Darkness[/i][/size]
Post Reply