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Archiver > VAROOTS > 2005-01 > 1106330323


From: "jcbuker" <>
Subject: Re: documentation and proof ??
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 09:58:43 -0800
References: <e8.b29a5c6.2f226ddc@aol.com> <03ae01c4ffce$8df05420$6400a8c0@oemcomputer> <001601c4ffd4$dc8a0940$6401a8c0@hr.cox.net>


Paper isn't such a bad thing. After all, the Gutenberg Bible still exists
after 400? years. I'm sure there are many other papers out there just as
old if not older. You just need to take care of them properly and now we
have the technology to do a better job of that so our papers should last
many, many more years than the even the Bible or Declaration of Independence
has. The nice thing about computers is that you can make back-ups and
back-ups of back-ups and so on forever, no matter what medium will be
available in the future. The hard part will be finding that
person/descendant that will want to continue with your work and keep on
making those back-ups and taking care of storing those documents.

Jan Buker
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carolyn Bruce" <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 8:18 AM
Subject: [VAROOTS] Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Re: documentation and proof ??


> Paul, Annie, et al,
>
> How many times have you listened to a CD or tried to play a DVD and had it
> skip a spot? Aggravating if you are watching a rented movie or listening
> to a favorite tune, but what if it has one of those "burps" when the data
> is your ancestry file? It could have that memory lapse right at the spot
> where the most valuable and irreplaceable bit of data had been; then where
> are you?
>
> Also, I read in an article recently that the disks are not as
> "indestructible" as had been thought and may not last more than about 15
> years.
>
> My first computer was an IBM state of the art "home computer" with a
> built-in, one-megabyte (how will we ever fill all that space?!) hard drive
> and two, single-sided, 5.25" floppy drives. Do you even know anyone who
> has a computer that can read a single-sided, five-and-a-quarter-inch
> floppy, anymore? That was 22 years ago. Where will the technology be in
> another 22 years?
>
> Decay is inevitable. We can't stop nature's destruction of our faces and
> figures, much less of our papers and pictures. All we can do is make them
> last as long as we can. CDs and DVDs are no exception, and not as long
> lived as that crumbly old newspaper clipping with your grandfather's
> retirement picture on it.
>
> Just a little food for thought.
>
> Carolyn HALE BRUCE
> Co-author of Rebel King, Hammer of the Scots
> and Rebel King, The Har'ships
> See our site at www.RebelKing.com
> Coming Soon: VIRGINIANA, A Tourist's Guide to Virginia History & Other
> Stuff
> See our site at www.virginianabooks.com
>
>
> ==============================
> Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the
> last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more:
> http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx
>

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