Subtitle: Rocks Don't Need to Be Backed Up
Henry Newman has written an interesting article for the Enterprise Storage Forum web site that describes the decline in data lifetime:
"In some ways, the Egyptians with their simpler approach were far better off than we are at recording and saving information. Just look at the well preserved [Egyptian] obelisk as you consider all the formats you probably have lying around that can no longer be accessed, from 5.25-inch floppy disks to 8-track tapes and old home movies. What would it take to preserve those for 3,500 years?
"After rocks, the human race moved on to writing on animal skins and papyrus, which were faster at recording but didn't last nearly as long. Paper and printing presses were even faster, but also deteriorated more quickly. Starting to see a pattern? And now we have digital records, which might last a decade before becoming obsolete. Recording and handing down history thus becomes an increasingly daunting task, as each generation of media must be migrated to the next at a faster and faster rate, or we risk losing vital records.
"Paper was the medium of choice until about 10 to 15 years ago."
"Paper was the medium of choice until about 10 to 15 years ago."
You can find this interesting article at: http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/continuity/features/article.php/3812496.
