Xref: utzoo comp.misc:12444 comp.periphs:3724 rec.music.cd:15858 rec.music.misc:69288 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!udel!ee.udel.edu From: new@ee.udel.edu (Darren New) Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.periphs,rec.music.cd,rec.music.misc Subject: Re: What medium will be readable in 25 years? Keywords: computer music Message-ID: <52905@nigel.ee.udel.edu> Date: 7 May 91 21:56:55 GMT References: <1991May1.174841.3321@investor.pgh.pa.us> Sender: usenet@ee.udel.edu Followup-To: comp.misc Organization: University of Delaware Lines: 25 Nntp-Posting-Host: snow-white.ee.udel.edu There are two basic questions being asked here: 1) What medium will survive 25 years of storage? 2) What medium will have readers available in 25 years? If you are most interested in (2), supplying your own reader seems the simplest solution. For example, put a cassette player into the time capsule along with the tapes, and document the I/O characteristics (power supply, output levels, etc) of it, allowing somebody to build an interface if necessary. If you are interested in (1), it seems that a capsule with an inert gas could preserve paper well for 25 years easily. After all, we still dig up papyrus from thousands of years ago in deserts. I've seen articles on building barcode readers for pennies. It seems like barcode hardcopy would be the best solution for me, unless of course you have no control over the environment where things will be stored. -- Darren -- --- Darren New --- Grad Student --- CIS --- Univ. of Delaware --- ----- Network Protocols, Graphics, Programming Languages, FDTs ----- +=+ Nails work better than screws, when both are driven with hammers +=+