If you are following a "life-cycle" of technology, then one would assume that along the course of 100 years, the data would be migrated periodically to coincide with the new technologies (whatever they may be).Then all you need to worry about is technology life.
That was also the point I was trying to make - and my personal fear is that those who don't deal with IT issues on a regular basis DO take the "100-year life" seriously without regard to the other parts of the puzzle needed to retrieve the data.First of all, no one knows for sure what can or cannot be done in 100 years.
However, the mostAgreed.
important point is that media life should not be the reason why information
is lost. It should not be the weak link in the system. It should outlast
the technology to read it.
John Spencer www.bridgemediasolutions.com
One final note, the argument that "So what if media lasts 100 years, you
won't have the equipment to read it at that time." is a poor one. First of
all, no one knows for sure what can or cannot be done in 100 years. I would
think that technology would be quite far advanced and therefore, I wouldn't
rule out the fact that CDs could be read in the future. However, the most
important point is that media life should not be the reason why information
is lost. It should not be the weak link in the system. It should outlast
the technology to read it. Then all you need to worry about is technology
life. Therefore, you should choose media that has the greatest lifetime,
even though 100 years may seem outrageous, to ensure this is the case.