CD-Recordable discs unreadable in less than two years

CDFreaks.com (by way of SlashDot) ^ | 19 August 2003 | Dennis

[PMCarey]

CD-Recordable discs unreadable in less than two years

Women and minorities hardest hit ...

[Texas_Jarhead]

lol. yea, I saw that after I posted.

[FReepaholic]

>>...this would be the only period in history without a written record...<<

Exactly. Consider the history of the Internet. Design and content of websites have changed over the decade. Anybody archiving the Internet??

Remember back when the Web was new and the only color for website backgrounds was gray? I had several websites back then but didn't save them anywhere. Be interesting to see them again.

Remember CompuServe, Prodigy and a young AOL? It'd be interesting to view archives of those.

[marlin]

hoi hoi folks - long ago and far away i was personally responsible for the first set of cd-r longevity tests - eventually it became a full compliance standardized process - you can learn all about it here - http://www.osta.org/technology/cdqa.htm

osta's website has a plethora of information - and information is far better than rumor

cd-r's utilize a dye layer that will breakdown over time - the type of dye used and the exposure to direct sunlight will effect the longevity - as will other things - but those 2 are the biggies

if you wish to have discs last a long time get good discs to begin with and treat them as valuable

bear in mind the cd-r's are an iso standard product - and that the federal government of the us was involved in the standards process - specifically so that they could get a product that had long life - compared to tapes - and was a standard - so that when a newer technology emerged - which will happen - that the migration to that new medium will be an easy process - remember the fear and hang wringing of systems failure of y2k - cd-r's are the 1st standard compliant media

if you buy cheap discs and treat them like a pressed disc you'll get unhappy results - sorta like nearly everything in life

fwiw when i 1st started selling cd-rs in 88 the discs were retailing for ~$300 each and the recorders where a 2 piece set that oem'ed for ~25k - and it was single speed - i still have discs from that time that are readable - today you can get blanks for pennies and a 16x recorder for less than the 1st blank disc - the point being caveat emptor

though i don't read dutch my 1st thought is of chicken little - much ado about nothing

end of rant

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Semi Civil Servant]

Oh this is wonderful news, especially for people who store their digital photographs on CD.

Reason #5 why I'm sticking with film for my photography.

[Atlas Sneezed]

My Dad is sending me all the family photo archives, because he is satisfied that he has them now "permantly" archived on CD and DVD.

[Publius6961]

All the circumpolars are gone. Enough already!

LOL!

[Allan]

bump

[RadioAstronomer]

I knew it! I just knew it was you. All the circumpolars are gone. Enough already!

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!! 8 billion down, 1 to go! hehehehehehehe

[the crow]

thx for the post bump

[Semper911]

Consider the history of the Internet. Design and content of websites have changed over the decade. Anybody archiving the Internet??

Actually, yes.

You might be interested in the Internet WayBack Machine, which allows you to put in a url and a date, and see the page as it looked back then.

http://web.archive.org/collections/web.html

It's cool as hell.

[RadioAstronomer]

But always, always, always sequence-punch them!!!

A really mean trick was pulled on me one day. I had been working on an orbit propagation program for an IBM 360, and had this huge card deck stack. I had been debuging it for days, and late one night someone popped in and substituted it with a bunch of random discarded cards and then the next morning "accidentally" knocked the box off my desk scattering these cards all over my office! LOL! After about an hour they fessed up and gave me my program still intact. :-)

[snopercod]

As you probably know, NASA commissioned oil paintings of famous scenes in space, since the lifetime of Kodachrome film is unknown. We know that oil paintings can last for many centuries.

[snopercod]

I can even read 8" floppies and teletype punch tape still. :-)

On my knees, hands above head, bowing to the floor. YOU DA MAN!

[Publius6961]

Thanks for the input.
FR is awesome.

It always helps to get input from people who were there and actually know what they're talking about.

Now... about that contactless multiple-laser $10k record player...

[RadioAstronomer]

On my knees, hands above head, bowing to the floor. YOU DA MAN!

Laughing out loud! :-) Thanks!

[Paulus Invictus]

Color film may last much longer than CDs, video tape and audio tape recordings, especially if stored correctly. We found video and audio tapes that lost their recorded material in ten years or even less. However, all color film and prints invariably fade over time as the dyes deteriorate. Black and white film and prints last even longer as they are based upon silver compounds that do not easily fade (unless they were poorly "fixed" in the processing). If color or black and white film negatives or prints are stored in a freezer, they last much longer.

There is a profitable business in California that recovers "lost" movies from the past by reconstituting each frame of faded film negatives or prints and making them like new.

[Publius6961]

It's cool as hell.

Say what?!!?

[Publius6961]

Not very original!

He he he.

We had engineering work that was run at Stanford during the night and this "happened" all the time.