this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2024
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My father told me he wanted to make USB flash drives of all the scanned and digitized family photos and other assorted letters and mementos. He planned to distribute them to all family members hoping that at least one set would survive. When I explained that they ought to be recipes to new media every N number of years or risk deteriorating or becoming unreadable (like a floppy disk when you have no floppy drive), he was genuinely shocked. He lost interest in the project that he’d thought was so bullet proof.

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[–] Toes@ani.social 54 points 6 days ago (38 children)

Yeah if you're looking for long term it needs to be archival media. Many people think the flash drive will hold it forever but they are potentially the most fickle.

[–] leisesprecher@feddit.org 20 points 6 days ago (28 children)

But what actually is "archival"?

Like, what technology normal person has access to counts at least as enthusiast level archival?

Magnetic tape, optical media, flash, HDD all rot away, potentially within frighteningly short timeframes and often with subtle bitrot.

[–] TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org 23 points 6 days ago (7 children)

1960s style punch cards. Made of concrete.

[–] leisesprecher@feddit.org 4 points 6 days ago

Thin concrete slabs are extremely brittle.

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