'Digital black hole' threatens your documents

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Don't be absurd, of course standards are allowed to change.

As long as a document makes it clear which version of a particular standard it is using, there is no problem.

"Unfortunately, older file formats that are proprietory will not be able to be opened by the open format programs."

This is true, people who insist on storing data in proprietary formats are slowly falling into the digital black hole.

"Life is burdensome at times, get used to it."

The trick is to work out when it is needlessly burdensome, and then to choose to do something about it. Something to bear in mind as you struggle to keep all those old files safe...

"That is baloney. You still have the original program to export it to a readable format by another program."

We've discussed this already - you have the original program at the moment (although not necessarily the option to export it into the format you want), but the Planets Consortium is looking beyond your (apparently) extremely limited view.

"Doesn't matter if open or closed. Just so long as the file can be manipulated."

Good luck manipulating a file if you don't understand its closed, proprietary format.

"Actually an orphan is created by hardware that is unavailable to read that obsolete disk."

The hardware issue is separate to the format issue, yes. And you could argue that the hardware issue by itself is quite problematic enough.

"There is lots of data in proprietory format that ODF standards are too late."

It's not too late, so long as people choose to do something about it now. If you have, then good for you, although I suspect that all you have really done is postpone your inevitable digital demise with an ever-increasing mountain of busy-work. As far as I can see, when you said

"Naw, just as close to 100% as you can get."

you as good as declared some of your data to be "dead" already...

Posted by: Zogg   Posted on: 12/19/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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