|
Post by tonebone on Oct 11, 2021 15:27:35 GMT -5
Not being cheeky, but I don't think arguing that decades-old periodicals published on cheap newsprint have a strong long-term outlook is particularly persuasive. I had a bunch of comics undergo significant yellowing 20 or so years ago before it was found the old bags and boards had a chemical that degraded books. The things used to protect them even were damaging them. At the same time, I have about fifty Golden Age books I've bought over the years that are now over seventy years old each, and none have deteriorated in any noticeable way in the two decades since I acquired them. They still look great for their age, one actually still looking mint fresh. Inevitably, paper will degrade over time, but whether it will be an elderly me or my great grandkids dealing with pulp in place of comic book pages, I know I have quite a few years left to enjoy even the most ancient books in my collection. I have significantly less confidence that your digital library will still be there in seventy years. It's possible, but it's far less certain. No, but I outlined quite a few other ways in which that loss of control can result in undesired consequences, and some of those are a lot more likely than a pipe bursting. Absolutely. If you don't mind digital, this makes a lot of sense. The problem for me is that, until I read a run, I never know whether it's going to end up being a favorite that I end up wanting to read twenty times or something I read once and then sell off after. For the casual reader, digital almost certainly makes more sense, but if you get attached to runs and enjoy re-reading them, counting on them being available for each re-read, then digital may not be ideal. I recently started buying all my favorite films that I regularly stream on youtube because a few have dropped off the internet over the years. I want to know they will be there when I want them. No argument here. My point was only that digital is less predictable/reliable in the long term. Ironically, the paper comics you mention have lasted LONGER than the shelf life of DVD's or CD's, especially home-burned ones. Even commercially pressed DVDs, Blu Rays, and CD's have a POSSIBLE short shelf life. A pressed disc can start to "rot" in about 7 years, if they were not done to high standards. Home-burned discs are lucky to last that long. Even hard drive platters can begin to degrade and lose information. I am not sure about Solid State Drives, which, theoretically, seem like they would last forever. One cure for degradation on HDD's is to copy or move the information periodically... maybe the same for SSD's. The disc problem is really scary. Do a search on "disc rot". You'll be impressed with the longevity of paper, even cheap newsprint.
|
|
|
Post by Graphic Autist on Oct 11, 2021 16:37:12 GMT -5
The disc problem is really scary. Do a search on "disc rot". You'll be impressed with the longevity of paper, even cheap newsprint. Just copy the contents to a computer's hard disc drive. With periodic backups, your digital collection will last forever.
And as for those that state "sometimes my files just disappear," you need to learn how to use a computer. I have never had a file "disappear" unless it was operator error or the whole disc tanked. Back that stuff up.
|
|
|
Post by badwolf on Oct 11, 2021 16:47:59 GMT -5
Out of the thousand+ commercial CDs I currently own I have only ever had one disc "go bad." And it wasn't even very old. Just a bad pressing, could happen with any product.
|
|
|
Post by badwolf on Oct 11, 2021 16:53:03 GMT -5
The disc problem is really scary. Do a search on "disc rot". You'll be impressed with the longevity of paper, even cheap newsprint. Just copy the contents to a computer's hard disc drive. With periodic backups, your digital collection will last forever.
And as for those that state "sometimes my files just disappear," you need to learn how to use a computer. I have never had a file "disappear" unless it was operator error or the whole disc tanked. Back that stuff up.
I've been using computers since the 1980s. Most likely it's a software glitch, but nevertheless, it does happen. Data corruption is also an issue. WMP used to do it a lot.
|
|
|
Post by Graphic Autist on Oct 11, 2021 17:08:24 GMT -5
I've been using computers since the 1980s. Most likely it's a software glitch, but nevertheless, it does happen. Data corruption is also an issue. WMP used to do it a lot. Like you, I have been using computers since the 80s. If you're entrusting your important computer files to floppy disc drives or an old ZIP disc, yeah, stuff can get corrupted far more easily. Have everything on a HDD, or now, SSD. Have backups. I have files that are over 30 years old. If data corruption were as big a problem as some make it out to be here, we wouldn't even have an internet. The usual culprit with data getting corrupted or "lost" is using old discs and, rarely, a virus. Always replace your HDD drives after a few years (even if they seem to still be working fine,) and even if you are using SSD, always have at least one backup of the contents. Discs are so inexpensive now...
|
|
|
Post by Icctrombone on Oct 11, 2021 19:12:38 GMT -5
This is the golden age of access to media. Everything can be replaced with digital, trades, omnibus'. I'm confident that if I sell off my entire collection, I can get collected editions to replace them.
|
|