4 ms·

if you want to properly archive your emails then you should print them on paper

• steve_adams_86 7y ago
  Is this true though? I feel like encrypted and redundantly stored in some cold web storage would be inexpensive and reliable, whereas with paper... Well, I lose those all the time, but I have files in cold storage that I guess by now are 15 years old or so. Another tough part of using paper is that you'd need to do it frequently. I get so many emails, and I'd like to keep a good portion of them. I'd be printing every week. It would be pretty expensive and inconvenient.
  • itronitron 7y ago
    I suppose my comment was a bit cavalier, this wouldn't be a good choice for most of your emails, just the very important ones of which I assume there are no more than several each month (or year). Printing as a photograph would be more durable and could easily be pasted into a photo album. If the photo included a child (of the person taking the photograph) standing next to the email then that would further ensure that it doesn't get tossed in the trash, and also provide a rough timestamp for future generations. I don't consider cloud storage to be permanent, secure, or reliable. I used to have 'important' files on zip-drives and floppies if anyone remembers what those are. Many computers no longer have CD or DVD drives. SD cards and thumb drives seem like a lasting technology, for now at least. I still have important documents printed from twenty-five years ago.
    • mceachen 7y ago
      SD cards typically lose their data integrity within a decade, and sometimes as soon as 5-7 years. Some SD cards support "extended storage" for up to 20 years, but it's an uncommon feature.