4 ms·

You seem like you already have your mind made up, and you already know what people are going to suggest ahead of time! I wish I could predict the future like th

You seem like you already have your mind made up, and you already know what people are going to suggest ahead of time! I wish I could predict the future like that . . . As others have pointed out, m-disks will preserve your data hundreds of years, but I personally use a RAID array. Of course in 50 years there will still be dvd readers, don't be overly alarmist.

woodruffw 5y ago
> As others have pointed out, m-disks will preserve your data hundreds of years, but I personally use a RAID array. Maybe it's lack of experience, but I've never actually seen an M-Disc in the wild. I get the impression that you can't use a normal disk burner to write them, so expecting the world's Joe Schmoes to use them (much less maintain a RAID array) feels unrealistic. By contrast, just about everybody knows how to put photo prints in a physical album.
- hypertele-Xii 5y ago
  > By contrast, just about everybody knows how to put photo prints in a physical album. Just about everybody knows how to put photo files on a computer, too. The issue was how to protect against loss. The world's Joe Schmoes won't store their physical photos in a fire-proof safe any more than they can maintain digital records.
  - woodruffw 5y ago
    > Just about everybody knows how to put photo files on a computer, too. The issue was how to protect against loss. Actually, they don't. My grandparents don't even own a computer, and my parents struggle to maintain digital collections of photographs (I can't count how many photo collections we've lost over the years due to failed hard drives, broken CDs, &c.) I think the point about fire-proof safes is an excellent one, but we're also talking about different loss models: losing your possessions to a housefire is relatively uncommon while slowly losing your digital records to hardware failure, obsolete mediums, &c. is extremely common. Put another way: I suspect the number of people who have lose their wedding photos to hard drive failure far outsizes the number who lose the same photos to housefires.
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago
  "I've never actually seen an M-Disc in the wild" Like you, I have never ever seen an M-disk, but back when I was 14 I burned numerous CD's with out family photos and most of them no longer work Also people keep going on abiut a house fire, is it not going to destroy your disks too?
- Wowfunhappy 5y ago
  > I get the impression that you can't use a normal disk burner to write them, so expecting the world's Joe Schmoes to use them Some burners won't work with them, but there's a decent chance whichever one you happen to have will work. > Expecting the world's Joe Schmoes to use them (much less maintain a RAID array) feels unrealistic. This may be true, but I think we're talking about different things. I don't know that I care so much about what other people decide to do with their photos, it's their loss. I care about what I can do and what I'd recommend to friends/family/strangers who are concerned about this.
Moru 5y ago
Please don't tell me you use raid as backup?

woodruffw 5y ago

> As others have pointed out, m-disks will preserve your data hundreds of years, but I personally use a RAID array. Maybe it's lack of experience, but I've never actually seen an M-Disc in the wild. I get the impression that you can't use a normal disk burner to write them, so expecting the world's Joe Schmoes to use them (much less maintain a RAID array) feels unrealistic. By contrast, just about everybody knows how to put photo prints in a physical album.

hypertele-Xii 5y ago
> By contrast, just about everybody knows how to put photo prints in a physical album. Just about everybody knows how to put photo files on a computer, too. The issue was how to protect against loss. The world's Joe Schmoes won't store their physical photos in a fire-proof safe any more than they can maintain digital records.
- woodruffw 5y ago
  > Just about everybody knows how to put photo files on a computer, too. The issue was how to protect against loss. Actually, they don't. My grandparents don't even own a computer, and my parents struggle to maintain digital collections of photographs (I can't count how many photo collections we've lost over the years due to failed hard drives, broken CDs, &c.) I think the point about fire-proof safes is an excellent one, but we're also talking about different loss models: losing your possessions to a housefire is relatively uncommon while slowly losing your digital records to hardware failure, obsolete mediums, &c. is extremely common. Put another way: I suspect the number of people who have lose their wedding photos to hard drive failure far outsizes the number who lose the same photos to housefires.
ClumsyPilot 5y ago
"I've never actually seen an M-Disc in the wild" Like you, I have never ever seen an M-disk, but back when I was 14 I burned numerous CD's with out family photos and most of them no longer work Also people keep going on abiut a house fire, is it not going to destroy your disks too?
Wowfunhappy 5y ago
> I get the impression that you can't use a normal disk burner to write them, so expecting the world's Joe Schmoes to use them Some burners won't work with them, but there's a decent chance whichever one you happen to have will work. > Expecting the world's Joe Schmoes to use them (much less maintain a RAID array) feels unrealistic. This may be true, but I think we're talking about different things. I don't know that I care so much about what other people decide to do with their photos, it's their loss. I care about what I can do and what I'd recommend to friends/family/strangers who are concerned about this.

Moru 5y ago

Please don't tell me you use raid as backup?