[Gllug] Data migration and electronic archaeology

[David Cantrell]

On Tue, May 21, 2002 at 01:53:11PM +0200, John Hearns wrote:
> We've recently had a good thread on data recovery from bust drives.
> 
> Let's start a thread on data migration and electronic archaeology.
> 
> What do you do in the Real World (TM) when your computing platform
> is reaching (or has passed) obsolesence?

Transfer the data to $new_format before it becomes impossible.  Some years
ago, for example, I transferred all my old Amstrad CPC software and data
to a PC.  Most of the useful data is in plain ol ASCII, and that which
isn't, I can convert in an emulator.  Nowadays, I run the Amstrad emulator
in a PC emulator.

> Or when all that carefully gathered data is useless when you don't have
> the device left to read it - or the format has long been forgotten?

As above, I convert data to plain ol ASCII where appropriate, and use an
emulator if not.

-- 
David Cantrell | Benevolent Dictator | http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david

  engineer: n. one who, regardless of how much effort he puts in
    to a job, will never satisfy either the suits or the scientists


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