On Feb 22, 2004, at 10:36 PM, John Hasler wrote:
s. keeling writes:Previously, this was accepted behaviour; making backup copies of originals was just something that was done.I don't recall anyone making backup copies of books or vinyl records.
Actually it is fairly common to "back up" vinyl records. records wear down by playing and are relatively easy to damage. My father has a large record collection all of which he has made tapes of. He plays the tapes and keeps the records safe on the shelf.
As for backup copies of books, that is not a fair comparison. Mold, tears, stains, etc. do not make it impossible to "retrieve data" from a book. You cannot tape a CD or floppy back together. Damage to digital media can make it unreadable... consider that the Domesday book from 1086 is still perfectly readable. When a method of digital storage is devised that can match this level of reliability, then there will be a valid comparison. That, however, will never happen.