Data transport as hardware upgrades is nice in theory.
- How did folks migrate ST-506 harddrive data to PC with EISA harddrive, when it was a case of old-computer-to-new computer upgrading? the commonality of transfer media?
- And then there is the reality of the time involved in transferring terrabytes of data from old to new hardware, if one does not own a shared storage device like NAS? Of when one is changing between Apple and Microsoft computers?
Will heirs bother to move your data after you have passed, or will the data simply be lost to history...at least negs can get passed onward readily.
Every computer I've owned has shared at least one removeable media technology with its predecessor. Sometimes with 2 or 3 generations of predecessors. Until my most recent purchase, every computer except for the two I purchased in the early 90s were built by me, so that commonality was by design, but that commonality mostly existed in off-the-shelf PCs as well. Most of the time, however, the transfer took the form of me moving the data drive from one PC to the next during the build process. Data transfer was never a problem.
I've not done such transfers between Apple and Microsoft, but I've done plenty between Microsoft and Linux (either direction). To ensure there are no issues, I always format removeable drives using NTFS since I know Linux can read/write to that filesystem. I'm sure there are methods of doing the same with Apple. Therefore, an external 5tb hard drive will make the task simple.
My heirs are far more likely to know how to manage data than to get negatives printed or scanned. Currently there may be 2 shops in the entire DC metro region (going out as far 50 miles) that can make prints from negatives. But my kids already move files from computer to computer with USB drives, CD, or the network.
Now, the real question is whether or not these processes can last past 2 or 3 generations. My Generation, GenX, is probably the first to have significant digital archives of personal files. Our kids might know how to manage that, but not enough time has passed to know if our grandkids or great grandkids will follow suit. But, as I said above, it's no more likely they'll know what to do with a bunch of negatives. And if they did, would there be services available to get those negatives scanned or printed in 50+ years?
Frankly, I think only prints will be truly viable long-term. People will forget to back up grandpa's treasure trove of digital images, or they'll take one look at the binder full of negatives and shrug their shoulders, but they'll be able to flip through photo albums, portfolios, or gaze at frame pictures handed down by heirs.
I've started printing my favorite non-family "art" shots in 8x10 format and storing them in a portfolio. Less effort than framing them all and finding space on a wall, but it leaves a physical image people can enjoy (or not).
Chris
