Re: Alternative to Optical Storage????

["Followup-To:" header set to comp.os.linux.misc.]
On 2024-09-27, Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:

In comp.os.linux.misc Nux Vomica <nv@linux.rocks> wrote:

It seems that a lot of users are, irrationally, opposed to the
use of optical media for long-term archival storage.

>
Having personally experienced failures of both cd-r and dvd-r media
wherein the recorded media became unreadable in a very short timeframe
(only a few years) even with proper storage it is not at all irrational
to be skeptical of claims of significant lifetimes for optical media
(esp.  the user recordable type, pressed disks are a different matter). 
Existing user recordable optical systems have, so far, had a poor track
record, so any new system has a higher bar to get over before it is
trusted for any long-term archive use.
>
>

I've generally had very positive experiences with CD and DVD ROM's I've
burned.  I've used Verbatim disks, and I have disks that are 20 years
old that are still fine.  BUT I do have a few disks, which I think were
from the same spindle, which started to degrade from the edge, from what
I suspect was a manufacturing defect.

I use hard drives, as it is easy (and cheap) to make copies.  Using
BTRFS you can protect against what would otherwise been undetected
errors.  I have files that I've transferred from computer to computer,
back from 1994-1995.  These exist because I've simply made copies.  So
as this has worked for me, that is how I archive.  On hard disk, making
copies.