Re: Is ProDOS supported in OSX?

[pausch@saaf.se (Paul Schlyter)]

In article <qmWRa.38301$kI5.27413@nwrddc02.gnilink.net>,
Michael Pender <mpender@hotmail.com> wrote:
 
> Paul Schlyter <pausch@saaf.se> wrote in message
> news:bf8g45$2lit$1@merope.saaf.se...
>> In article <j0HRa.16476$EZ2.13168@nwrddc01.gnilink.net>,
>> Michael Pender <mpender@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> You're missing my point--the value of the data isn't at issue.
>>
>> If the value of the data is uninteresting, why bother storing the data
>> at all?
> 
> Provided that the data has some significance, the cost associated with
> gathering the data is immaterial to the decision of whether or not to
> convert the data format because the cost is already sunk.
 
Of course.  Thus the "value of the data" is related to the potential
future usefulness of the data rather than the past costs of gathering
the data.
 
> The cost analysis is the same whether it cost millions of dollars to
> gather the data, or whether its just a list of family recipes.  It
> affects the decision of whether to preserve the information, but
> does not go to whether the format should be converted.
 
Of course not.  The decision whether the format should be converted
or not depends on whether the current format has become, or is likely
to soon become, obsolete.  If there's no risk of obsolesence, then
it'll be fine to just copy the data onto new media of the same format
whenever the old medium starts to age too much.
 
>>> Its that the cost of the *labor* to load all the old data and copy
>>> it to new media is going to *far* exceed any savings from reducing
>>> the amount of physical space occupied by the 9 track tapes.
>>
>> So you claim -- did you throw any figures on this backing up your claim?
>> These figures should include estimates of the cost of the data transfer,
>> and the cost of the additional storage needed to store 9-track magnetic
>> tapes vs the equivalent amount of data on CD-ROM's or DVD's.
> 
> I agree that the relevant factors are storage cost and data transfer cost,
> but I don't recall seeing any hard figures in your analysis either.
 
Correct, but I never made any claims about which alternative was the
most expensive.  You made such a claim -- please back it up with
figures if you maintain your claims.
 
I don't think it's that important either which one of the two
alternatives are cheapest.  Any public library will face a similar
problem: suppose it turns out to be cheaper in the long run to
microfilm all books and then throw away the books.  The amount of
storage needed will certainly decrease dramatically.  Whether it
would be cheaper to microfilm everything is of course open to
question.  But suppose it would be cheaper for the libraries to
microfilm everything they had.  Suppose, for instance, that they
could cut their costs into half over a 10-year span by doing so.
Would that imply microfliming everything would be the best choice?
No -- that decision should be based on factors other than just
minimizing the cost.
      
>>> The mean lifespan of a CDROM or DVD isn't significantly different than
>>> that of 9 track tape.
>>
>> I don't know about that.  Try to leave a CD and a 9-track tape
>> outside for several months, no matter what the weather's like
>> (strong sunshine, heavy rain, perhaps even snow).  Which one of
>> the two do you think will be most easily readable after such a
>> treatment?
> 
> Well, why not just douse them with alcohol and light them on fire
> to compare which one survives longer?  If you're not considering
> *proper* storage of the media then the argument is just so much nonsense.
> 
> Try leaving a CD on the dashboard of a car in direct sunlight for
> an hour; it will be a piece of warped plastic long before a 9-track
> tape would suffer significant degradation.
 
As a matter of fact, CD's are most likely mistreated far more often
than 9-track magnetic tapes.....
 
-- 
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