Where are we going?

[catgate]

In the past few days I have come across the equivalent of the "General Theory of HD Life". I am sure it was in a discussion on a forum somewhere. The idea seemed to be that failure was most likely during the first year or after five years, i.e the "safe period " was years 2,3,4, and 5.

I have not yet come across a "General Theory of OS Life" but I feel sure it must be less than the above HD life, if the current pattern is the norm, and there appears to no commercial gain (money) to be made by producing anything that lasts for a significant period. (define as you wish)

Some years ago I realised the odd way in which mankind has recorded information and it is very odd indeed (I may have posted it on here).

The stone age folk used to find a rock that was too big to be removed and they then made simple indentations in it by the simple expedient of hitting it with a smaller rock. Ilkley Moor has wealth of "Cup and Ring Stones". What this information is/was has never been explained, but it must have been important to them for them to have expended such effort in doing this.

Later folk used pieces of bronze and then iron to make marks on stone to record data. Even the Egyptians stuck to this for quite a while.

For a while marks were inscribed into a soft clay tablets, using a pointy thing, and the clay tablet was then baked.

Then came marks on wood with either burning or with fluid made from animal blood, or carbon from the fire mixed with water.

Then followed the substitution of the clay by animal hide (parchment) though the writing fluid remained much the same.

Then those clever Egyptians came up with papyrus and someone squeezed and octopus.

Along the way the Chinese invented paper and better ink.

Someone found a use for the feathers of dead birds and then Johannes Gutenberg came along.

Caxton improved things and then Christopher Latham Sholes invented the typewriter, later to be improved by Bert Qwerty.

Gradually, as is the way of things, the making of paper was greatly "improved", until to day, by the use of what is euphemistically called "mechanical pulp" a paper can be produced which can be made into books which will go brown within a couple of years due to the resins and lignins left it the paper.

Then we find the ultimate the computer, where we record and store information as magnetic charges on bits of plastic.

We now have more information and date than ever before. This information and data is infinitely more important that it has ever been before. We can create, record and store it at evermore frighteningly rapid speeds. What is more it can, and will, disappear at speeds that are even more frightening, no matter what Acronis might claim.

It seems to me that the more important the information the less care is taken in its storage and handling.

And we call this progress.

We can still go and read "The Life of the Venerable Bede". Will future generations be able to read "The Life of the Venerable Andsome"?? :D

It speaks volumes about "civilisation".

[AlanHo]

That is a nice bit of potted history.

I do hope that future generations are able to read about andsome - it will give them some idea of the range of horrors our civilisation had to cope with.

Regarding the disappearance of computer records - it always worries me when I delete stuff - because I am not sure what happens to all that text. I fear it may be dropping down and piling up at the bottom of my monitor screen. If so - sooner or later it will cause a short circuit and I will have to buy yet another monitor.

Would drilling a few holes in the bottom of the plastic screen surround let the deleted text fall out...?

[catgate]

Regarding the disappearance of computer records - it always worries me when I delete stuff - because I am not sure what happens to all that text. I fear it may be dropping down and piling up at the bottom of my monitor screen. If so - sooner or later it will cause a short circuit and I will have to buy yet another monitor.

Would drilling a few holes in the bottom of the plastic screen surround let the deleted text fall out...?

Just think what it would have been like if you had chipped it all out of a great big rock.

I'll bet there would have been few NHS and Inland Revenue records lost on buses and trains if we had still been using that system.

[AlanHo]

They do indeed use that system in some government departments - Mr Brown stated the other day that he would not do a U turn - his plans were cast in stone...................