zip (was: Re: Disk archival techniques)

[Dwight K. Elvey]

>From: "Jim Leonard" <trixter at oldskool.org>
>
>On Thu, May 19, 2005 at 10:55:37AM -0700, Dwight K. Elvey wrote:
>>  We then have a library with the one key.
>
>There are billions of .ZIP files.  I don't think we're going to "lose
>the key" any time soon.
>
>>  Maybe I'm just thinking a little beyond where you are at. Extra
>> levels are not good. I can't find a way to make it any clearer
>> than that.
>>  If you've ever spent some time actually recovering corrupted
>> data you'd understand.
>
>You're assuming I haven't.  And besides, in my RAR example,
>recovering corrupted data is actually easier than raw data due to
>the use of ECC embedded in the archive.  So while you're struggling
>for days trying to make sense of mangled flux reversals on some
>disk/tape somewhere, I will simply read what I can and ECC the rest
>in 30 seconds.

Hi
 You are assuming that the ECC was not part of the corruption?
Again, I don't think you have really done a recovery project.
You've just allowed the tool to do it for you. You need a
little more experience under your belt before you can truly
understand the issues. Do you fully understand the limitations
of ECC's? Have you actually worked with some of the algorithms?
 And yes, I can see a day when even ZIP might be lost.
How many Mickey Mouse watches were made and how many exist
today. Sometimes, being more common makes the item more
likely to be lost.
 Again, I'm looking at how things have been treated in the
past. What mistakes were made. These are the types of things
that are most likely to trip us up in the future. If
one doesn't learn from mistakes ......
 Sorry for talking about such a volatile subject. I'm just
glad that the person actually working on the project at the
museum has researched the subject enough to recognize the
many pitfalls.
Dwight