I agree.

By tape I meant Digital 8. Not sure which one would last longest in the form of a seldom-used archive. Tape is fairly proven technology but can one say the same about writable DVD? I don't know. Both media must deteriorate with time and there is of course that question of technology to actually use the media.

For instance about 20 years ago I kept some backups of works data on a 10" reel of 1/2" tape. My guess is that that tape, rucked away in a corner somewhere, is probably useless. Computers have moved on as has the software. Could I ever get the data off the tape?? I don't need it so I don't care but it just shows that archiving is not simply a question of storing data. One must ensure that the archive is kept "up to date" as tecnology moves on so that it is transferred to new media beofre the old becomes unreadable.

Food for thought!