The article discusses the evolving nature of storage media, highlighting both the durability and fragility of older formats like punched paper tape. Andrew Herbert notes the resilience of these tapes, provided they are well maintained. However, they can suffer from issues like brittleness when wound tightly or damage due to pests. Delwyn Holroyd contributes insights on maintaining such media, emphasizing the importance of careful handling, especially for punched cards. The longevity of these formats often relies on the correct storage conditions and regular maintenance routines.
"I did once open a box to find a moth had nested inside and feasted on the paper... the tape was too fragile to handle and essentially useless."
"If there are tears or mispunched holes, then if the data format is known, it is often fairly easy to reconstruct the original, especially if there was parity or a checksum."
"The WITCH paper tape readers use spring-loaded metal pins to sense the holes in the tape... we duplicate the working tapes every few months."
"The main challenge... is to avoid dropping a card deck and mixing up all the cards."
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