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Thread ID: 76016 2007-01-17 22:57:00 Paperless office Thomas01 (317) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
517026 2007-01-18 08:11:00 Tom - I hope after all your hard work you have your photos on good media and securely backed up!! :D

I've always been a bit paranoid about backing up so yes I am fairly well protected. For photos :-

1) Every day my computer automatically backs up to the spare hard drive at around 11am

2) Occasionally when its worth it I copy all the photos to my laptop.

3) I also download them onto CDs every so often - I hope to move onto DVDs shortly.

4) CDs are distributed around the family both here and in the UK. Family being my children - crikey one is a grandmother already.

5) When the CDs are full (I only use write once) then they are downgraded to live in the garage as another backup.

As I mention above I am a bit paranoid about them - but I have come across so many cases where the backup situation has been more or less neglected - until its too late.
Tom 		Thomas01 (317)
517027 2007-01-18 08:27:00 However. It amazes me the amount of people that keep photos on their PCs or CD.
Think about this: Once we used tapes. Then we used 5.25" floppies. Then 3.5: floppies.
Show me how you would view or access the tape or 5.25" floppies now?
So in 10 years? 5 Years? What are you going to view them with?

Not to mention deteriorating media, failing HDDs etc etc.

Whereas 100 year old printed photos can still be looked at or redone at a photo shop.


I don't know about tape - never used them to store photos and my 5.25 floppies were not used for photos because of their small capacity - but until recently I would have been able to copy them (the computer with a 5.25 drive finally went down). I know there are still people who can use 5.25 floppies. As for the 3.5 floppies - no problem - all three of my computers plus MOST of the family's computers have 3.5 drives.
I really think the problems with 5.25 drives is over reacted - ditto tape because in those days we didn't get into photos on computers.
I do know that I have absolutely no fear about my work being redundant as my descendants will I am sure be able to transfer them to whatever they are using. They will probably think that the file size I use is a bit pathetic and be into much larger files sizes.
As for old photos being kept in their printed form, well it doesn't work. many of the 100 year old plus photos I have in my possession show their age badly - even 30 year old prints are loosing colour. The computer brings them up beautifully.
I feel there is an incredibly small chance that computers will change too much and make the updates impossible (and I personally don't believe that).
On the other hand prints definitely deteriorate from the moment they are produced. And generally only have one sample.
No contest!
Tom 		Thomas01 (317)
517028 2007-01-18 08:50:00 It has been remarked that the "paperless office" is about as likely, and as useful, as a paperless toilet.
Regardless of that, each year faster printers come out. (And Roley still charges around the TV screens.) 		R2x1 (4628)
517029 2007-01-18 21:33:00 It is still easier to print off emails and read them than to read them on screen especially when working on screen in conjunction with an email (even on a 20" monitor)

Would a "split Screen" work in this situation?? PJ 		Poppa John (284)
517030 2007-01-18 21:40:00 Would a "split Screen" work in this situation?? PJI'm sure this would be a viable alternative to printing stuff out PJ.

But the cost of an additional monitor probably outweighs the cost of the paper, at least in the short-term for most people. Plus there is the question of space on your desk for the extra monitor... 		johcar (6283)
517031 2007-01-18 23:44:00 I'm sure this would be a viable alternative to printing stuff out PJ.

But the cost of an additional monitor probably outweighs the cost of the paper, at least in the short-term for most people. Plus there is the question of space on your desk for the extra monitor...

I think PJ meant having both the e-mail software and whatever else was open sized so as to both show on the screen at the same time.

As for me, I use my printer constantly and print a few words on each page, usually somebody's address. If I want to write something down I often type it in notepad and print it instead. The cost doesn't bother me, paper is cheap.

Trees? Well ....... Guilty 		george12 (7)
517032 2007-01-19 01:08:00 I don't have an office, but at least my desk isn't a firetrap! *smirks at his lie* pcuser42 (130)
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