OT Re: [AT] Generator--doing funny things, Now electronics.

[Larry D. Goss]

>What does this have to do with Antique tractors. Nothing. But all those

>soon to be antiques that are being produced today are controlled by 
>Electronics. I wonder what collectors will do 75 years from now to 
>restore them.

That's exactly the point.  The answer is that they won't because they
can't.  The technology will have changed so much that components won't
be available.  
For the first time in history, technology is even affecting the way
libraries and museums archive their holdings.  It isn't enough to
control the environment and preserve the original paper -- too much
material is now generated that is "born digital".  So the problem
becomes putting it in a format that will still be accessible when it's
needed.  We're now having to think in terms of migrating the storage
technology of archived materials to new systems every few years so that
it isn't lost forever.  That's a totally new concept to those who do
archiving for a living.  Believe it or not, digital archiving is a brand
new off-shoot for moving and storage companies.

Larry