On 08/21/2016 01:13 PM, j...@cimmeri.com wrote: > I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. I do have a variety of > 4mm, 8mm, and DLT tape drives in addition to the problematic ones > discussed earlier. But trying other, novel mechanisms that contain > brilliant design ideas is quite a bit as fun as well, beyond just the > practical concern. > > Bet: I think 9 track or DLT will outlast them all, mechanism > longevity included. Specifically, I think my HP 7970E will likely > outlast every other mechanism / media combination I've got, with the > only uncertainty being the longevity of 9 track media... but there, > at least I've got a Mark III tape cleaner.
Given good quality media, I suspect that you're right. In theory, 7-track tape should outlast either, but the equipment is getting pretty hard to find. Same for wide-tape schemes (I mentioned the Honeywell Datamatic earlier--but there were others). But strange and weird, if that's your thing, means that you should probably investigate the really oddball stuff, like wafertape, stringy floppy--and my personal choice for weird--Datasonix Pereos. 8mm (Exabyte) drives have a pretty good chance of survival, but their relatively lower market segment population probably dooms them. --Chuck