> > > > Will there be a program, a software piece able to read the PEFs or > > DNGs or JPGs or TIFFs in 25 years? > > Boris, you are not going to go to sleep like Rip Van Winkle, > and wake up in 30 years to find that JPEGS are history. > You'll see a new format > introduced (if it is), and make new copies of your CDs in the > new format. > It is inconceivable that a new format would be introduced > without a way to convert existing formats to it. When PNG > came out, all regular imaging software embraced it. >
the problem is, though, that you will probably have to maintain an unbroken chain of conversions for however long you want to keep the files. This involves cost, either as work or as money, for each conversion. For large collections of photographs the cost may be quite significant. Since none of us can read the future we are betting that at the time when the next conversion becomes due we will be able to afford to convert a growing collection. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that decent prints are likely to be the best way to ensure the long(-ish) term survival of photographs, although I haven't actually done much about it since prints of that quality and longevity also involves a lot of cost. The only other possibility that might have a viable future is online storage similar to that that Google offer (or may offer soon). If storage online is cheap enough and secure enough, some company will offer it as a long-term archive for things like photos. They will take care of conversions transparently to the user, and economies of scale will make it profitable. Bob
