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Eric M Russell (3/25/2013)
jfogel (3/25/2013)
Good point but the writings of Frank or King were one offs and of value from the start. Important information will migrate to new storage methods so it is accessible. I think it will be a rare occurance to find a masterwork on a 5 1/4.An original manuscript or letter written on paper, the only copy in existence, can be discovered centuries after it was written and it's significance immediately understood.
Likewise it's also possible for a single copy of a manuscript to exist on a 5.25 floppy or Zip Disk laying around in the trunk of a deceased author, but an old floppy is not readily accessible and so most people would dismiss it as junk.
You may wish to note that the originally guaranteed retention period for a 5.25 floppy was five years. Will you please tell me, with a justification, what is the chance that anyone, not just most people, can discover its academic significance AND DISMISS IT AS JUNK, a mere 100 years after it was buried in a landfill, possibly with ferromagnetic media around?
(This is also an indirect response to the previous posts that mention Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into a stone.)
Edit: making the landfill point stronger.