Long term preservation of eContent

A Digital Black Hole should capture major part of our recent heritage; today we can only imagine the “Battaglia di Anghiari” fresco by Leonardo da Vinci, Alexandria Library, some lost plays of Aeschylus or the original content of Palimpsests and Egyptians Papyri. 1 Please refer to the url www.medicif.org or the printed report on Long term preservation of digital content. AMR_eCulture- Rev. 22/11/2006 18:48:00 – status: draft © HMG 2006 - Alfredo M. Ronchi Will future generations, even not very far in the future, be able to access the content we produced? Do they will be able to play our electronic music, experience computer art, browse our multimedia archives or play our archaic video games? Rolls Royce recently celebrate its first century of history enjoying a huge parade of vintage cars from the early years of last century, do future generation enjoy the second century of life of the company thanks to a similar parade? If this will happen they will probably see the same cars from the early XX century because if there is still someone able to build a carburettor from the twenties we do not meet anyone able to refurbish or rebuild a PNP transistor or early ICs. What will happen to my electronic Leica R4 in the near future if just the disappearing of PX625 cells created big troubles to the mechanical Leicaflex SL2? Pre amplifier such as the glorious Mc Intosh C28 will survive to the extinction of thermo ionic valves? ICT is deeply merged with our every day life, we do not care too much about this till malfunctions, viruses, black outs or “millennium bugs” take us to consider the dark side of technology. Does future generation have the opportunity to enjoy today exhibits of Ars Electronica? Or some impressive products from MIT MediaLab?