Future of CDROM, DVD, etc.

[Kenelm Philip]

> But it kind of makes you wonder if there could be some unknown defect in
> today's CDROM's which might cause an escalating loss of electronic data
> over time

There are a number of _known_ defects that have turned up in some batches
of music CDs, which eventually result in total loss of signal. The two
major types are 'bronze corrosion', and 'milky clouding'. Both types
take a number of years to destroy the readability of the discs. These
defects (so far) have affected only a small proportion of the total
production of CDs--but they should serve as a warning that CDs are not
necessarily reliable longterm data storage media in all cases.

                                                        Ken Philip
fnkwp at uaf.edu