Metamatic Forums John Foxx John Foxx Seriouslly?!?

That was my whole point guys, cds and dvds should be kept because mp3 and mp4 files are limited to upgrades in computer programmes. The codec programmes may change and there would need to be new digital files replacing mp3 and 4.
Cds and dvds will always be needed to upload into a computer even if its being ripped and converted into a new format.

the real problem in the future will be the missing or defective hardware to play a certain format & NOT the software in itself , as newer software usually can also play older files , but not vice versa ! :-o

Olaf: Don't you think that software developed in the future will only be developed if there is a computer to put it on in the first place?

K has told me that people are already developing ideas for programs which exclude mp3 playback.

This isn't as big an issue as it may seem - anyone can convert an MP3's CD back to CD if required.

Programs that exclude MP3 playback? Sorry, but that sounds like, well... nonsense, frankly. Not that I don't believe you, but this is simply irrelevant. WAV files alone have been universally compatible on any PC system for over 15 years, and I can't see how or why people are going to suddenly become incapable of playing MP3s - there will always be an MP3 player available in software. Believe me, MP3s are here to stay, and backward compatibility in future programs will be a given - it would make absolutely no sense whatsoever to prohibit usage.

That's not the point I was making. I agree that cds can be converted to mp3 and back again. However, I don't agree with Olaf that hardware will be "missing" in the future as programmers would have nothing to develop their programs for.
I would think that computers in the future would still be compatible with dvds and cds.

i basically agree with what ivor wrote here before !

however ...

jus' one indeed striking example , why this is NOT sure & definitely far from being even "guaranteed" : there are still a lot of ol' 5.25" floppy disks with files on it that could be played properly , but what has become of the hardware to play them ? ;-o
do u still have a 5.25" floppy disk drive in any of your computers that also works without a failure ?
some don't even have a functioning 3.5" disk drive in any of their machines these days anymore ! :-o

btw : it will be the same with good ol' vhs tapes already soon , as the latest generation of standard vhs players / recorders is of such an inferior "quality" that they won't survive any longer than maybe 5 years in use or so ! :-/

i "predict" that vhs & also all disk formats like 5.25" & 3.5" will become totally obsolete & gone in less than 15 years from now on & it will become rather hard to find a functioning player or drive for all those ol' formats - albeit the contents of the tapes & disks may still be intact & playable , if stored properly ! :-o

cds will survive a wee bit longer , but about 50 years after they've been invented ( around 2030 ) they'll also become totally obsolete & it will become a real task to find any still functioning hardware to play them , as new hardware won't be build anymore & cds will rot & become unplayable by then ! :-/

after all it's without a doubt always a hardware & NOT a software problem that will occur with all those ol' formats , as the past has already taught us , if u jus' look a bit more closely to the history of modern media !

I am still waiting for the personal jet pack that The Jetsons' television show predicted also. :rolleyes:

well ... "time will tell us the truth !" , as i use to say in cases like these ! ;-)

Sorry Olaf, I'm with maryann on this one!

WHEN I WAS A KID I WAS PROMISED:

Bionic Eyes, Arms and Legs,

Jet-Packs,

Laser Guns,

Off-World Colonies,

Time-Travel

and NEW YORK AS A PENAL COLONY!*

(*Sorry maryann - couldn't resist! )

That must explain the high volume of British "visitors" in recent years, Garry