points by Clamchop 2 days ago | 0 comments
The software analogies to books (documents of various types like PDF, HTML) don't have pathological obsolescence problems, either. Binary executable code is such a different animal that the comparison isn't instructive at all, or else I suppose you would also complain that you can't fit modern Ford parts onto a Model T because you can still read old books?
It kind of depends on the document format. PDF tends to display well over time (but there can be issues with complex documents and/or missing fonts), spreadsheets and word processor files are likely to be openable, but they may not display as they originally did. HTML is likely to look rather different than it did when written, but it'll probably be legible.