In reply to a post by billford:

In reply to a post by micksharpe:

Actually, I was thinking of fountain pens.

No problem, provided you use a converter when you buy the proper ink

Obviously you are entirely au fait with the subject.

If portable media is a must then USB drives are probably the least worst option but lots of file transfers can be achieved by email or dropbox (or whatever).

Films, music, etc can be streamed. Documents and photos could be stored in the cloud but, for now at least, such important things are probably best stored on local hard disks with suitable backup arrangements.

I don't like some of the restrictions the iTunes store imposes on users but I'm all for consigning the DVD and CD to history. And books, for that matter. It's so much easier, neater, and safer (in terms of backup arrangements) to use digital versions.

... and so much more convenient for Government agencies who want to access your data.

In reply to a post by micksharpe:

Obviously you are entirely au fait with the subject.

Not quite

When I had to register my mother's death a few years ago I got curious about the obviously special pen and ink (and the paper in the book) that the registrar used to enter the details.

He explained that it was because those documents have to last essentially forever, so they use basically the same materials as manuscripts written centuries ago, and when I got home I looked into it a bit further, just out of curiosity. Wiki article.

I think the "paper" was actually vellum for the same reason, but not sure about that.

In reply to a post by xela:

USB drives

email or dropbox (or whatever).

Films, music, etc can be streamed.

Documents and photos could be stored in the cloud

And what non-physical media does the host use to store all this data?

oh, we're just being pedantic

No, not really.

The storage media used on desktops etc is the same as that used by big companies and in the data centres, you're just accessing it remotely and relying on their more comprehensive facilities (ie more money) to keep it up to scratch.

As for DVDs etc, they're actually quite good for reliable long-term storage- their data will still be intact long after the drives to read them become outmoded and unavailable.

Not necessarily true of writeable DVDs. But I stll trust them more than "the cloud". What do you suppose happens when your supplier goes bust?

My preference for streaming/cloud services is about convenience. I'm not opposed to storing things locally - in fact, it makes a lot of sense when broadband connections aren't 100% reliable - but I hate the idea of a disc for each album/film.

There's a very real risk that you lose your data but with services like Spotify, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, etc that's not so much of an issue.

We're not at the stage when I would suggest using cloud services for everything (and I don't know if we'd ever get there) but I massively prefer digital downloads and streaming over conventional media.

To bring this back on topic: I'm all for Apple abandoning the optical drive. Its day has been and gone.