> backups go bad, too... i'm all too aware of that and there are several
 > programers who did packages of FTN software who can also attest to that
 > fact... at least one such loss resulted in a complete rewrite of a very
 > popular mailer not long before the internet became the dominant connection
 > method...

 JD> Of course.  but only if the media goes bad   

not necessarily... all too often people find out that their backups are no
good even though they may have verified as good during the backup
process...

 JD> you wouldnt be talking about Frodo would ya?

in the above, that is one package i alluded to, yes... IIRC, the problem,
in that particular case, was not the media or the device but that the
backup was no good even after verify during the backup routine... it was
only later when the backup was needed that it was found to not be viable :?
this has, actually, been a long time problem with tape backups of all
types... i've run into it myself and only because i tested the backups
later by attempting to restore them to another machine specifically set up
as a clone of the original... even moving the same backup devices to the
new machine didn't help... whether it was floppy, tape or HD...

sometimes, no matter what you do, you are the bug instead of the windshield :(

)\/(ark